Posted By Sandy Wilson on October 16, 2011
Aiko von der Kleinen Wiese, HGH
Aiko stands for the exit from the pen.
Aiko's placement at the bridge.
Aiko working the wide graze.
Aiko received high marks for his narrow road work.
Entering the narrow graze.
Aiko makes room for the traffic to pass.
We bring the flock home with the re-pen.
Photos by Tom Rabon – Thank you Meghan and Tom!
Posted By Sandy Wilson on August 15, 2011
Aiko is really coming along in his herding training. My husband and Aiko are really a wonderful team together and I think it all adds up to a great relationship with you and your dog. I think it really makes all the difference when you watch a handler and dog who have a great working partnership – their work together just seems to flow effortlessly.
Here are just a few pictures that were taken recently of our boy working! These pictures were taken by M. Rabon – thank you Meghan for some beautiful shots of our boy Aiko!
Here is Aiko in action moving along the flock during road work.
I love this picture as the sheep are returning to the pen; Aiko is watching his flock as they move past him to finish out his run.
Just one final picture of Aiko moving along the sheep. He is most attentive to his flock.
Aiko’s grandfather, Alf von Fafnerhaus, would be so proud of his grandson. Aiko loves to work the sheep just as his grandfather Nicky had done before him. Last Summer Aiko was lucky enough to have worked with a son of Nicky’s, Luki (Dux von Fafnerhaus), in the Catskills of New York tending over 300 sheep. It was such a beautiful sight to see these two dogs working together side by side, in harmony, tending to a flock of sheep together as a team. When you see these dogs working together without commands, it is truly a sight to behold.
Luki and Aiko working together in the Catskills of NY! “2010″
Hopefully I’ll have some pictures coming up of Delta working the flock. She is coming along nicely in her training and is starting to learn the road work. Certainly sheep herding is something that takes time to train both the dog and handler! Certainly learning to be a good handler as well as training the dog is a challenge, but one that is very gratifying when it all comes together.
Posted By Sandy Wilson on December 31, 2010
Aiko working the sheep in the vinyard.
This week we had our first real snow and it was fun to take the dogs out in the snow to work the sheep. Even in this weather with the grass down low and the pastures covered with snow, the sheep are able to forage in these cold weather conditions. The dogs love this cool weather and are happy to go out and work.
Aiko is coming along very well in his training and will be ready to trial this coming October at the 2nd Annual HGH in Knowlton, NJ at Kerloff Farm. He is doing well with his road work and certainly has the confidence and power to control a large flock. He is a dog who is very relaxed and calm around the sheep and is always watching over his sheep. Aiko is very responsive to his handler, as well as an intelligent worker. He keeps a nice steady trot while going around the boundary and so he is very calming to the flock so they can eat close to the boundary and eat all the available pasture in the vinyard.
Delta is just a young gal and a very good size for a working dog. She is only about 54 lbs. and is as light as a feather and she is very quick and agile. For me she is the perfect size and build for a working german shepherd who is going to herd sheep. She can move quickly when needed, she is able to maneuver around the sheep effortlessly, and she can work all day. She has a very smooth balanced trot when patrolling on the boundary and she seems so light on her feet! She is really a pretty sight to behold.
Delta working the boundary.
She has been working the boundary and doing well with her commands for changing direction and we have been also working on making her corners accurate. When she is moving quickly, sometimes she would cut a corner (Post) and so I would go out and show her what I wanted and have her do the corner correctly several times to show her what I want. At home, I have a graze all set up with a mowed boundary that I use for dry run work and this is helpful for training. I have posts set up at each corner of the graze and I direct her to move along the boundary and then before she gets to the post, I will remind her “easy” and then she will go around the post with the “come over” command. She is very obedient and she learns quickly, but when she is moving fast, the tendency is to cut the corner, so I have to have her slow down a bit and then she is able to think about it and take the corner correctly. I don’t want to be constantly correcting her verbally and nagging, but I want to remind her and then praise when she is doing it correctly. She picked up on this exercise quickly and is doing well.
Delta working the cross border.
More on training for the coming New Year!
Looking forward to 2011!
Posted By Sandy Wilson on December 17, 2010
Aiko von der Kleinen Wiese
All I want for Christmas . . .
(Delta under the snow!)
Posted By Bill Wilson on December 13, 2010
The late Fall is a good time to graze in an orchard. The trees help protect the grass from frost and early snows and in addition, the sheep are able to munch on the fallen apples.
Aiko and I had a nice training session with Geary this weekend. We were grazing the sheep in the orchard for the first time this season, so it was a nice change of pace and a challenge for Aiko. Even with the leaves off the trees, visibility is greatly reduced by all the branches and obstacles. It’s important to keep an eye on the boundary, as the flock can easily leave the graze. Aiko had his work cut out for him watching over the flock and also having a different environment in which to work the sheep.
Working in the trees also triggers prey drive. It’s very similar to stalking prey in the wild, so you have to keep the dog from getting too excited and keep them focused on their work.
Geary’s new Dorper ram (pictured in the center with the black head).
On the way out to the orchard, I spotted this young bear up in a tree.
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