Exhausting – do’s and don’t
What do you think is important to consider when exhausting sheep at a trial?
1) make sure the sheep are in fact ready to exhaust.
2) make sure your dog doesn’t get overheated
3) wear bug spray
4) your dog needs to be pushy enough to move sheep that may have just beaten the dog running the course
5) some nursery / young dogs will come visit the exhaust – you and your dog shouldn’t interfere at all with this behavior unless the sheep are being harassed.
6) pay attention thru whole run in case of DQ or retired runs. Biggest thing is to not interfere with a run, so leashing your dog is sometimes a good idea if you have an eager dog
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Efficiency
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Get it done. It’s not time for training a dog. If a person is exhausting for the person who ran after them, be certain that the run is actually over before you collect the sheep. But when you do go for them, don’t mess around, don’t train your dog, just get them out of the way as efficiently and quietly as possible.
Speaking of “quietly,” I’ve heard some say to never use your whistle. I can anticipate the “it depends” comment but what do you think about that?
As a general rule, people don’t want someone using whistles in the exhaust. There are probably a variety of reasons, but the one I can think of is that it’s mainly a courtesy, so as to not draw undue attention towards the exhaust. There are dogs waiting on deck to go onto the field and run, and we don’t want them thinking too much about what’s happening over in the exhaust corner.
Anyhow, that’s how I see it. If there is a great big mess with sheep all over the field and someone has to send their dog out 200 yards to help clean it up, then yeah, use whistles. But as a general rule, the less fuss around the exhaust, the better. 🙂
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If a person is appointed to act as exhaust for the whole trial or part of a trial, same thing applies. Stay alert to what’s happening on the field and just get it done as efficiently as possible.
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I offer to exhaust the sheep as my dog loves to do this. One thing I have done a few times is when young eager dogs are chasing the sheep that are headed for the exhaust, I will send my dog to the gate to keep the sheep from running into the fence. I have only done it a handful of times. It worked well and usually slowed the dog down. At this point their run was over and I felt the sheep were in danger of hurting themselves. It is the best job as far as I am concerned because you get a front row seat to see the runs.
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At some places where I exhaust, the dogs are allowed the opportunity to get the sheep out of the exhaust corner quietly if they can, so one cannot do anything to influence the situation. At one trial, the dog started to harass the sheep and the owner was not getting over there very quickly to put a stop to it. I did lean over the fence, catch the dog’s eye and give a sharp knock it off command. Would not normally do something like that, but on the other hand, I don’t think it is right to stand there and watch the sheep get harassed.
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(PS don’t open the exhaust gate unless the running dog is under control if you don’t want to risk an incredibly messy situation.)
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yep, have seen one or two of those and so unnecessary!!
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And to add to that, don’t open the exhaust gate and leave to go out and get the sheep. We had that happen several times because there was a blind by the exhaust to help get sheep out of sight faster, but people would open the gate and walk away and the sheep that had already been exhausted would come right out.
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Control, proper route and quiet, no whistles.
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I hate it when people run the sheep to the exhaust. Esp if sheep are to be used again. Those sheep become unworkable knowing the exhaust is there. Use quiet efficient stockmanship getting sheep off like you were being judged. Don’t understand whistle commands. If no other dog on field who cares.
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I believe the reason for no whistles at exhaust is simply so it does not draw attention to stuff going on at exhaust. If a dog is waiting to go on the field and he hears a bunch of whistling in that direction, it could set him up to look the wrong way. Of course every dog should be trained to ignore things going on at exhaust, but that’s not always how it works, especially if it is a young dog. That courtesy that just levels the playing field.
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I totally agree about not running the sheep to exhaust. They should be taken off the field as orderly and efficiently as possible.
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I understand but gosh the sheep going to the exhaust I think would be a draw. Now if messing with sheep after dog enters field then don’t mess with sheep. Or up to handler walking on field to wait til things settle down.
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Ask for help if you need it. Some sheep are notoriously difficult to exhaust due to many factors….terrain, sheep temperament, a secondary draw. It may take two dogs or a more experienced dog.
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One that makes exhaust easier is when you are ending your run your dog mostly has things under control, Start the sheep towards exhaust. It makes it easier and faster for everyone if the dog on course does not immediately drop the sheep when time is called and walk off the course. If you are in the middle of a wreck that is different.
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If you volunteer to exhaust for a trial or need to do it after your run, I think you’ll find these comment helpful. It is also common curtesy to ask the trial host or stock manager for any pointes on how to best handle the flock being used. Being kind and respectful with the sheep is not only a necessary part of stock management, it could make the difference between the handlers from getting a good packet of sheep or not.
Post taken from comments from To Novice and Beyond (2) Facebook Group.Novice and Beyond (2)