keybrookefarm

Representing the east coast! Juliepoudrier, Thanks for the help. I know I am the limiting reagent out of the two of us, and the video is honestly the last time I've done anything with her. Any time she's gotten into the goats/chickens/ducks previously without permission, she's been really rough with them, so I wanted a very good stop to keep everyone safe. Everything else is my inexperience! I come from a background of training horses, and I would never get on one with just a 'stop command'. I'm learning to let go... it's just very different. Thanks! Sue R, I have! The trial was a blast and I was pointed in the direction of Nancy Obernier. I got the chance to meet her and we're going to be setting up to train in July. I can attest to how hard it can be to go about this whole thing. It's very different to any other training I've ever done, and I'm really, really glad these boards exist and that I was pointed in the direction of the trial.

What are you putting in for a deductible and for the % coverage? I have looked into petplan for my own puppy and the silver plan was showing about 24 a month. However if I put in zero deductible and 100% coverage, that could easily go up to 40, maybe closer to 50$.

Alchemist, I hope so! I will be going to the SDT this weekend (excited!) so hopefully I can meet a trainer there. However, I was a bad parent and decided to see what my girl would do on ducks. I've had her since a pup and every command has been 'no, don't chase that!' so I've been dying to see what I'll be working with. I put them in a seperate pen the first day, and here she is with them out in the field on day two. I know I'm probably making a million errors--I've only read books and watched videos. So please be gentle on your criticism of me! I feel like I'm asking her to lie down too often, but it seems that if she walks up on them too long it builds up too much excitement and then she darts in--I'd rather stop her than correct her for doing it. Would a stand be more useful here? She knows this command too... I'm just pretty dumb. But what do you think of the dog? I've vowed no more ducks until we find a trainer, because I'm afraid I'll teach her bad habits. She tries so hard--I don't want to punish her for my mistakes! http://vimeo.com/97488375

GentleLake, thank you! I love her too. To Donald McCaig and Eileen Stein, thank you--I will be there! I had some written down on my calendar to visit, but not that one. Thank you for the link! Alchemist, I know that's a very good option, but I'm a bit nervous to send my dog off. She seems more sensitive and submissive to people (not so much the goats...) so if I picked a trainer that's too rough, I feel it could be a disaster. Since I don't know anyone, it's something that could happen just due to my inexperience. Maybe that will be an option once I find someone I know works well with my dog? And don't worry, I'm not planning on taking her to any undogged sheep as we are now--it's only an option if the trainer thinks she and I could handle them.

Hi everyone! I've been a lurker of the boards of almost a year when I got my first border collie pup last August. I've wanted one for almost 16 years, and finally had the land, time, and situation to make it happen. Without gushing about my girl, the family breeds and raises goats. I'd love to have her help out on the farm (and she is dying to), but as she's a bit sensitive I wanted to get her started on some sheep first, since some of our goats can be challenging. I really would love to trial, but I understand that's going to depend on a lot of things, and I'm sure it's challenging for a dog to be aggressive enough to work goats and soft enough to trial sheep (but I'm just guessing!). I have several offers from people in the area to work their sheep (they either have no dogs and need help or don't mind me training on them), but I can't just throw my dog in a round pen and hope we figure it out. I want to get some quality training down so we both understand what's going on. Problem is, I don't really know where to go. I'm looking to stay within a two-hour range, and I didn't want to drive up to North Jersey unless I really had to/it was really worth it (If any of you have driven on the NJ turnpike during rush hour, you'll understand why!). I'm located near Woodstown NJ, and can easily get to DE, eastern PA, and MD. Most of the places I've found are at least three hours away, or I just have a name and a number and have no recommendations/can't find out any information about the person. Just looking for some help and guidance, and some recommendations of trainers within the area. I'd ideally like to take my girl once a week (or more if I can/it's advised), and I don't feel like I realistically have the time to drive 6+ hours once/twice a week. You can't talk about a dog without pictures, so here she is! She's a itty bitty; she's 11 months old and weighs about 28 pounds. Thanks in advance!