Hold your herding event at Terra Norte!

OUR FACULTY -

Session Schedule & Description|Faculty Bios| Registration Form| Hotel & Nearby Attractions

Rancho Terra Norté is blessed with the number of herding professionals who give their time and expertise to our program. The faculty set to present at this year’s Summer Symposium are truly some of the most gifted instructors & judges in the county who have agreed to share their knowledge with our students.

Edna & Dick Grabow:
		Edna was raised on a 65,000 acre cattle and sheep ranch north of Douglas, Wy.  One of five kids, she remembers being the shearing crew, the docking crew and just the crew for pretty much anything.  They learned by experience: “You chase those ewes to the back side of a big pen often enough, you figure out how to keep them where they need to be”.  Edna and her  three younger siblings usually worked the back, her oldest brother worked the chute, her Dad the sorting gates.  The same went for working cattle, “you get ran over once or twice, you learned where to be”.  They pretty did everything outside on horseback.   Dick spent summers on his Grandfather’s cattle ranch in South Dakota from a young age and at about age 11, he was working for area ranchers in the summers. He has always been involved in the livestock business working for others and ourselves.   The dogs came later for Dick and Edna after they were married and received a Kelpie for a wedding present.  Then with just the two of them mostly doing jobs, they started learning how to work with dogs.  Later on we both competed at the National Kelpies Trials and that is where they started learning the in’s and out’s of trial dogs.
Cappy Pruett:
		Cappy has always been involved with livestock in one manner or another. He grew up around cattle trucks while living on a small farm with cattle, horses, pigs, goats and dogs. He became involved in pure bred dogs in 1986 with the purchase of his first Registered Australian Cattle Dog. DC HC CH Buzzards Rope To Catchem. Whether you are interested in competition in the trial levels or just learning how to train your dog to help you with handling livestock on a daily basis, it takes a relationship between the both of you. Understanding the dog, the livestock and the situation both of you are in is a very important part of handling livestock proficiently and quietly. Cappy believes you have to build your dogs trust and confidence in you while also teaching a solid foundation in handling livestock. He has worked with many different herding breeds in clinic settings and private lessons . His goal of each work session is to make sure that the handler can continue to work their dog after the clinic is over and works at teaching you how to train your dog to handle livestock on a quiet calm basis.

Diane Wright:
		Diane resides in Battlecreek, Michigan and has the unique perspective of having trained & trialed two GSDs to their AKC Herding Championships. One exclusively from A Course, the other exclusively from C Course.  She is an outspoken proponent for teaching dogs the skills they need to complete the exercises in a course as opposed to teaching the dog the course. She prefers to not train on the trial course at all, instead working on the elements and teaching the dog how to do the work the exercises will evaluate. As Monty Python would say "and now for something completely  different". Tending is different. The dogs start training very  differently than the norm, but the end up being as capable as a  traditionally trained stock dog. Maybe better because of starting with  GSDs & Briards (neither breed a first choice stock dog candidate).  Tending dogs can both gather and fetch sheep, work in pens, load sheep  into trailers and help with chores in addition to feeding the flock. Diane is not a brilliant trainer or handler. She had two very talented  dogs who allowed her to tag along: HC Pa-Gairs Kaiserin Chelsea CD HX (Chelsea) [Back in the day there  were not separate titles by course or stock, but Chelsea was an A  course sheep dog] HC Windy Acres' Quintessential HXc (Jack) Diane's new goal is to finish a Dual Champion. She has a talented  Dallas son, Cash, CH Laxfield's Cold Hard Cash, who should be hitting  the trials sometime in 2010.
Billy Pickel:
		Billy’s early years were spent in East Tennessee where his family always had dogs around to help with bringing the cows in for milking or loading them to market. In 1977, Billy moved to Wyoming and spent time around the Flag/Pitchfork Ranch. He spent time with various herders associated with the ranch and learned about herding sheep and using dogs to get the job done. He met Ernie Hartnagle, Walt Larmar, Jerry Rowe and Dick Sorensen and became interested in competing with herding dogs. The next few years were spent learning about how people worked with their dogs in order to get various jobs done. Billy began to develop his own style of how to work with and teach dogs to work livestock. Billy believes that a good solid foundation of basic dog work is necessary for the handler and the dog to be productive. He believes that getting the basics first and having them solid is the best way to develop your handling skills and your dog’s abilities. The old saying “Haste makes waste” would fit his philosophy. Billy has competed with his dogs from Tennessee to Montana and the Rocky Mountain region. He has judged a variety of events from arena trials to field trials and cattle trials including the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado.

John Holman:
		John Holman is from Clay Center, NE where he is employed by the USDA as a Livestock Research Technician.  John began training stockdogs in 1980 when he was hired as Sheep and Horse Herdsman for Mississippi State University.  While at MSU John became well acquainted with the founders of the American Border Collie Association; some of his early mentors include Leroy Boyd, Ralph Pulfer, Lewis Pence, R.T. Averitt, David Rogers, and Hubert Bailey.                 John is known for his DOG4EWE Border Collies, but has extensive experience with Australian Cattle Dogs, Bouviers, Beardies, Shelties, Corgis, Puliks, Belguims and others.  He enjoys his experiences as an AKC, AHBA, and USBCHA judge and competitor.                 John has had multiple wins at the Iowa State Fair, Nebraska State Fair, and National Western Stock Show.  He placed 8th and 10th with his dogs Moo and Trim at the USBCHA National Cattle Finals in 2003 and won a Nursery go round (with a perfect score) with Mick at the 2005 Cattle Finals, and judged the USBCHA cattle finals in Big Lake, TX in 2006.  In AKC competition John has won over 62 HITs and RHITs with his dogs.  He has also campaigned dogs to 7 Open and 4 Pro Nov “High Point Dog of the Year” awards with the Nebraska Stock Dog Association.                 “The most important thing when starting a young dog is to develop the right attitude,” John says.  “Even before you take your dog to stock, you should be developing a good working relationship with your pup by earning its respect and having it respond willingly to you.  When I train a dog I always try to get into the dogs mind and understand what is motivating it.  I adjust my approach to the feedback the dog is giving me”.  “I want my lessons to be quite, calm, and slow paced”.                 “I would like to see handlers concentrate on having fun, doing their best, and being good sports” comments John.  “If you are having a really bad run, it is best to retire and come back another day and don’t blame the stock or the judge,  Always wish your fellow competitors well when they head onto the field, and mean it!”

Carol Lucero:

Jim de Kieffer:
		I have been herding since 1985.  Our first sheltie passed an instinct test at an ASCA event, and got us hooked.  We started training with ASCA members, helping at ASCA trials and learning the ropes of trialling and training.  We moved to our ranch in 1989, and I started competing with my first dedicated herding sheltie.  I attended numerous seminars with border collie and ASCA trialers, since very few people in the nation were working upright dogs.  I was the course director, stock handler, organizer and gofer for the second AKC herding event in the nation in 1990, at the American Shetland Sheepdog Association's national specialty show in Denver.  We have been having AKC trials at our ranch since 1991, and AHBA trials since 2000.  I have trained and trialed numerous breeds  including Aussies, Border Collies, Collies, Corgis, Belgian Sheepdogs, Schnauzers, German Shepherds, Beardies, cattle dogs and of course, shelties.  I have trialed in ASCA, on all 3 types of stock,  and AKC , AHBA arena trials, on both ducks and sheep, as well as the AKC B course.  I have trialed on Ranch trial courses for both ASCA and AHBA .  I have been an AKC and AHBA judge since 1996.

Dot Delisle:
		My first introduction stock dog work occurred while doing stream surveys on range land in Arizona in the early 1980’s, when my totally untrained German Shepherd Dog, Ramses, would drive the cattle out of my way and hold them off while I worked.  However, it wasn’t until later GSD’s and 1992 that I got involved in herding training and trialing.  Since then, I have very successfully competed on all AKC, AHBA, and ASCA courses and on sheep, goats, ducks, geese and cattle.  I had the first dog of any breed to triple qualify on all 3 AKC advanced courses.  I have put the herding triple crown (WTCH HC HTCH) on 3 GSDs.  I have also competed in USBCHA (cattle only), and WCDA (Western Cowdog Association), even winning the final elimination round of the World Cowdog Challenge with a GSD.  Although the German Shepherd Dog is my main breed, I have also owned 3 Australian Shepherds, a Kelpie and a Swedish Vallhund.  Additionally, I have helped train dogs of several other herding breeds.       I focus on stock work rather than course training and my early training emphasizes the dogs working with clear minds and stock ethics.   I train for dogs to feel and read the stock.  In addition to my dogs, I keep Nigerian Dwarf goats, ducks and geese.   I am both an AKC and AHBA judge.      I am an AKC Breeder of Merit and my GSD Vom Insel has been 17 times on the GSD Club of America’s Annual Top 10 Training Achievement Dam list, including twice Number 1.

Roberta McKowen:
		Herding (all kinds of stock in all styles) is the most FUN thing I've ever done! Finding that slightest cue that alters the herds dynamic is a thrill to me. After four miserable, frustrating aggrivating years I began to attend every Bob Vest Clinic I could beg my way in. There was alot of crying as Bob patiently guided me thru exercises until about 18 months later I BEGAN to anticipate stock movement rather than just react to it.  Pat and Tim Taylor have graciously mentored me since Bob passed. Twice  daily my Cardigan Welsh Corgis and I move  161 sheep, and 7 goats to and from pasture on a 1000 acre  ranch in 50% heavily wooded south Louisiana. Recently retired , I am starting a new herding dog training facility - The Louisiana Area Ranch Dog And Stock Society so that others too may enjoy this sport.
Dick Sorensen:
Sasha Foster, MSPT, CCRT:
		Sasha Foster, MSPT, CCRT has her Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy and her Canine Rehab Certificate from Canine Rehab Institute. She is the founder of Canine Fitness Zone, Fort Collins, CO, providing athletic conditioning and physical therapy services to clients throughout the United States. She is the co-author of the Maxwell Award Winning Book, “The Healthy Way to Stretch Your Dog, A Physical Therapy Approach,” and the creator of “CFZ’s 4-Tiered Athletic Conditioning Program.” You may reach her at sasha@caninefitnesszone.com, (970) 988-7997. To view the seminar and show schedule: www.caninefitnesszone.com.
Patty Schniedmiller:
		Pat has always been firmly anchored in the dog show & performance world. In the 70’s Pat was active as a junior showman with her Labrador, Peaches while her mom Sandy started showing dogs in conformation. In 1988 Rottweilers entered the household. Pat & Sandy both caught the herding bug in 1996 and soon were taking lessons from Dave Witherspoon, trialing and learning how to set stock. Since those early days, Pat and her dogs have competed successfully in a variety of herding venues including ASCA, AHBA, AKC, CKC and most recently USBCA (yes, with Rotts) on sheep, cattle and ducks. This success includes several High In Trial awards at both AKC and CKC events. In addition to herding – Pat is a licensed Carting judge and competes in carting, rally, obedience and conformation events. Helping new people to work with their dogs is a special joy for Pat. We are pleased to have her teaching our Intro to the Bubble classes and Stock Handling Classes.
Val Manning:
		Val's interest in herding started when working as a Pet Food Specialist for Farmland Industries in the late 80's and early 90's. During this time, Farmland was the official Pet Food of The Meeker Classic, The National Western Stock Show and other trials in Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. At that time - very few people were trialing with upright dogs, and fewer with German Shepherds. In 1995, Val finished her first conformation champion - CH Hickory Hill's Excalibur "Magic" and decided that the next goal would be to compete in herding. She and Magic started working with Jerry Rowe that June, and started trialing in October. Since that time, Terra Norte' GSD's have been both conformation champions and herding dogs. In 2004 with the help of Hildy Morgan, Jerry Rowe and others - Val started Rancho Terra Norte' and the Northern Colorado Herding Cooperative was established. Working with beginning students and their dogs is highly rewarding. While most trainers can take a dog and trial successfully, it takes a Coach to teach the owner how to herd and build on the relationship between dog & handler. Diversity is what builds a better mousetrap - Val has been successful in helping GSD's, Aussies, BCs, Rotties, Giant Schnauzers, Briards, and Cattledogs and their owners herd proficiently and achieve success in the herding arena or field.