General Information Here at Kensmuir we train dogs for “natural” work—work that requires a dog to think and to use the instincts that were bred into the dog. Our sheep and cattle are a major source of income for us—they are not “dog toys” but valuable members of our farm that provide us with income, security, and resources. They are not simply “devices to train dogs with”. We train dogs to properly work sheep—calmly, confidently, and naturally. No savaging of our stock is allowed—this is not considered “good work”, so we train the dogs to handle livestock with respect. In the very rare event that our livestock is damaged, we do expect participants to bear the veterinary or replacement costs.
For your First Lesson Wear comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty—this IS a farm! Wear running shoes—you may have to catch a very excited pup. Bring a long lead if you have one. Make sure your dog is leashed as you let them out of the car—sometimes the excitement gets the better of them. Bring a notebook and pen. If you are attending a clinic, also add: A lawnchair. Cold drinks. Rain and Sun gear. Please ask before taking pictures or videos
What to Expect The first and most important thing you and your dog need to learn is that herding is fun. That will be the primary goal of the first lesson.
We may start out in a small pen until we judge your dog a bit—or we may go directly to the “big field” and have one of the “older dogs” help us hold sheep for you.
The first lesson, for the dog, may only last 15 minutes or so—but the lesson for you will probably end up taking an hour or so as we discuss, before and after taking the dog to stock, what we are trying to achieve. Questions and comments are HIGHLY encouraged. If you are serious about herding, you are encouraged to come out at least weekly for lessons, but you and your dog can still have fun even if you only get out every 2-3 weeks...it will just take longer for learning. As you progress, “stock sense” will come more and more into play—this is YOUR ability to “read” the stock and determine what they will do...we teach this both at the farm and put on clinics and workshops at Sheep and Wool Festivals as well. You will be given an opportunity to get amongst the stock and see how they move and respond. For more advanced dogs and handlers, we have a variety of fields from a couple of acres to the “Open” field where we hold our Kensmuir Open USBCHA Sanctioned trial .
General Cost Information The costs below are approximate and are based on “general stock use”. Please remember that our livestock is part of our business, and stressing livestock actually costs pounds—and dollars; so you are paying not only for time, knowledge, labor and teaching, but stress on the livestock, sometimes on our dogs, and wear and tear on fences and the farm itself.
Training and lessons, including field time, livestock rental, and classroom instruction $40 Lessons are available on a per day basis - for one six hour day $200 a day
For two or more days $150 a day
Demonstrations, including stock rental, transport, veterinary certification, handling equipment and mileage Contact us
Clinics and workshops Contact us Multiple dogs, multiple handlers taking lessons, etc. can, and probably will, be discounted. We will also be happy to set up fairly large discounts for folks that commit to several lessons at one time. And we happily do educational discounts for schools, 4H Clubs, non-profit organizations, etc.Custom Training How often a dog can “go to stock” for lessons depends on the dog; some dogs can go daily—so their training progresses quickly—some can only go a few times a week and will learn slower. We differentiate between “training days” and “boarding days” and only charge for training on days that we actually train—and give a discount on boarding for the other days the dog is here. For more information go here: Custom Training Contract $15 per training day (includes boarding) $ 12 per day boarding
Kenneling/boarding (without training )$14 per day "Beth"
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