Clinic in Finland 8. - 10. august 2008.

I had the pleasure to do a clinic in Finland this week-end. Lovely people and very good listeners. I don't know what they said about me during the clinic, as their language is not possible to understand.

But I got a couple nice mails afterwards.

Hi Odd Magne,
And thank you for very interesting clinic and that you came all the way
here in Finland to teach us. Your way of training was quite differet to
the way we have used to but it was very instruktive. On Friday and still
on Saturday I was wondering a lot of you way of training and didn't
understand why you have to give so much pressure to the dog. But on Sunday
I understood the aims of the training better and could see the results.
We came back home on Sunday night and on Monday we went back to work with
cows. Earlier we have had the difficulty that Mici wasn't willing to go to
12 a'clock back of the cows and was allways stopping on 10 or 2 a'clock. I
though it was caused by Mici's lack of self-confidence because when he
stopped he now and then looked at me like he was asking me "what to do".
When he went back to the 12 a'clock he couldn't see me from the back.
During the weekend I was wondering a lot of Mici's self-confidence because
I felt that we put pressure on him too much and he stop working a few
times. But to my supprice on Monday I had totally different dog working
with me. There wans't any marks of lack of self-confidence on Mici. He
went strait to 12 a'clock when he was bringing the heifers to me. Mici's
way of working was totally different when I work with him last time with
the same heifers last Thursday befor your clinic.
So I think I have to buy the whib ;) So now I'm very pleased to the
results and  guidance that I got last weekend. So thank you.
 
..........................................................................................................
 
That was a really eye-opening clinic you had. Thank you a lot for coming over!
You know, I have only used a dog for work, I mean just for moving the sheep inside or out (and not with that dog I had with me), I haven't really been training herding earlier.
Training the dogs has been my wifes job/hobby, allthough I have been listening to some clinics earlier.
But since your clinic I have practiced what I learned, with the black kelpie and our ewes, and it seems to work (allthough our ewes run really easyly when they just see a dog, so it is a bit difficult).
And the dog is easier to handler, he stays far away from the sheep quite nicely.
My wife is really amazed how the behaviour of the dog has changed so much almost overnight, to respect that the sheep should not run.
So I got a bit inspired and now I'm going to my first herding trial next weekend (beginners class)  :o)
Let's see how a half-show-kelpie can do it.
Putting the sheep in the cage is still pure lottery, it seems to require much more experience from the handler.

Photo: Tapio Mäntysalo  

The first one shown a perfect result, the hair on my arm was raising when I watched this event.

The Champ giving the clinic. Hard work.

The Champ & The Whip.

Showing 9 months old bitch and her owner The Whip.

5 minuttes later. The owner is amazed.....