Does your pooch herd at the dog park? Let them try the real thing

I knew it was a gamble taking my mutt, Ace, to herd sheep. He had a little Australian cattle dog in him, but that was it in terms of traditional herding breeds.

Still, one of my neighbors had told me about this place that lets urban dogs test out their sheepherding instincts. I thought Ace’s habit of running at me full steam at the park, then swerving at the last minute, might stem from a deep-seeded urge to mind the flock. So I decided to give it a shot.

Jerry Stewart of Easy’s Place herding greeted us as we pulled up next to the sheep corral on a ranch at the base of the Box Springs Mountains in Riverside. With his cowboy hat and shepherd staff, you’d never know this 76-year-old is a former surfer from Huntington Beach. Unless, of course, you recognize him from an episode of the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan or one of his other media appearances over the years.

Stewart has been training dogs for 36 years, mostly on a patch of land next to the 710 Freeway in Long Beach. But in October, he was abruptly told he could no longer lease the land.

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The author tries to get her dog, Ace, to take an interest in the sheep.

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Joshua Letona

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LAist

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Now, he’s trying to keep his business going in a new location that while much more peaceful, is not as convenient for him and most of his clients.

“I’m retired so I don't need the money,” Stewart said. But he also doesn’t want to lose money training other people’s dogs.

Herding instinct

Stewart holds classes twice, sometimes three times a week. Many of the dogs and their owners are there to let loose behavior that can be destructive at home or annoying at the dog park. But Stewart also trains dogs and their owners for herding competitions, known as trials. (Yep, that’s a thing, and extensively documented on YouTube. You’re welcome.)

The American Kennel Club lists 33 herding breeds that “share an instinctual ability to control the movement of other animals.” These include Australian and German shepherds, as the name suggests, as well as border collies and corgis.

The main motivation for Stewart’s business, he told me, is to help city dogs with herding instincts live their best lives.

“In the backyard, they have nothing to do but chase a bird’s shadow when it flies overhead,” he said. “They get a little neurotic.”

Stewart has a well-worn answer for people wondering whether their pet would like herding: “The dog will tell us.”

Jerry Stewart and his sheep in Moreno Valley.

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Joshua Letona

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My not-so-herder dog

Ace was clearly nervous when I took him out of the car and headed toward the corral. He sniffed the air apprehensively. There were the nearby sheep, of course, but also horses and wild donkeys — all unfamiliar smells for my suburban, condo-bound dog.

We let him loose in the corral and he immediately scoped out the perimeter, which Stewart said was normal. We then led him toward the sheep. He seemed mildly interested, and even caused the small herd to move to another corner of the corral.

But Ace soon turned and headed straight for the exit. Round 1 was over. We tried again later with not much more luck. Ace seemed very relieved when I let him jump back in the car.

“If it's not there, you ain't doing nothing,” Stewart said of a dog’s herding instinct, or lack thereof. “It ain't happening.”

Stewart's seasoned herding dog, Sunny.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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The herders

A couple of other dogs at the class couldn’t have seemed happier to be herding. Tir, a 16-year-old blind border collie, is so fragile that her owner  Kimberly Schreyer had to lift her out of the car.

Kimberly Schreyer brings her 16-year-old border collie, Tir, to herd sheep weekly.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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But once in the corral, Tir raced around like a pup, keeping the flock in constant motion. “ She's just so happy,” Schreyer said of the dog’s weekly herding sessions.

Kathleen Wang’s 7-year-old Australian cattle dog, Wally, had been off the herding scene for a few months. But he seemed to jump right back in, easily guiding the flock through a set of barriers, which gets you points at competitions.

“ He's learning the commands and stuff, so I'm pretty proud of him,” Wang said.

She doesn’t plan to compete with Wally, but Wang said herding gives him an outlet for behavior that is less welcome elsewhere.

“At the dog park, he would herd the little white Maltese poodles, like push them into the corner,” Wang said. “And he would be reactive towards other dogs because he wants to control the movement. But coming here, this lets him get his instincts out.”