Photos courtesy of Richard Ball

1998 HGH Trial in America

A Report by Anka Andrews

This past Saturday we puzzled over how a sheep herder would move a flock
 that's settled into its pen and is paying no attention at all to the
 herder's cries of AHHHieeeOOOP! The dog was positioned perfectly inside the
 gate while the herder backed off slowly, crook raised high, calling and
 calling sheep which chose to be deaf at that moment. Perhaps they had used
 up their food drive, this having been the fifth run of the day and them
 having been herded to and fro since eight that morning. Just as Richard
 whispered to me, "What is she going to do if the sheep don't move?" The
 herder must have said something because suddenly the dog moved and so did
 the sheep.

 I'll start at the beginning.

 Saturday was the Second Annual USA sanctioned HGH Competition in
 Branchville, NJ. The event was judged by Manfred Voigt and sponsored by
 Inner City SchH Club and several individuals whose names we recognized from
 this list.

 The day was perfect. Sunny, warm, with the trees in full colour and so we
 headed north to watch a dog event we had not previously seen. Herding. What
 a joy it was! When we arrived the second run was in progress. At the gate
 to the pasture we bought a program book, very affordable at $3, well
 designed with the inclusion of competition rules, points available, and a
 list of mistakes the team can make. For novice spectators like us it was so
 helpful to have the regulations available to aid our understanding of what
 we were watching.

 We trudged over to the wide graze where we joined the other spectators and
 found Ulf Kintzel ready to answer questions on what was happening on the
 field. This was a first for us, to have a 'personal coach' guide us not
 only through the event but also offering explanations of what is training
 and what is instinct. For instance, on the Wide Graze the flock -- this one
 had 210 sheep in it -- was scattered across a pasture the borders of which
 were defined by two dirt tracks, a line of rocks and bushes and posts at
 the corners. The handler stands at a corner while the dog is to patrol the
 opposite side. This means the dog is constantly in motion pacing the
 borders watching the head of the flock and the handler. This is instinct.
 Either the dog works the borders independently or it doesn't show any
 interest -- bad if there's traffic or a dangerous ravine. In the Placing
 portion the herder sends the dog with commands or signals to the front of the
 flock without disturbing the grazing. That's an example of training. To
 have Ulf explain this while it was happening added immensely to our
 enjoyment and understanding of the competition.

 Each run lasts about an hour during which time the dog is nearly always in
 motion except when he's been specifically placed by the herder, such as when
 the flock is moved past an obstacle or when it makes a turn in the road.
 The dog has to work independently at considerable distance from the handler
 by constantly patrolling the flock. Taking a break, standing for too long,
 lying down, or sitting are frowned upon. Which brings me to Suki. :)

 Dorit van der Wilden's dog Suki is 9 1/2 years old, a gorgeous bitch with
 just the right attitude. Suki had drawn the fifth flight, the last of the
 day, and was expected to move sheep who clearly had done all the walking
 and grazing they were going to do that day. Safely ensconced in their pen
 they had no plans to move out again. Through my binoculars I watched Suki
 stand at the gate attentively dividing her focus between Dorit and the very
 complacent flock. Dorit was backing away from the gate talking sheep talk,
 "AhhieeeOOP!" trying to catch the attention of the leader sheep. Suki
 smiled. "You want I should move them? Please?" Dorit came forward a few
 steps and tried again. "Ahhieeoop! AhhieeeOOOPPPP!" Some sheep were lying
 down by now, others took the opportunity to start making lambs. The spectators
 were holding their collective breaths wondering how she would handle this
 situation. Smart woman that she is she let Suki deal with it. There was a
 sudden flash of dog amongst the fuzzies disrupting all thoughts of naps and
 romance. The next thing we saw was a very orderly line of sheep passing
 through the gate with Suki policing their progress.

 The Narrow Graze is a small area which strings out the flock but keeps it
 fairly tightly packed together. It has a "dangerous" side, a road perhaps,
 and the dog must be sent out at least once by signal or command to switch
 sides. Stray sheep must be pushed back or corrected by the dog upon herder
 command but the sheep may not be interrupted in their grazing or turned
 around. If the flock behaves in such a way that the dog has no need to
 patrol then there should be no loss of points for less activity on the
 dog's part. Still, sitting is not a good thing according to the rules.

 Suki had herded the flock to the narrow graze, had patrolled the borders to
 make sure all was well, the sheep were grazing, the sun was shining, Dorit
 was leaning on her staff contemplating mutton stew for dinner perhaps. All
 was well and Suki thought this was a good time to chat up the judge and his
 steward. She interrupted her patrol and plopped her butt down next to them.
 "Fine day, isn't it?" No response from the two, not even a nod of
 acknowledgement. "Come here often?" The humans stare at the sheep. "Oops.
 Pardon me, I see a dangerous patch of clover over there. Must run, ta-da!"
 Suki is off to run the border, cruises the flock a couple of times, eyes
 Dorit (who also isn't talking) and trots back over to the judge to sit and
 rest another little while. From the spectators comes a very quiet groan.
 Ulf raises his eyebrows. Dorit is sending frantic telepathies. Suki,
 slightly put off by the rudeness of no greeting from these two humans,
 says, "Look, if you're bored just standing here doing nothing at all you
 might as well go out there and work that other border."

 Dorit, begging your pardon, I know your heart must have sunk to your boots
 just then, but this was truly funny. Clearly Suki had read the regulations
 and understood that "...less activity...should not lose points..." and she
 was following the book. She was quite obviously in control of the flock.
 They were packed nicely and all faced the same direction, there were no
 stragglers or strays, so why not do the polite GSD thing and say hello? I
 can just imagine the awkwardness felt by Judge Voigt and his steward. "Vhat
 ve do now? Ve can't acknowletsch ze hundin or zey NQ me, ze Judge! Ve
 pretend ist nicht happenink, ja!"

 Tanaquil's Fiddlestix Suki van der Wilden, born in 1989, almost tirelessly
 patrolled 210 sheep that day and qualified with 76 points to earn her
 HGH title.

 We've been to many dog events these past few weeks, Richard and I. We were
 privileged to observe the gathering of the greats in the Schutzhund world
 earlier this month. A couple of weeks ago we watched an agility trial.
 We've been to GSD Specialty shows and we've been to AKC style obedience
 trials. From each event we've come away marveling at the performances, at
 the time which goes into training, at the different talents demonstrated by
 the dogs and their handlers but never have we felt in such awe at the sheer
 *working* ability of a dog as we did after watching herding dogs herd and
 tend a flock.

 We came away with an overall sense of relaxation and mellowness. There was
 no bellowing of PLAAAAATZ! from 100 yards away; no sharp command of HEEL!;
 no whistling or ringing of bells by a second handler; no running and
 pointing at the next obstacle. There were just dogs, German ShepHERD Dogs,
 doing what their ancient instincts tell them to do: to lead sheep into a
 meadow, to guard and guide them while they graze, and to bring them back
 home at day's end. We saw working dogs work in harmony with the herders,
 the sheep, and Nature.

Watching this event did bring back some very old memories from my
childhood when the sheep herders came through the village with their carts,
dogs, and sheep. These were huge flocks, the line as wide as the roads and
strung out the whole length of the village. It often took the better part
of a day to move the sheep through. Several dogs were used. I recall mostly
grey shepherds (shepherd being the dog and *sheep herder* being the human)
and some smaller black and white dogs, maybe BCs but probably mixed breeds.
Following the drive we kids were sent out with brooms and shovels to gather
the "black gold" for the gardens. I still remember the sights, sounds, and
the smells of the sheep coming through town.###

For more pictures courtesy of Richard Ball, see:

Dorit Van Der Wilden Leads the Sheep 

Suki Patrols the Length of the Flock

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