WHY HERDING

Four years later I got Luna.  Well, Luna took me down a whole different path than Star.  Star loved obedience and Luna hated it.  Obedience was just too slow for Luna she wanted to move.  I tried Luna in herding and she received her HIC with ducks. Then a year later I took her to a herding instructor about 1/2 hour from our house.  I couldn't believe here my little girl was herding sheep that were bigger then she was.  One of the sheep broke off and Luna went right agter him and brought him back. I was standing there with my mouth open - what a rush!!  But I still wasn't that interested in it.

At the 2003 American White Shepherd Association (AWSA) National show Judy Huston held an American Herding Breed Association (AHBA) testing.  Luna earned her first leg toward her Herding Capability Title (HCT).  Then at the 2004 AWSA another AHBA trial was held and Luna received her second leg and got her HCT.  I still wasn't that interested in herding.  Yes it was great seeing what Luna could do and I did take her back for some classes but I just couldn't get into it.

Then in 2005 I decided to try it again.  I was working a lot of hours and needed some stress relief.  I wanted somehting that I enjoyed doing and it had to include either both of the girls or one of them.  Still wasn't sure I wanted to do herding but I knew Luna did and Star was more interested in chasing the sheep than keeping them together.  I called Judi Bingham who lives in Nova, OH and asked her if she was taking on any new students.  At that time she wasn't but gave me the name of another instructor - Kelly Malone.

I called Kelly and told her about my past experience (which wasn't much) with Luna.  So I made our first appointment to have Kelly evaluate Luna.  I like the fact that Kelly spends a full hour with you and your dog and no one else is around.  I also like the fact that Kelly owns GSD's so she understnads the upright, loose eyed dogs - which are what our dogs are.

Sunday morning Luna, Star and I were up and on the road to make our 3-hour trip to Nova, OH.  Before I even walked into the ring Kelly was explaining everything to me.  Why your dog needs to sit before you enter the ring.  Why your dog doesn't charge ahead of you when entering.  Then once in the ring it was no different.  It wasn't just going in the ring and going around in circles.  She explained everything!

Even though Luna had done some herding she never learned control.  We placed Luna on a long line, which was easier for me to control her.  She had to learn not to charge the sheep (go up the middle), she needed to learn control and she also needed to learn that the sheep were my toys not hers and she couldn't play with them until I told her she could.

After our first lesson I went away with a new look on herding.  So the next week off we went again.  Our second lesson was much better then the first one.  Once the lesson was over Kelly said, "For your second week you're doing much better than last week.  You have come a long way in just a week.  You have a really nice dog and the two o fyou will make a great herding team."  Boy if that didn't bring a big smile to my face.

The next lesson Kelly tried working with Luna.  She said, "Well let's see if your a real shepherd."  After she said it she looked at me and said,  "I didn't mean just because she was white.  Most shepherds won't work for anyone else."  I laughed and told her I understood what she meant.  Well Luna wouldn't work for Kelly and Kelly said, "yep she's a shepherd alright just wants to work for mom."  We both laughed.

In the spring Kelly mentioned going to a Cappy Pruett clinic in Michigan.  It was about an hour from my house.  I had already enrolled in the clinic and didn't realize until then that Kelly had trained under Cappy.

I didn't know what to expect and figured Luna and I would be so out of place.  Everyone made us feel so welcome and Cappy was great.  Most clinics' you have half day lecture then the rest of the day I figured Cappy would with us.  It wasn't like that at all.  It was all work.  I thought how am I going to learn anything by sitting here and watching everyone else.  Late morning it started raining and Luna and I hadn't been in yet.  Once the rain stopped Luna and I got to go in and work with Cappy.  You can imagine what everyon e was saying abou the white dog turning color.  It was so muddy but Luna wanted to work and I didn't really mind it either.  We were there to learn and if Luna didn't mind the mud then neither did I.  The funniest thing was when Cappy slipped and fell in the mud.  He had alot more mud on him then Luna did.

The following week Kelly told me to get in the ring and show her what I'd learned.  I took a deep breath, walked in the ring and Luna and I started working for a good 20 minutes.  Kelly told me that I learned more then I realized.  I was more focused, a lot calmer and was giving Luna the space she needed or didn't need.