Fido's Farm Sheep Walkabout Fun Day
Olympia, WA
Monday, February 15th, 2021 (President's Day)
In keeping with Fidos motto of “Fun and Fitness for Both Ends of the Leash” this course will take you, your dog and a packet of sheep on a half-mile walkabout during which you will execute a number of farm dog tasks and sheep reading exercises.
Starting in Big Arena near the sheep barn you will sort or shed five sheep from the main flock and take them all the way to the far end of the back field. Along the way you will move them through gates, cross a bridge, gather them from a relaxed graze, walk them down a farm road, put them in a free-standing pen, meet the challenge of a Maltese cross and put them away for the night.
We will start a new team every 10-15 minutes so that means there will be several packets of sheep on the course at any one time. Members of the Fido’s Farm Host Committee will be stationed along the course to keep you on track and help hone your sheep reading skills.
Please wear your mask at all times except while on the course. We will provide sanitizer at any gates you have to touch. Your approximate start time & course map will be emailed to you the week prior to the fun day.
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FIRESIDE CHAT WITH NORMAN CLOSE
Zoom Webinar
Wednesday, January 13th, 2021
Join us on Zoom on Wednesday January 13 at 6pm for the first in a series of educational webinars for WASH members. This event is a Fireside Chat with top handler, trainer and judge Norman Close. We’ll ask Norman to talk about foundational skills we should be teaching our dogs, his approach to training and trialing, and to share some tips for handlers from a judge’s perspective.
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Attendees will be able to ask questions using the chat function on Zoom
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The event is free for members, but registration is required
About Norman Close
Norman was raised on a mixed farm in Lancashire England and has been working with livestock all his life. In 1980 he immigrated to Alberta Canada to work as a herdsman and now resides in Idaho with his wife Vickie. Norman was always keen to train sheepdogs, but his trialing career did not start until 1997 when he was fortunate enough to purchase a dog named CV Joe. Norman and Joe won the Canadian National Finals in 2005. Norman’s commitment is to run and breed strong dogs that work well on farms, ranches and also make successful trial dogs. His training style is Win - Win. He believes if you show the dog how to do it right, they never learn how to do it wrong. Helping the dog to succeed rather than fail eliminates confusion and creates good habits! Norman is also an experienced judge with a well-earned reputation for being professional and fair. He has judged the USBCHA National Finals twice, as well as many other large and prestigious trials.