Our Story
In April of 2007 a little stock dog joined our family. Being professional dog trainers we thought we were ready for a "working" dog, and in fact actively sought one out. Well, we found one, and boy, we were shocked at the amount of "work" Foster needed in order to keep him from trying to take over the planet! After getting all the basic commands down, it was time to look for another challenge - enter Russ Finlay.
Russ was the breeder we got Foster from. When we picked up our 9 week old puppy on the snowy April day, Russ's parting words were, "We will see you in about eight months because this dog will need to work."
Well, it was now November and time to give Foster a chance in front of the sheep. He took to it like a duck to water, only he wanted to do it his way and not ours. He looked like all he had on his mind was a nice dinner of lamb chops! Here in lies the trick - harnessing your dog's natural instincts to get a job done for you.
Since November 2007 we have been working with Russ to train Foster to herd sheep. It has been a fantastic outlet for him and has given us a level of control over our dog in situations that we had never thought possible.
Before this training, Foster used to chase small animals and birds - from cats, rabbits, squirrels, etc. Now we are able to control him in all situations with other animals. Even though Foster wants nothing more than to go chase these critters, he has learned to look to us and wait for permission to go and 'chase', (which, of course, he rarely ever gets.) When he does go 'chase', we can actually control his speed and stop him immediately at any point in the 'chase'. We have used his skills to move cats away from an area, grouse off a hiking trail, and recently to move cattle from a road! We recentley attended the Highland Games in Canmore as one of Russ's guests and had our little guy working sheep in front of a crowd! Boy, what proud parents we were that day!
We have had so much fun with herding that we thought we would give our 12 year old Chow Chow cross a try. As it turns out, he is quite the herder as well! This is why we have opened the clinics to include all breeds. The smallest dog in our Herding Clinics has been Stanley, an 8lb Chihuahua cross, and the largest as been Flash, a 170lb Great Dane - and we've had everything in between!
All dogs can learn to herd sheep. Some dogs will have an instinct to do the job, whereas for others it will be mechanical. If it's instinctual, it's our job to harness that instinct and control it on our terms. If it's mechanical, it's our job to educate the dog where they need to be and what they need to do.
In 2008 we offered Sheep Herding to our Club Members. Once the word got out that there was Sheep Herding for city dogs of all breeds, we were overwhelmed with enthusiastic dog owners wanting to give it a try too!
Unlike other canine activities, Sheep Herding works within the dog's natural state of mind - calm. Instead of getting the dog jazzed up, we need the dogs to be in a focused, calm state so that they can do their job safely. This activity also requires our dog to consider us their pack leader before they will work for us. We do not offer treats for the dog to do their job, as to do so pulls their eyes off the stock which is unsafe.
Whether you are looking for a fun way to spend time with your dog, or if you have your own stock to move and would like the help of your dog - this is definitely something to give a try! At the very least, it's a good laugh!
We have had tonnes of fun with Foster and we are sure you will have a great time too!
About Russ Finlay
Russ Finlay has been working stock dogs for over 10 years and has owned both Australian Shepherds and Border Collies for 20 years. He lives in Westerose, Alberta, on a large farm and relies on the support of his dogs to move over 100 head of cattle, 200 head of sheep, ducks, and horses.
Russ currenlty has two Border Collies, Bryn and Belle who have both won titles in stock dog trials. Although Russ enjoys trialing, he doesn't have much time for it since the day-to-day life on the farm requires his work there.
Russ puts on a variety of public demonstrations each year throughout Alberta, such as the Canmore Highland Games. He also visits elementary schools to teach the children about working dogs.
Russ learned how to work stock dogs from his father, who learned it from his grand-father, who learned it from his great grand-father. It's in his blood, so-to-speak.
To learn more about Russ Finlay,
visit his webpage at www.elfstockdogs.com
