Post by thystledown on Nov 1, 2020 14:37:39 GMT -5
Tig and Top at 6 weeks. They are 10 weeks now. I just received a video from Tig's owner of him being introduced (on lead) to sheep at an English Shepherd gathering in NC. We kept Top (Thystledown Top Hat--see the dot on his head?). I let him come along off-lead when I led the cow to a new pasture, his Mom, Tess, wearing along behind as if I wasn't there. Both pups were very alert interested and focused. No fooling around. I don't recommend introducing pups to livestock off lead at this age, but I risked it and Top did great. On the other hand, he was born here and has seen the livestock and his mom work before from a distance. "Cowboy" another pup from the litter is in KY and was also introduced to his herd of beef cows (on a long line and not too close) this week. Cricket, the only female, is on a beef farm here in NY and is reported to be fearless but controlled. Wow! Only one pup went to a non-working home and he's doing reliable sit stays. I'm pretty happy. Although my family (Grandfather, father, uncles) bred English Shepherds for years, this is my first litter and the first litter in our family for over 40 years. I wanted to share this good news. Also, generally, we don't let pups loose around livestock until they are much older (4-6 mos or more and then in controlled conditions) because if they get hurt now it can ruin them. I'm hoping Top will be even better than his mom. I grew up with great workiing English shepherds that were essential on our farm, so I have pretty high standards and really value the help of a good herding dog. Here is a pic of Cricket, the female, who came back for a visit last week. A long way from this, which is not a great pic, but show the whole litter and the parents. As I look at this pic, mom Tess (adult black and white in lower right) might be threatening Henry (sable sire).