HERDING WEEKEND WITH CALLE

JULY 31ST, AUGUST 1ST & 2ND

Once again we welcomed  our good friend Calle Borgstrom to The Glebe. What a super weekend, even the weather improved by Sunday , gving us a sunny day which was not so hot as to be uncomfortable for the sheep & dogs. At the start of each session Calle gave his usual briefing which was much appreciated - enabling everyone to understand what his approach & ideas were.   Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves as witnessed by the testimonials sent to us below which we are using to give you all a feel of the Weekend.

Thanks to everyone who helped but a special mention for Lyn A who worked tirelssly making sure that everyone was  supplied with cups of tea & coffee & that the 'well' never ran dry! What a Star!

We had a wide range of dogs, besides 18 Beardies, we had 3 SWDs, 2 Pyrenean Sheepdogs, 2 Boxers, 4 Border Collies or Collie crosses & a GSD!   It was a busy weekend for Calle who  with his customary style managed to coax the best out of all the dogs present.

Thanks to Heather, Colleen, Lesley & Sarah for their 'testimonials '

More pics will be added as & when!

 Thank you for such a wonderful day on Sunday at the herding event.The weather, the food the tuition and company were exceptional. I learned so much about sheep, dog behaviour, instinct and the Swedish aptitude test that it will take me a long time to digest it all. And as for Beardies, I had never met any really as 'people', just seen them preened for shows, but to see them doing what they were I presume originally bred for was wonderful. Flowing coats and a happy friendly spirit. What a happy lovely breed, and what enlightened folk that owned them. ZORRO had a ball and I was so glad to be invited back sometime. Please may I join your list for
another event, please please  - Heather

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Just wanted to say that me & Miller had a lovely day on Saturday with
Carl as tutor this time.  Found his training to be interesting and
informative and he certainly knows Beardies !! - I would like to thank
Jackie & Liz for organising a brilliant day and I look forward to
returning to the Glebe for further tuition.  It was a nice opportunity
to get away from the show ring for a day and I am still laughing about
that superb "shed" that Carl demonstrated - a truly gifted man.  Thanks
again ,Colleen & Miller.

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 In terms of the herding day, we would like to say how very much we,
and Jasper, enjoyed it! Liz and Jackie were so welcoming  starting with
bacon butties  how good is that! Even though everything about the
day was relaxed, it was clear that the organisation was very well
thought out, and that the needs of dogs, sheep and humans were all
carefully considered in order to get the best from all. Carl was
incredibly impressive  his knowledge and skill resulted in every dog
showing amazing progress between the first and second sessions. But also, after each 'trial', he took the time to explain to us all the
characteristics of each dog, its strengths and areas for development. To us, it was evident that we were with someone who had incredible
expertise and empathy, to which each dog responded admirably.

 For Jasper, our beardie, this was his first direct encounter with sheep!
We have to say, we were nervous about letting him loose at first, but
this soon changed as we recognised that Carl instantly understood him. He was calm and patient, even when Jasper seemed to be completely bemused as to what to do! And this paid off so well in the second session. Jasper must have spent some quiet time thinking about what had taken place (as beardies do!) and then realised why he was being let loose amongst this group of strange white things which seemed to like to 'hang' together! We were open-mouthed at the progress he had made  his instinct must have kicked in & here was something he was
born to do.

 And so, Liz and Jackie, thank you for providing such a superb event!
This is something very special and we would recommend it to anyone
who would like to explore and release those instinctive qualities in their
dogs, particularly beardies! We cant wait to go back again!

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Just a note to say thankyou for another enjoyable day at The Glebe
yesterday.As usual the hospitality and company was great. The highlight of the day for me though was Carl, who entertained us with his fascinating stories, his intuitive insights into the dogs and their behaviour and great advice on how to handle them. He has a wonderful natural ability and is calm and patient with the dogs, pushing them outside their comfort zones but also knowing when to stop with both dogs and sheep.

Milly completely enjoyed the day, she was a little more excitable than
usual as she is not used to so many people, dogs and sheep in one place at one time! Once she got home and enjoyed her chicken carcasses for tea, she slept soundly through until this morning, occasionally twiching her legs, obviously herding those sheep in her dreams!! - Sarah
 

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