About

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All breeds & all mixes welcome!

~AKC Farm Dog Tests

~Instruction & run-thrus to train for the AKC Farm Dog program

~Sheep herding "Try-its"

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We offer instruction and also official AKC titling tests at locations in the greater Ohio area.

See our FaceBook events listings and website for details and to enter. 

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Learn about the new AKC title "Farm Dog Certified" (FDC) & do practice runs tutored by AKC Farm Dog judges!

It's a little like a CGC on a farm! All dogs welcome! Purebred & mixed breeds

-- Any dog can be a good farm dog!

$20 per run-thru. Farm animals used will be sheep.

Weather permitting there willl be an opportunity for herding breeds to be introduced to sheepherding in a gentle, positive way and work the sheep ($10 additional). Any herding breed or mix is welcome to try-even if it's not in the herding group. Held rain or shine. Most exercises are indoors but herding is outdoors.

 

This will help you prepare to pass a Farm Dog Certification Test to get the Farm Dog title on your dog!

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Practice sessions take place at: Kinley Training Center 8250 Proctor Rd, Painesville, OH Call Carolyn Kinley for info: 440-254-4365 No RSVP is necessary but is appreciated.

 

FAQ:

Q: Where can I learn more about this new Farm Dog program?

A: See AKC website: http://images.akc.org/pdf/Description_-_Farm_Dog_Certified_Program_-_Final_May2016.pdf?_ga=1.204040464.1867689496.1375750936

See our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-g1ptQ8KAQ&t=16s

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Q: Why are the herding lessons only $10 when other people charge up to $50?

A: 2 reasons:

1) Because most beginner dogs only benefit from a few minutes on the sheep. Beyond that they get overstimulated & can't learn much more. People go someplace for a lesson & often spend $25-50 and their dog is only on the stock for 3 min because that's all most dogs can take at first. We want people to feel they've gotten their money's worth even if the dog is only on the sheep a few minutes. We like to stop when the dog has learned something & accomplished something & to choose the moment to end on a positive note so s/he can remember that and feel good about him/herself --without the humans feeling like we have to spend a certain set amount of time. One baby dog may only be on the sheep for a minute or so but learn a great deal. An extraordinary dog may continue learning for up 5-10 min. It all depends on the dog. If we see they're learning something, we want to take advantage of that without worrying about the clock. That said, 3-4 min is about what most dogs do.

2) We just like seeing the dogs experiencing something new. Something that resonates deep & stirs up feelings the dog maybe didn't know he had. It's just really neat to see the look in their eyes & how they engage & to share their excitement. And people really learn from watching each others' dogs too. We want as many people as possible to let their dogs try something new. And not everybody has $50 to drop just to see if their dog likes sheep! -Though we can get nearly any dog to like sheep! :-) But don't get us wrong, we don't begrudge instructors the $50 at all. And if you're wanting to really teach your dog to herd, you'll need sustained instruction with somebody who focuses on that. And that means lots of sheep & sheep are expensive to keep. To do it for kicks, for a first introduction, or if someone has an experienced dog & wants to see them do a new site with new sheep, they are welcome to try ours! Q: Do you use positive methods? A: Yes. we feel dogs learn herding the same way they learn agility or tricks or obedience or anything else. So we use a lot of praise and communication with the dog so s/he knows there is a structure in which to succeed. We do not simply turn the dogs loose & then bonk them over the head when they get out of hand! Very mild corrections may be necessary at times but only when positive communication has been established first, usually a light collar correction or "unh-uh" is enough.