Herding News!! Greenstone Thunder HCT, HJD

Hello Folks

Well Breed History has been made again by Greenstone Thunder in AHBA!! Go Icelandics!

Greenstone Thunder HCT, JHD, went to a AHBA Trial this past weekend and he now has his first leg of HTD 1.. Way to go Deb and Thunder!!

Only one more leg to go and he will have his HTD 1.. very cool..

I wish I could say that there is photos but Doug was not able to make the trail and so no photos from the event.. they will see if they can get photos and video from the next one..

Happy Holidays.. Doug is getting his own Greenstone Herding Icelandic, Greenstone Cleo is joining the family! and I am looking forward to posting her own wins in the future! but most of all I am just happy that both Thunder and Cleo are happy and well-loved members of their Family.

I am also Honored as a breeder, because this is the third family that has come back in two or three years for a second Icelandic Sheepdog from my home to theirs! That means so MUCH to me, I can't tell you how proud and happy I am that my puppy owners like my dogs and me enough to come back for a second when the time is right.

I know that Jill at Pineridge had the honor this year of someone coming back for two wonderful ISD puppies, after their first Pineridge Icelandic Sadly passed away in her old age.. and of course they wanted another Icelandic.. While I do hope for my babies sakes, that its a long time coming! that I will have that honor someday in the future as well..

"Herding Trial Dog classes, with levels HTD I, II and III, take place on a standard course. All levels include an outrun, lift, fetch, wear and/or drive, and pen (the pen may be on the fence for the started level, but is free-standing for the higher levels). At the started level, the outrun is short and the handler may accompany the dog and sheep throughout the course. At the intermediate level, the outrun is longer and the handler may accompany the dog only partway through the course. At the advanced level, the outrun is longer, the handler remains at the handler's post until time to pen, and after the pen there is an additional exercise (removing a ribbon from a marked sheep). HTD trials are designed to be held in large fields, but may be held in arenas with special permission. "

Greenstone Thunder-New AHBA Herding Title -JHD

Hello Folks

A Huge Congrats to Doug/Deb and Gwen, co-owners of Greenstone Thunder, Deb and Thunder passed their JHD (AHBA) legs one and two this past weekend, earning Thunder's second herding title to date, and he will be starting to to work on his HT titles later in June.

I could not be more proud of Thunder or more grateful to his owners and loving family for all the hard work and effort they have put into their lovely boy! Thanks guys, you are the best!

I have been promised new photos and I will post some to this update as soon as they arrive.. ok so the photos have arrived and wow, has Thunder learned control, no wonder he did it perfect..

So for those that have not been to a herding event, I have tried to show a few things in the photos I selected, so first is Deb and Thunder waiting to be called in..

So Thunder is put on stay, while Deb lets out the sheep, she then needs to have Thunder gather the sheep and bring them to her and then walk them though a gate, and around two different cones and then take them back across the area and pen them, with Thunders help, his job is to listen to Deb and to help control the flock, so in the one photo you see him running, that is at the beginning when he gathers the sheep and brings them to deb, the rest of the time, you see him behind Deb and the Sheep, either following the rear to push them forward on command or in a down stay, while Deb leads the way.

Here is the part from Dougs letter Qoute "JHD is moving sheep through a center gate and then to one of the far corners, to the other far corner and then back to the pen. Thunder sits while Deb pens the sheep and then comes when called. The sheep more or less stay with Deb and follow her around but Thunder provides "pressure" to keep them going. He's judged on his
awareness of and focus on the sheep. He was pretty much flawless and the judges
commented on his performance much the same way they commented on the border collies. The first judge (Leg I) said he's a good reason for her to shift from border collies to ISDs."

Barks

Herding Training last night.

Hello Folks

Well, time for a break this morning, so will sit down and do a update.. so the weather is fine, we have well above normal temps, getting up to 22, which is nice summer weather, even the wind is warm at this point..

So lots of gardening, and lots of extra daylight hours, means lots of energy to boot, so as my youngest set of twins lambs are a month old now, thought everyone was old enough to do some really basic light herding work last night, so worked two of the young/soft dogs on the flock of sheep, by the time I did training for the two younger dogs, the lambs where tired right out, but I was not and I had not worked my older harder dogs..

So thought, why not try it, and I got the three goat kids out and to say they were not dog broke is a understatement, it was a blast, I worked Dalla first, and that helped a great deal to break the kids in to understand that I was the safe zone, and if you tried for the barn, you would get driven back to me etc.. Anyway, after Dalla, I worked Ada and then Vaskur.. by then my own legs were very sore from all my walking backwards and it was getting dark and about two hours after I started, so time to call it quits for sure.

Otherwise, up early this morning and out with the dogs, we are setting up more agility equipment, worked on some new fencing, put the goats to pasture, worked with dogs a bit on living fence patrol with the goats, moved the rabbit hutchs to their summer spot from their winter spots, got ambushed by the rooster and have a big nasty sore spot on my leg.

Jason has left for town, he is getting lumber to work on a new Dog pen, plus our regular two weeks of feed, and grocery's for the next two weeks..

Its just such a perfect day, that we are going to have steak/mushrooms/onions, with fresh baby potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and a nice green salad for supper, and I am going to make a peach pie for dessert tonight.. Does that sound like a spring feast or what!

Well, had better get back to the grind, want to work up some flower beds and get them ready for planting later today.

Barks

Greenstone Puppy Herding Test-Ducks

Hello Folks

One of the puppy tests that I have started giving, my last three litters were "Puppy Herding Tested" on ducks, and it was really wonderful to see who naturally had it, and who did not, The puppies are tested on the ducks twice with a few days apart to give them the best fair shake at it, and some of them were so into it right from the begin it was amazing..

See some of the photos posted, Greenstone Boogie Man is the mostly solid Tan pup that is working the ducks well, even starting to go behind him etc. I understand at his new home that he has a great deal of interest and is now starting on his sheep herding training.

The second pup is Greenstone Mystic Moon, she was also very interested in the ducks, but was a bit more wild about it, had them moving, she did, she is a lovely little lady that is in a great home, and in Agility training. This is a little red/white female.

Last but certainly not least! is Greenstone Black Pearl, she was and still is a firecracker in regards to herding, she will be worked with the ducks this year, but not the sheep, as I am showing her in Conformation, and I learned the hard way, with a few knocked out teeth in one of my best Show dogs last year, that she is working ducks only! thank you very much. Pearl aka Freyja is actively being trained in Conformation, and Agility. She has started her Showing season already and is in puppy agility training at this time. I had to get a photo of her in J's arms so you could see just how tiny she was, but she was sure boss of those ducks!

I will look forward to continuing to collect data from my litters and to being able to compare the puppy test results to the adult dogs in the future.

Barks

Icelandic Sheepdogs Agility and herding update.

Hello Folks

Well, It would be fair to say I am busy at this time :) I am backed up about a week on email so if you have wrote me, I will be working my way thought it today and tomorrow, As you know we have been lambing and kidding, so alot more time out in the barn lately. We have also been getting ready for the coming dog show, so daily grooming session and I am thrilled with how good my little girls coat looks!, plus 3 short times a day training sessions, one on the grooming table, One free stacks on the ground and one hand stacking on the ground.. Plus three dogs getting three agility mini trains per day..

Although they said it was going to be nasty and stormy this weekend, it was in fact fairly mild with some snow, so lots of dog runs, and barn work as well as indoor house work, it was mild enough to throw the windows open and do some spring cleaning, (lots more of that needed as always LOL) but it was a good start anyway.. many wheel barrols of compost from the stalls of the barn later, the time as always just flew by.. snuck in time on Saturday for a new hair cut and color for the coming dog show :)

Ok, so on to dog related things, well we had Frejya have her first regular Agility training class, she has a eight other dogs in class, all bigger then her but one.. Very nice group of folks, and nice dogs, it was very good, normally Freyja does most of her training in my privates and so getting her into a formal class is good, she starts Puppy agility at Dream Fields, check it out on the link if you would like. The rest of my classes are at my normal training school, Best Friends

http://www.bfdogtraining.ca/

http://www.dreamfields.com/

Anyway, it was a very good class, and I was able to practise for show training with stacks and holds etc, while waiting my turn, always a good thing. Freyja did well, she did every tasks asked and while she does slow down while learning something new, she will pick up her speed again after she understands what you are asking for.

So the lambs are so cute, I will admit to being guilty of maybe spending a few resting min just watching the lambs play.. amazing to me how they bunch together already, and I had Freyja out with me in the barn, as I always say to Jason, the dogs can't learn manners around the barn and critters if they don't get to come with us and learn what is considered proper or not.. Freyja lately has wanted to really chase the chickens and turkeys, so we have been working on that..

Needless to say, I did wonder if the adult sheep would be more on edge with the little wee ones, and until they are older, no working the sheep but I did introduce Freyja to some very interested lambs, it was very calm and controlled but of course she could move them with the slightest movement.. I can see that I will have a great deal of fun with the lambs when bigger working them with the dogs.. my older girls are so dog broke, that it will be a pleasure to work with some new fresh blood so to speak..

Barks

Thunder got his HCT Leg 2.

Thunder got his 2nd leg of the AHBA HCT

Hi Folks, Congrats to Doug, Deb, and Gwynn who are Thunders family. I am so proud of Thunder as his breeder mom! and his furry parent are very proud as well!! Dalla and Vaskur send wags and playbows to their handsome son.

This is Thunder as a baby puppy, can you believe that this cutie grew up to be a big handsome working herding dog! Thunders Brother Ullo lives on a Farm by Edmonton Alberta, and his family has horses, so working well with animals does come well with this breed and line.

As soon as I have a working link for Thunders youtube video, I will post it on this write up and I have been told that there are a few still photos of thunder herding so will add them as soon as I get them.

As far as I know, Thunder is the first Icelandic Sheepdog to earn a AHBA title, very cool indeed. Folda was the first CKC HI Icelandic Sheepdog in Canada.

In keeping with sheep, we had our first set of twin lambs born yesterday morning, a lovely set of babies girls out of butterscotch, and Chocolate is due anytime now, Ripple Chips and Stomp still look to have a bit to go yet.. I will get new photos of the wee ones.

Have a great day,

Barks

Greenstone Icelandics and Herding on the Farm

Hello Folks

Well was visiting with Monika last night and we got talking about the Icelandic and Herding, in Iceland, as Monika and others explain to me, the dogs are used for driving and for being sent up into the hills to bring down the sheep, in the annual spring/Fall Sheep roundups. The Icelandic Sheep is a very low flocking sheep, while some sheep breeds seen in Canada, would be consider med flocking (like my own sheep) and some would be considered good or even heavy flockers, which are very use to and wanting to "bunch" together, and this means that the dogs being very smart, and as they learn on different sheep in different parts of the world, working the sheep as needed for that landscape, would learn to be adjust their Herding style at least up to point..

Case in point, Dalla was born in Iceland, and she certainly shows the natural ability to drive, but given that my farm is on flat (mostly) pasture, and that I am working with my dogs in a much smaller fenced in pasture area's (thinking working in pens), working with the sheep in the big barn, and the other main, is working with me as a living moving fence line, as I still have pasture to graze, that is not fenced yet.. always a work in progress.. So to a point I am asking for driving, in the sense of moving the sheep with me to the grazing fields or back to the barn, the issue becomes when the sheep decide to go around me, or take off for the other hundred acres of hay that happens to belong to my neighbour, which is not part of my plan.. now if my dogs really only drove the sheep, we would have a bit of problem here, as I don't have a horse to go round them up, and its just me out there, not a group of peaple, but thankfully the Icelandic is smart, and wanting to work with me, is able to figure out that I want her to "go round" and to bring them back to me.. now that is a typical herding trait, and the Icelandic's do it as a upright(standing up) Barking (giving voice) running breed, which is what the standard calls for..

Same as in the barn, If coming in the front door, you need to go back different sets of stalls and of course the pen that holds all the metal garable cans filled with feed (the cans are to keep the feed dry, clean and mice free), which as you can imagine is a major draw, as the sheep know! that is where the grain is keep, and they want to try and go there.. honestly as the sheep do not feel the need to flock together, in the barn or outside (often willing to split into two or more groups as grazing) I rely on the dogs I have out and are working with to keep them together and to follow my commands, example in the barn, Dalla will push the sheep towards the barn, and I want this, but at the barn, I need to open the door, then back off to let the sheep in, at that point, I want Dalla to stay at the door, one, so the sheep don't go back out, and two so I can get to the end of the barn to open the door to the back barn which is where the sheep go.. so at that point, I can tell Dalla, Ok, push them, and she will make them all come down the barn and into their pen, now I know you are thinking this sounds so simple, and it can be.. but trust me, before I had a trained dog that would listen, or the odd time when I don't have dog with me, and I go to put them away, I have truly spent half an hour going around the barn or fields, trying to get sheep that do not want to in yet into the barn and into their pens..

My favorite was I had all the doors open and pens gates ready and I had been going around and around, the group split into two, which did not help, they were all on my hay fields no issue there, just that I wanted to put them away for the night.. finally I went stopping to house, and I threw open the door and said, Dalla Sheep, Barn.. and I am not kidding, she had them in rounded up, drove and into the barn and into their pen by the time I walked into the barn.. and I just patted her and shut the gate..

So I guess, the question Monika asks is important, if the dogs "drive" in Iceland, and are not trained so much as used with instinst and men on horse back to help, and in other coutries, they have different sheep (different flocking) and different landscape, there for different needs, and the dogs adapt to that, how do we make sure we are breeding and picking the next generation to have the herding instinct that Iceland born dogs have..

The answer is multi faced for sure.. and I am not sure anyone will have a true answer at this point, only time will tell.. I think that keeping the natural herding instincts within the breed is important, but I do think that using the dogs on different sheep, in different landscape, on different animals, (example, used to herd Cattle in Montana, and she swears that her ISD herd like her borders, now is that because the dog was raised with borders?) or the folks around that world that use the dogs to work with their horses, they are clearly "driving " the horse, so that comes quite naturally for sure, but they still do it as an icelandic.. I have an ISD on a horse farm in Alberta, and he does wonderful with them.

I think for me, I hope that by doing a formal puppy temperment test and keeping records on all the Greenstone adult Icelandics and the puppy test results, I will be able to do two things, one figure out what puppies and lines are being born with the most "natural driving" seen and used in Iceland for working their sheep and landscape, and also using the tests to figure out what Puppies and lines are born with the natural instincts to figure out what is required here and now, and therefor will learn what each sheep, horse or cattle needs.

What Monika and I came to, is that once again this breed is smart enought that with the right placement and owners, that ISD's can learn to do what is needed..

Got to love them. Greenstone Ada HI (pointed) working with flocking sheep in Ontario

Barks

Thunder AHBA HCT Leg 1 - Passed

Hello Folks,

Check out his video on Utube, will need to put it in your server.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7iE9VuwYmA

Wow, first off, I am so glad that Maragret told me that Doug had posted the Utube address, as I checked when I got home, but no email..

I am so pleased for Deb and Thunder, A huge Congrats! on Thunder getting his first AHBA HCT Leg one, and let me tell you folks, he is so ready for his next leg..

For those of you new to herding, let me break down some of the things that Thunder was doing very well in his video

1) He did a very nice full circles and kept the Sheep bunched to Deb

2) Switched directions of run under Deb's control, all dogs have a perferred way to run, think right and left handed like peaple, and Thunder did very well switching both ways.

3) Controlled Stop, Controlled Sit, Controlled Down and Controlled Release on both.

4) Good Flight control of his sheep, and I am so impressed, he never split then..but he does push in when needed and have control of his sheep thoughout.

5) Good Speed-Never Slows down or quits or allows himself to be distracted.

6) Good use of Voice- Just as a Icelandic Sheepdgo should have, as written in our standard, a upright, Barking, herding breed.

7) Again, very good control of his sheep, bringing them out of corners *(draws for the sheep) but again, doing it under the control of the handler, while reading his sheep's flight zone very well.

All and all, WOW, WOW, and WOW, this boy is amazing!!!!

He reminds me so much in working style of his mother Dalla, but I also know that his fathers Grandmother was reknown for Herding in Iceland, so its on both sides of the family.

Once again, what a wonderful job Thunders family has done in this regard.. Can't wait to see more video on his next trail, he is showing far more skills then required for this leg, and I for one would love to see him going for that Leg 2 and beyond.

Barks Valerie

Greenstone Thunder goes to his first AHBA Herding Trial tomorrow

Hello Folks

Well it was a long day. The dogs really enjoyed the fresh Christmas snow, with the nice warm temps, being only about minus four today.. it was just lovely for lots of time outside and lots of doggy play.

Vaskur looks every so handsome in this photo we took in Iquluit, its one of my favorite snow, sky and Icelandic Sheepdog Photos.

I am thrilled annouce that Greenstone Thunder a lovely long hair Red and White Intact Male Icelandic Sheepdog, Thunder lives in CA, USA, and he is going to his first Herding Trial tomorrow, a huge thank you to Doug, Deb and their lovely daughter for all the work involved in getting him trained and ready to start his Herding trials.

For those interest, Its my understanding that they will be taking Video of his tests, and I will let you know how to see it as soon as I have that information, as well as putting up a few new photos of him.

Thunder is out of Tofra Dalla and Pineridge Vaskur, and for those interested in these lines, Thunder will be available for stud to select approved Female Icelandic Sheepdogs in the future.

We have started testing for herding drive and natural instincts for our puppies, So we are able to get a good idea of if they are interested in the ducks or sheep etc.

Have a great night folks..

Barks