Kleinen Wiese German Shepherds

Posted By Sandy Wilson on May 24, 2010

DELTA VON DER KLEINEN WIESE (Arla vd Kleinen Wise X Hawk v. Eichenluft, SchH3)

This weekend we decided to start tracking again; the weather was nice and there was plenty of moisture in the ground to hold a scent.  Delta is now 11 months old and hasn’t tracked the whole Winter, but now it’s time to start tracking again since she is a little more mature.  I set up a single straight track with one zig-zag to see how she would take a few turns and she did very well.  She is a very intense dog and really enjoys tracking, but she is still very young and immature.  She wants to blow through the track and she doesn’t even pick up some of the bait because she is too quick, so will have to work on slowing her down and possibly having her be more hungry to want to eat every piece of food on the track.

Delta above here really working and pulling hard on the track.  In hindsight, I should have picked a day with less wind, as the cross wind may  have made it a little more difficult for her tracking.   There were several parts on the track where she lifted her head and circled and so I want to make it much easier for her and build her confidence first.  I know she can do the work, but I don’t want her to get frustrated.  She loves to work and never quits.   Love this little gal!  She is one very, very active dog – always wanting to do some type of activity.  This is the type of dog that needs alot of mental stimulation.

Delta is a dog that loves to play and have something to do at all times.  Tracking, fetching the ball and doing little tricks, and herding the sheep are just a few of her favorite things to do.  This is a busy puppy!

AIKO VON DER KLEINEN WIESE (Hera v Fafnerhaus X Diesel v Schulmeister, SchH1)

Aiko (4 years old) is older than Delta and a much more mature dog who is methodical in his tracking and a real thinking dog.  He is a pleasure to take out and track with.  He has a very deep nose and great work ethic.  He keeps going and when you finish the track, he is looking for more.  Above is Aiko just starting his track; it was an  “L” shaped track with one turn and then a final turn that was short to find the Jackpot at the end of the track.  He had a great start to his track, and like with Delta’s track, there was some cross wind that made the track a bit more challenging.  Aiko lifted his head once or twice to catch the wind, but then found his turn and did a really nice track.  Again, checking the wind direction before the tracks are laid are so important when tracking with beginner dogs.  Aiko, even though older, started tracking only about 1 1/2 years ago, but he loved it and naturally did well.  He is confident in nature and a thinking dog.  He is the kind of dog that you don’t want to correct harshly, but needs just verbal correction and he fixes himself.  He is a sensitive dog that needs very little direction, and a dog who truly wants to please.  He puts so much effort into his work and you can tell he wants to do a good job.

Bill with Aiko well into the first leg.  Aiko is a natural nose down dog who will work for very little food.  He just loves the work and moves at a nice steady pace too.    The plan for Aiko is more practice and experience for him tracking.  I think also letting the dog problem solve is a big one!  You have to be willing to let the dog figure things out and then praise, praise, to  let him know he is doing the right thing.   I think also taking Aiko to more locations so he can get used to distractions and other surroundings will be a big plus for him to gain experience.

Aiko working with his nose deep into the higher grass.   Next time I take him out, I think we’ll try a different location and more treats to make it a positive experience.  As soon as we get the long line out for tracking, he just gets so excited.  Anytime there is a job to do – he is up for it.  It’s another story when he is going to do sheep chores, he is bouncing and jumping all over the place in excitement, but with tracking he sets himself right in the mind set of sniffing the track.  That’s my boy!

Category: Tracking | No Comments »
Tags: Aiko, Aiko vd. Kleinen Wiese, D-Litter, Delta, Tracking

Posted By Sandy Wilson on May 9, 2010

Aiko von der Kleinen Wiese

Diesel v. Schulmeister, SchHI   X    Hera v. Fafnerhaus

Aiko is a grandson out of Alf v. Fafnerhaus “Nicky”, who was Ellen Nicklesburg’s main herding dog for many, many years.  Nicky was one of the last males to be produced out of  Manfred Heyne’s  bloodlines.   Margaret v. Fafnerhaus was bred to Manfred’s Nick von der Stammherde Ramholz, HGH, to produce Alf “Nicky” von Fafnerhaus.     Nicky was bred to Ussa v. Kuchenthal, HGH, who was chosen by Manfred himself for breeding.  Nicky and Ussa went on to produce many progeny with strong herding genetics.

This breeding combination produced our Hera v. Fafnerhaus.  Hera is the foundation of our breeding program; she consistently passed down her strong herding genetics to so many of her pups.   Aiko is living proof that these herding genetics are still very strong.  We are so proud of him and we know Manfred would be too.

Today we had fun on Mother’s Day with the kids playing on the new trampoline.  While they played, my husband and I took the sheep out to graze with our boy, Aiko!  He  is in seventh heaven when he is out with the sheep.  Aiko is always so happy to work.  It was really a cool day in May after all the hot weather we have had over the past several weeks; even though cool, a very nice day to take the sheep out mid-day!

Aiko tending to the flock at Little Meadow Sheep Farm.

Bill has been working with Aiko since last Fall taking herding lessons and Aiko is coming along very nicely.  We are just thrilled with Aiko as he is such an honest dog – he is the kind of dog who is very handler sensitive and very wanting to please in every way.  Aiko hates to make mistakes and seeks to please – just a super dog and we love him so!

Aiko watching the sheep as he moves along the mowed boundary.

Aiko worked all four sides of the boundary today and did very well.  We cut the graze down a bit, so he had more work to do as our sheep numbers were down this year due to downsizing the flock last year.  Soon we hope to add some Blueface Leicesters to the group, which will be a nice addition to our flock.  I love the fleeces of the Border Leicester, but adding Blueface Leicesters is an extra treat for me since I love to spin – it’s truly like spinning butter – so smoooth!  Next year we should double our flock size and also have a wonderful mix of purebred Border Leicesters, Blueface Leicesters and some crosses – I can’t wait.  I am looking forward to seeing the fleeces we produce in the coming year.  The dogs will also love having a larger flock to herd – more sheep – more work!

The sheep are happily grazing the lush grasses of the pasture and don’t mind Aiko as he patrols the boundary keeping the sheep inside his confines.  He is a very smart worker, always counting his sheep and figuring out where best to be to keep the flock in order.  I love to watch him work – he takes his work seriously and instinctively knows where to be along the border to keep his sheep contained.  These dogs are a true asset to any shepherd.

After some herding, Aiko was ready for a nice game of fetch with his new stick!  LOL!  Aiko tries to always find fallen tree limbs to bring to us!  Gosh, if I could only teach him to pick up all the fallen branches in the yard and put them in a nice neat pile!

That’s MY BOY!

Aiko with his mother, Hera v. Fafnerhaus.  As you can see, he loves his gigle ball too!  Always seems to have a stick or a ball in his mouth – the dogs just all love hanging out together!

Category: Border Leicester Sheep, Herding - HGH | No Comments »
Tags: A-Litter, Aiko, Aiko vd. Kleinen Wiese, German Shepherd

Posted By Sandy Wilson on May 7, 2010

Delta von der Kleinen Wiese (Arla von der Kleinen Wiese X Hawk v. Eichenluft, SchHIII)

Delta is really growing up and proving to be a really nice puppy – I can see so many good qualities that she has from her mother and father!  I definitely see she is one smart cookie!  She learns so quickly and is so willing to do anything I ask of her.  She is a very “up” dog and always a happy puppy.  She loves clicker training and offers me so many behaviors trying to figure out what I want.  I really enjoy training her.

Delta always seems to have a ball in her mouth – she just loves to play!

Today I was trying to teach her to put her front feet on a book to begin to teach her to pivot (see K 9 Solution Training Inc. for little video) by just moving her back legs and keeping her front stationary.  I love this method as it is all positive and no compulsion is used whatsoever.  There is no guiding with a leash either.  I love to train particular moves and positions all off leash with my dogs from when they are very young and to guide them into a behavior first before demanding perfection at a young age.  I think clicker training is just the best thing for this and if you have a smart dog, boy do they learn quickly with this method.

Just yesterday we worked on this and Delta was offering me a down on the book, a sit and so I had to tell her to “Steh” once on the book so she wouldn’t sit or try any other behavior.  When these dogs get used to the clicker, they just want to hear the clicker and get their treat, so they are just thinking, “Hey, what can I do for you!”    So since she was just so happy to do anything while on the book, I thought I better make sure I just work on her standing on it first and she got it in no time.  She just enjoyed it so much.  Everything she leans she does with great enthusiasm and of course she gets lots of treats which is great for treat motivated dogs.  Actually Delta is very “Ball” motivated, but sometimes I find I get too much hectic behavior, as she is so excited about the ball and so I find the treats work better.  Getting to know what works for your dog best is something you have to experiment with, but when shaping a behavior, using food and the clicker are just the perfect combination!

Today we did it again and she knew exactly what to do, so we did a little bit of pivoting and I just helped her a bit by guiding her rear around with my leg and boy did she pick up on it quick.  We moved around at little increments at a time and she caught on quickly.  I can see her really using her back legs now – we did this for a little while and then lots of praise and out to play some fetching.  She gets so excited just when she sees the clicker and she just wants to do something – anything!   I really get a kick out of her as she is just so much fun to train and watch learn.  It’s like seeing the little light bulb in her head go off – bing, bing, bing!

Tomorrow we’ll do more of this and then we’ll move in reverse direction so she doesn’t get used to going just one way.  I am actually really having fun using the clicker and seeing how quickly she picks up what I want her to do.

Category: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tags: D-Litter, Delta, German Shepherd