Dewi's Kin Folk - Photos!

So on Sunday at the CCWCC herding fun day, not only did we get to see both Jon Farleigh and Dewi demonstrate their ancient Cardigan Welsh Corgi herding instinct, but we got to meet and hang out with some wonderful people and dogs, including Dewi's dad Jack (whom we'd never met before in person) and as a surprise, Dewi's sister (littermate) Anwen (who, BTW, also has a strong herding instinct), and Wilson and Jimmy (who belong to Taryn of A Tail of Two Cardis).

Although my hands were generally occupied with leashes, the two Girl Children and Taryn managed to get a few photos of the family. (Thank you, Taryn!)

From L to R: Dewi, Anwen (sister), and Jack (daddy)

photo courtesy of Taryn at A Tail of Two Cardis

FYI: Dewi's mother, Elowyn (who lives with Anwen and the wonderful Proia family at Arian Farm kennel), has the blue merle coat like Dewi's. Herding phenom Jack is owned by Rebecca Winkler (who we got to meet, too).

Jack is a H-A-M. :)  Really, he's such a happy Cardigan boy. I could see so much of Dewi in him, including his VOICE (as you can see he's using in this photo). He and Dewi are both talkers and have the exact same unique bark (whine, yodel, howl...). :)

This is eight-month-old Winston, and his own Mini-People. Winston likes to herd, too.

Where was JF all this time? Sitting nicely beside his Girl's chair...or herding, or in the kiddie pool, or getting a snack.

We hear the next time the club gets together in August, there might be some Lure Coursing fun. We're penciling it in on the calendar. :)

*****

Happy Wednesday, Dog (and Cat) People!

Burn baby burn! - Dewi's a herding inferno!

...Continued from yesterday

Preface: Dewi comes from a line of actual working farm dogs on his father's side. His father, Ch Chaos's Jack of Hearts (who performed a herding demo at this event), has a string of AKC Herding titles. The likelihood that Dewi inherited at least a little bit of that talent was high.

So, all of you who guessed that Dewi had as much fun as Jon Farleigh during the instinct test were right. He has instinct (that was determined within nanoseconds). If there had been a spark in the sheep pen, I do believe the friction from Dewi's full-on galloping would've set the place ablaze. :)

For optimal photo-viewing effect, I have included appropriate audio accompaniment. :)  (Go on and listen!)

Disco Inferno (1976) - The Trammps (YouTube)

(Right click and open in a new window to play in background.)

...Satisfaction came in the chain reaction. I couldn't get enough...

...so I had to self-destruct...

photo courtesy of Taryn at A Tail of Two Cardis

...I herd somebody say, burn baby burn!

[Herding] inferno!

I just can't stop...when my spark gets hot...

I herd somebody say...

photo courtesy of Taryn at A Tail of Two Cardis

Burn baby burn!

photo courtesy of Taryn at A Tail of Two Cardis

My "Herding Inferno"

The instructor told me after Dewi's test that his herding style is to pin the sheep to the fence and keep them there (which isn't exactly the ultimate goal). He'd need herding lessons (and a distracting object in the pen) to teach him better control.

*****

Coming tomorrow - Dewi family reunion photos!

You can take the dog away from the herd, but yesterday, there was no taking the herd out of the dog.

Yes, friends, it's true. That's why they call it instinct. And despite the sheep's desperate attempt to overpower it with a generous helping of freshly wafting manure odor, yesterday, Jon Farleigh's inborn faculty for driving livestock could no longer be contained. He is, in fact, a herding dog. It was a sight for a doubtful dog-mama to behold. :)

Oh great, a repeat of last time?!

Jon Farleigh says, "No, I don't think so."

photo courtesy of Taryn at A Tail of Two Cardis
(The human is well-known herding instructor Susan Rhoades of KeepStone Farm.)

I've heard other herding dog owners talk of the moment they could tell the metaphorical "light bulb turned on" during their own dogs' herding instinct tests. Now, I know what that looks like. :) There was a precise moment, after Jon Farleigh noticed the sheep moving away from him in the ring, that his expression changed and that poop on the ground was no longer interesting. But being the cautious people-pleaser he is, before he took off to do the thing he mysteriously already knew how to do, he turned to face the instructor and waited for her gesture of approval. Then he was gone. It was a free-spirited side of him that I have never seen before. It was unbridled dog beauty. :)

"Don't let these flowing locks fool you, sheeps; I'm all Corgi."

photo courtesy of Taryn at A Tail of Two Cardis

We (my two human Girl Children, two dogs and I) had a great time hanging out with the people and dogs of the Chesapeake Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club (CCWCC) (who sponsored this herding fun event) in Millersville, MD yesterday. So much fun that instead of reporting on all of it here today, I've decided to post it in chunks.

Up tomorrow? Wild man, Dewi, in the herding ring for the first time in his life.

Any predictions?

A-herding we will go, a-herding we will go...

...heigh ho, the dairy-o, a-herding we will go!

And, we'll leave the poop alone, we'll leave the poop alone...

hum, hum...

Oh, hai!

I was just sitting here thinking about the time last fall when we took Jon Farleigh for a herding instinct test. Unfortunately, we never found out whether he's got the instinct because instead of playing with the sheep, he opted for the all-you-can-eat poop buffet. It was probably the best day in his life up until that point. :)

Here we go...

Oh, wait! There's some poop.

Come on, Jon, look at those sheep!

Where are you, Jon? Oh, there you are (just past the sheep's butt).

Good boy, you can do it! Just watch the sheep...

Not her, the sheep, Jon.

"Hey nice lady, you got a treat in that pocket?"

"Hey, you, Corgi dude. You gonna chase us, or what?!"

"Hey, wait for me!"

The sheep most definitely have Jon Farleigh's number by this point...

Okay, one last attempt. This time I'm gonna try talking to the sheep (to get JF's attention).

Go get 'em, boy!  Go! Go!

"Hey, nice lady, wanna play?"

No, not a herder on his first attempt, but he did score some sweet talk and a pat on the head.  :)

*****

Hmmm. I think it's about time we give this instinct testing another try. And not just Jon Farleigh, but Dewi, too. Yeah, I think we'll try it on Sunday. :) 

(Stay tuned.)

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