Herding: Poppy

We took the pups for some instinct testing. Becky and John brought Willow, too. It was so much fun. All the pups did great, and it was interesting to see how they all worked a little differently.

Poppy went first. She's the calmest and most submissive of the puppies. She was very calm and kept looking at Dale and Janna, the trainer, for some encouragement. But it didn't take her long to discover she had some authority here. She moved the sheep so well, keeping them together, and instinctively bringing them back to the center of the ring to Dale. Way to go, Poppy!

Herding: Clover

Clover went second, first working with Poppy, then by herself. Clover has a little more enthusiasm but she was never out of control. She tended to scatter the sheep a little, and I often saw Poppy stopping short like she was wondering, "What is she doing?" Clover did help Poppy get a little more amped up, which I guess the trainer was happy to see.

Again, it didn't take long for Clover to figure things out, either. Pretty quickly she was circling the sheep calmly, keeping them together.

Clover moves so beautifully. Here she is working the sheep alone. I think she's got it!

Herding: Willow

It was so great that Willow got to come with us, too. Willow has a very strong, confident personality and we knew she'd do great. First, she went in to work with Clover.

Then she worked on her own. She was a natural.