Breeding Program
My sheep breeding program began when I started training the dogs and their handlers. It was quite evident to me that I needed an athletic type that was not always reproducing. Actively breeding sheep make for difficult adventures during class. Shearing was not desired, but having wool was desirable to protect against dog bites. So, a shedding sheep was the answer. Size was important because of my intention to train all breeds of herding dogs, including Bouvier and German Shepherd Dogs and because, in herding, you can eat your mistakes! The sheep themselves had to have a strong herding instinct to make them less likely to separate at the drop of a paw. This is the basic thought process I went through in starting my flock.
One day a guy showed me a picture of my sheep. I was fooled! The picture was not of my sheep, but rather of a Katahdin flock. I'll be darned!
These pictures are of my sheep.
My sheep have a reputation for being easy to set and exhaust from the arena making the life of the stock handlers easier. They set easily on hay and do not stick to it so that the dogs can make their lifts. They are accustomed to being worked by many different herding breeds and are known for not being sticky or flighty. They do what you and your dog tell them, so be careful that you position your dog correctly.
Twenty to forty are usually available to rent for herding trials or TV programs. They have participated in the making of a few reality television programs, Amazing Race,Big Brother and Tough As Nails.
I try not to sell any of my sheep, but circumstances have a way of bringing home the reality: that I will not inbreed, and the greater the population the more prone to distress they are. So, I at times have to sell some to keep the size of the flock down. Preference is given to working homes.
My sheep are organic. I amuse myself with this term meaning, as the vet says, I am very conservative in my use of drugs on the sheep. They do not get drugs unless they need it which, up to now, they have not except for an occasional injury. This means no wormers, no hormones, no vaccines!
Loading for a trial.
They seem to like to go for rides.
An older ewe gets a hand.
They're here.
