Roman and I had our first herding lesson with Kelly Malone, who is also a trial judge. I honestly expected Roman to be over excited, barking and wanting to “get” the sheep. Surprisingly, he remained calm, cool and collected. The only time he barked was when we had to stop and he thought the sheep were going to get away. He did a really great job for his first time out and got the hang of it pretty quickly. It was amazing to see his natural instincts come out. I handled him for the 2nd round and thought it was a blast. Next time, I need to remember to wear gloves, as rope burn isn’t very pleasant 🙁 Chris gets credit for the great shots!
Wow, it looks like Roman did well and had a good time.
Chris did a super job as the photographer.
I would love to try herding one day with Ivan but it is not easy to do here on Cape Cod.
He good herd ducks or swans?
OMG—Rita, you and Roman look fantastic! We should all be in that good of shape. I absolutely love, love, love that last photo of Roman. Great job, Chris.
Carole I completely agree!
Rita, you and Roman both look marvelous! LOL I just saw I said the same thing Carole said above.
Roman is so handsome and looks so much like his momma. Remember Sand Diego this winter to visit Rich and Janis for herding lessons. 🙂
@Julie Thanks, Julie & Carole. Having Roman as a running buddy would help keep anyone in shape. San Diego in the winter sounds FABULOUS!!
Kira is an amazing she can go all day and never miss a step. I love road working her just to watch her move, so light on her feet and very efficient.
You’re right, Julie. Roman does look like a masculine version of his momma. Roman was never a slouch, but he gets better and better the more he matures. I think that is a common thing with Kira’s kids—which is fine with me.
Kira kids are very slow to mature physically….maybe mentally too…the jury is out on that one…:)
I won’t tell Kayla that you said that. However, you are right and the proof is sitting here next to me and she is very awesome! 😉
@Carole Kelly said that he still has another year to mature. Can he get any bigger?? For now, he’s still a stubborn silly puppy.
He won’t get taller but will fill out more.
Looks like he is doing great! Nikon his half-brother is almost three and still maturing physically. I used to always look at him and see “puppy”. Now when I look at him I am starting to see “dog”, lol. His head and chest are still maturing and his expression is getting more noble-looking. Nikon also loves herding sheep. He’s the best of my dogs, and one of the best I’ve seen the times we’ve gone. I wish I could have him herd with Kelly Malone, she did Chopper’s first test/lesson. Nikon moves well in both directions, turns on a dime, not too prey-aggressive, not lacking interest, good obedience and respectful of the staff/paddle. I wanted to start formal lessons this spring but then we were busy w/ the house and Nikon hurt his foot. Now I’d rather wait again b/c it’s so hot. I bet Roman is going to be great!
Roman is a stud…
Roman looks great. Nice wide calm work. Love to see these dogs doing what they’re bred for. Hope to see some of you in San Diego come winter. I can set it up to have a herding/lesson day at the ranch. These dogs love to work. Of course a true Alta Tollhaus dog like Singer works hard because the reward is playing in the water afterwards. Keep up the good work.
Rich
Hi Rita-I haven’t been on the blog in a while, but just wanted to say Roman is looking fantastic and hope you all are having a good summer : ) Baby sis sends kisses his way!!