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From our arrival at Camp Gone to the Dogs and seeing the various offerings, Susie was ready to try herding for the first time. After speaking with the herding instructors, Roy and Debbie Johnson, we signed up for a private session on Monday morning. Private sessions are fifteen minutes to prevent both dog and sheep from being to worn out.
Roy was born and raised on a farm in Virginia and he and Debbie have their own farm, Breezy Hill Farm in Gladys, VA. They have approximately 300 head of sheep, 150 head of cattle, a few horses and chickens.
Roy started working with border collies after he lost his hands in a hay baler accident in 1984. Roy has qualified many times to compete in the United States Border Collie Handlers Association (USBCHA) national finals with his dogs. His dog Sonny was the 2007 National Champion.
Roy has been working with all herding breeds, as well as some non-herding breeds, since 1986. He has been the herding instructor at Camp since 1996. Roy and Debbie are remarkable people.
We arrived about 20 minutes prior to our time slot and watched a Sheltie go through the paces in the pen with the sheep. Surprisingly to me, Susie made a trilling sound that I have never heard her make as we sat and watched the session. Susie was anxious to meet the sheep.
When her turn came, Susie was ready to go. Roy took her in without her daddy first, so daddy could get a few pictures and take a short movie clip of Susie’s first couple of minutes with the sheep. It was amazing to see instinct take over. Although still basically untrained, Susie responded to Roy’s guidance and respected his authority.
After the session we discussed next steps and since the camp “Try Herding” day was Tuesday, we decided to get Susie worked in for a second session.
Debbie had lanyards with herding whistles on them for sale, so we purchased a set .
Susie was already looking forward to next time.
July 3, 2023
Susie is looking for the sheep