We were advised to check the day before to ensure that the demonstration would happen. It did and... read more
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We were advised to check the day before to ensure that the demonstration would happen. It did and... read more
This was a highlight of the day. We walked up a hill admiring the friendly sheep, cows, and donkeys... read more
I loved every minute of this. The dog was friendly and so smart.
The demonstration was of excellent standard
The dogs had wonderful personalities. One was very young and so keen and athletic. The other was older and calmer. Gabriel was talented and made the experience most enjoyable.
At first I thought I'd experience this as a tourist attraction...a stop to kill time along the route. But it was actually amazing. These dogs know how to run and herd sheep. The shepherd was so knowledgeable. It was a very good educational experience. Lots of sheep to change off so no sheep hearses too hard.
Gabriel was a great host and fun to chat with. Great sense of humor...and he's single. His dogs are great and he explained why many sheep have what looks like paint markings on their neck or back - it's like branding.
This was a perfect example of a working sheep farm. The person doing the demonstration as an expert in giving the sheepdogs whistles to round up the sheep in small groups or the herd. He also did vocal signals.
Fun to see the dogs work, and to see the difference between the way they work (the older "creeper" and the younger runner). Just as interesting was all the information that the owner, Gabriel, provided on raising and training the dogs, how much trained dogs are worth, etc. An unexpected extra were the famine cottages on the property which gave an idea of how people lived during the famine.