Was working Lucy today on some Scotties. Lucy was spent/hyped-is that possible?
Anyway, the sheep were about 20 feet from the exhaust, and we were asked to exhaust them. They really wanted to go that way (this is significant). I sent my spent/hyped Lucy to fetch them. She started out fine, then saw them run to the exhaust, and decided to run in front of the group and stop the leader. The sheep jumped in the air to leap over the dog. Lucy decided to jump up in the air to stop the sheep. Sheep went a** over tea kettle and landed on her back, legs flailing. Dog did the same. Sheep got right up. Lucy too. Then Lucy moved the sheep off the exhaust gate (to see she was okay about sheep). I then had a heart attack.

Holy sheep dip, that sounds scarey!! I've got no wisdom to offer, only sympathy for how you must have felt witnessing that bit of Kelpie and sheep acrobatics!

Wow, I'd have been scared sh*tless! I'm glad both dog and sheep seem to be ok.

It happens sometimes. Fortunately it sounds like Lucy is none the worse for wear after the run in.

J.

Thanks guys. I was really well, shocked that it happened. It may happen sometimes, but I think we are really really fortunate that no one got hurt. Even more surprised today, because Lucy isn't sore. That girl has no fear.

Twist got run over the same way a couple of weeks ago. She was fine when the got up (the sheep went on to take down a section of fence) and no signs of soreness the next day. Given that she'd been laid up for months with intermittent lameness, when I gave the report to my vet last Wednesday, I took the steam roller sheep event (same as with Lucy, Twist jumped up in the sheep's face in an attempt to stop it and was mowed down) and no subsequent lameness to mean that she was likely finally cured of whatever had been ailing her!

J.

Wow - I'm glad both girls are ok after their sheep collision. I'm really impressed that there didn't seem to be any soreness. I fear that Havana would stay away from sheep forever if that happened to her at this point in her training, but hopefully she'll gain the confidence to get back up and go back to work like Lucy and Twist. Good girlies!

That sounds scary! I guess it's bound to happen, though. I don't think Jack would have a problem getting back to "work" (I use that loosely ) but I'd hate to see it happen, you never know.

I feel better after talking with some experienced folks that it is hard to send even an experienced dog out to fetch sheep to a draw. Come to think of it, Lucy will do it, but I had to work on her not wanting to head a bit...

I've had the same sort of problem exhausting those sheep on that field. My dog didn't get run over but I almost did a couple of times when I exhausted for a whole class once. I remember them getting away from the dog on course and running at the exhaust with the dog trying to cover and I grabbed my dog and hid behind some hay bales! Those sheep are tough and always running for either the set out or exhaust at any chance they get. It's easy for an inexperienced and already tired dog to get in over their head - I'm glad both she and the ewe were ok.

Ouch! Glad no one was hurt. I've seen it happen to others and it scares the hell out of me but Ruffy works so far off that he never gets a chance to get in a wreck. I guess there's a benefit to looking wolfy to stock. Ruffysdad

Ruffysdad- it is beneficial to have that look- but some sheep don't care about what a dog looks like when they are running. Seriously, I don't think they see anything but the exit!

Oh, we did have one sheep bust through the gate. Got away from the dog, and SMASHED into the gate- popping it open and out they went.

I felt bad for the girl it happened to- just a novice, and had a good dog too. I told her it happens to ALL of us.

Yep, and it doesn't even have to happen at a draw. I bet if you asked some of the folks out at the USBCHA finals last week, they'd agree that sometimes sheep will be so intent on their "mission" that they will run over whatever's in front of them. The same with cattle too. After all, even sheep generally have size on their side.

Also, a dog that's way far off isn't going to be able to do much to control an animal that's trying to escape. Sometimes a dog just has to get in there, and if in there means between the sheep and a gate or fence where the sheep is headed, then there's no getting back off anyway.

J.

That's where you'll see smashups happen most often. Our mature ram is an old dear most of the time but we're tupping at the moment. Patrick was out sorting sheep and called his dog in between the gate and the sheep to split them off. The old ram did NOT want to be parted from the ewe yearlings in heat and just smashed him down. I was feeling the need for coronary assistance but Gus came up fighting (he's always raring to go) and snap-snap-snap! pushed old Handsome back into the flock.

Ben has a lot of influence on sheep, but when you get runners you also need a dog with a lot of heart and experience throwing itself into the fray. Ben doesn't like to do that - when things get out of the Wide Blue he has to be handled very carefully and his power goes out the door. Probably if I'd trained him differntly he'd be better (Ted has some of the same issues and is already 300% better than Ben in this area).