Leo had his first 'unofficial' meeting with sheep at the Melbourne Pet and Animal Expo 2006. He was very keen to
round up the sheep and showed good instinct. Although, Leo did also enjoy splitting the sheep up as that meant he could
chase them some more!
In Mid July, Leo participated in the ASCV herding clinic which enabled us to experience first-hand what it is like to
herd sheep with the dogs. After a rocky start ('cleaning' the floor was far more interesting) Leo demonstrated natural instinct
and once he cottoned onto the idea, he was quite keen to go back for more! It was a great day out, and an excellent way to
learn the art of herding! It was during this clinic that Leo gained two passes for his HIC title. This now entitles us to
work further in herding as well as entering some higher trials.
After a looong break from sheep (2yrs!) and only seeing them about once a year, we finally came back to give
herding another go. Much to my surprise Leo went on to gain his HT at the recent VHA trial. We still have a lot
of work to do - mainly handler finding out what SHE needs to do and dog gaining a bit more control.
Leo has had limited exposure to sheep, but is now working toward his PT. Hopefully he will continue to improve
in this avenue!
