Kleinen Wiese German Shepherds

Posted By Sandy Wilson on March 31, 2010

Delta von der Kleinen Wiese (Arla v.d. Kleinen Wiese x Hawk v. Eichenluft)

Delta successfully completed her first obedience class at Orchard Hills, in Barto, PA.  She was in class with quite an assortment of dogs of different breeds and all sizes.  One of her favorite buddies was Hercules, a very big Great Dane.  The first time she met him she wasn’t quite sure what it was and barked at him, but soon they became friends.  I am still not sure if she thinks he is a dog, or a small pony.  In her first class she learned her basic commands and did well.  I also think it’s great that she is adjusting to all the distractions at the class.

There are many dogs all around the facility and an agility class going on at the same time, so it is alot for a young dog to take it, but it is a great experience for her.  Also I like the fact that the instructor, Phyllis Kraft, who is a very seasoned trainer, has been in German Shepherds for 45 years, so she is so good with all the dogs.  She really understands them and I love her gentle way with them.   It is a nice class because all the dogs are well behaved and there is plenty of time for socialization which is so important for the dogs.

Delta practicing her "Platz"!

Right now we are attending the second phase of obedience training and so Delta is coming along nicely.  I haven’t put a lot of demands on her as she is still very young, but she is improving each week we go to class and I see her more at ease all the time with the other dogs too.  One thing I can say that I am impressed with Delta is the fact that she has such super focus on me during class.  She doesn’t really care to play with the other dogs, but would much rather engage in play and training with me.   This is such an attribute as she is so dedicated to me.

Delta with her ball - she always has a toy nearby!

We have big plans for the Spring for Delta.  We will continue to track with Delta, but right now it is just too wet outside.  The ground is like muddy soup.  We are also going to start her training on sheep – so more on that later when we get into her formal training.  We are excited about this pup – she has a lot of zip and she loves to work!

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Tags: D-Litter, Delta, German Shepherd

Posted By Sandy Wilson on March 18, 2010

Arla swimming!

This Winter my gal Arla injured her knee and so we are keeping her in tip top shape while she is recovering.  She is such an active dog that it is difficult to keep her down, so swimming is a wonderful way to burn off steam, keep muscles in shape with non-weight bearing exercise, and it’s also alot of fun for the dog.  The first week I took Arla swimming, she had to be lifted into the pool as she was very apprehensive about going into a pool.  She kinda splashed around a bit in the beginning until she figured things out and starting paddling around and moving in the pool.  She was kept on a long line at first and I would call her and she would follow me around the edge of the pool.  Starting off slowly, we did a number of laps in the pool and then let her rest.  She wasn’t even panting, not really tired, but more excited about the whole experience.

The second week went even better and I was able to unhook the long line and let her follow me and she did really well – her stroke was smooth and it was amazing how well she moved around in the pool.  It is amazing how animals can instinctively swim well – no swimming lessons needed!  No life jacket needed.

Arla swimming out to retrieve her gigle ball.

This week is her third week of swimming and we had a breakthrough.  I brought her gigle ball to the pool – her absolute favorite toy in the world.  I taught her to walk in the pool by the side where the pool steps were and she could step down herself into the water.  The first time I had to lift her bottom up and give her a little encouragement, but once she got the hang of the steps – she was off swimming after her ball.  I would throw the ball in and she would retrieve it for me happily.  It was really great to see her do so well and want to stay in the pool and have me throw the ball again and again.  Each time we go swimming, we do a little more and I can see she is starting to put more weight on her other leg now and she is keeping her muscle tone perfectly.  Certainly she would love to run outside and catch her ball, but for now, swimming is going to have to be her outlet for exercise.  Each night I have her roll on her back for a nice belly rub and then I massage her back legs – she loves this!

Bringing the ball to the long step for me to throw again!

I am hoping to have her in tip top shape by the time the sheep are ready to come out in the pasture.  I know I’ll have to take it slow with her, but I am hoping to have her recovered 100% with careful attention to her exercise and making sure to let her progress with activity a little at a time.

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Tags: Arla vd Kleinen Wiese, German Shepherd

Posted By Sandy Wilson on March 14, 2010

We just went through one of the worst Winters that I think we have ever experienced here in PA.  With blizzard like conditions and several feet of snow just weeks ago, now we are facing heavy rainfall to top it off.  What a Winter!  The dogs have  been a little stir crazy wanting to go out and play, but the mud is terrible and it’s like walking through a mud pit.  Plus you can’t really play ball and have a great time as the balls just don’t bounce in mud.

Aiko in his favorite chair!

Aiko in his favorite chair when he is resting.  It is amazing he even fits in the chair, but somehow he nestles himself to fit nicely into a comfortable ball.  Delta, our new little puppy, has quite a game she plays with the older dogs.  She barks and runs off towards the door and alarms everyone to follow her as if she knows something they don’t.  This of course gets Aiko off his chair so he can also check out what’s going on.  But instead – not a thing – she just gets him out of his chair so she can take his spot.  She has the look of great satisfaction on her little face.  She is such a devil, but I love watching the games these dogs play with one another.

"Look whose got the chair now!"

Delta is always starting trouble with the older dog as she is the young one in the group and she just can’t help herself.  She is always initiating play with them by stealing their toys and giggle balls.  If that fails, then she goes around and picks up various articles, usually that my children leave around, and she carries them around and shows them to us.  It’s as if she is looking at us and saying, “Catch me if you can”!

Delta practicing her glove retrieval.

Of course once we see her with our various personal items, we have to retrieve them and the game is on.  We have learned not to chase her, but to command her to “bring” and she loves it.  She will fetch just about anything you throw.  Someday we will put this skill to use.  I would like to teach her to fetch my slippers and make me a cup of coffee in the morning too, but I guess that is asking a little much!  LOL!

I can’t wait for the pastures to turn green and the warmth of the sunshine upon us this Spring.  The sheep are just waiting to get out of the barn to munch on fresh pasture and the lambs are going to have a blast stretching their legs and running around like kids on a playground.  It’s always so exciting and the dogs love to watch them.  I can’t wait to get out herding again, but I am afraid that is at least another month or so away as the sheep are lambing now and we have to finish up with that task first.

I can’t wait to get our little Delta out to work the sheep and see if she has her mother’s wonderful instincts for herding!  So exciting!

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Tags: Aiko vd. Kleinen Wiese, Delta, German Shepherd

Posted By Sandy Wilson on March 10, 2010

Lambing season has officially begun!  Yeah!  We had several other lambs earlier, but they were bred before we brought them to the farm.  Yesterday we had our first  lamb, sired by Bubba, Jr., who is our new ram this year.    It’s a ewe lamb with quite a fleece already – she is so cute and fuzzy.  We named her Daisy and what a pretty little gal she is.

Daisy - Ewe Border Leicester Lamb

Daisy is only one day old and doing great.  I haven’t heard this lamb cry once, as mom is feeding her very well.  We certainly have some pretty big moms and you can really see how big they are now since they have been sheared.  I like to have them sheared in the Winter much better than the Spring so I can see what is going on when the lambs start birthing and also it avoids fly season.  Luckily we have a barn, so I don’t have to worry about them getting too cold in the Winter, as they have plenty of protection from the elements.

Below are a few of the girls who I should think would give birth soon.  Their bellies are so big!  They seem to waddle around in the barn just fine.  Certainly they can still run when I bring the grain bucket in to the barn; nothing stops them when they smell that sweet molasses!

Those are some pretty big ewes  just waiting to give birth.  I think we are going to have quite a few sets of twins coming real soon.

Category: Border Leicester Sheep | No Comments »
Tags: Border Leicester Lambs

Posted By Sandy Wilson on March 7, 2010

Raw Wool - Sheared from White Border Leicester Sheep

We recently had our sheep sheared and we are awaiting the sheep to give birth to most of our lambs, although we have had a few early ones.  Above is a picture of the raw wool, not yet washed.  You can see the wool has beautiful curls and has such luster even though unwashed at this point.  I love these sheep and their wool is a wonderful to spin.

Washed Wool - still damp and drying.

Here is some of the wool washed and being dried.  It is absolutely beautiful and so white.  It’s going to be a joy when I spin it.  I love the long staple wool for spinning and this wool is so soft when processed by hand.

Roving - Border Leicester Wool

Above is some of the roving that was made from this batch of wool.  It has such luster and shine and it so soft to touch.  I used my 5-pitch combs to align the fibers and then my Diz  to pull through some roving.  Now it is ready to spin.  I can’t wait.  I need to wash alot more wool though before I spin, because once I start, I can’t stop.  It is very addicting once you get going.

Close up of roving.

The roving is so white and clean.  Even if my wool has a little bit of vegetation in it after picking it and combing it, the tiny remaining pieces usually come out beautifully by using my combs and I get a lovely roving that is so clean and lofty looking.  I am thinking of possibly adding some German Shepherd hair to the combs next time and add it to my roving to give a really soft touch to the wool.  It is really neat that you can add almost any type of hair and do blends into your original sheep wool and get a really beautiful look.   Might even have to make a felted ball of wool for my dogs to play with as a toy.  I am sure they will enjoy that, especially if it smells like the sheep!

Category: Border Leicester Sheep | No Comments »
Tags: Border Leicester Wool