All HERDING BREED CLINIC October 25-26, 2025.
Clinicians are Marilyn Bell and Kristin Thomson.
Emphasis will be on herding/working skills for ranch and farm dogs.
Participating dogs must have had previous instinct testing or exposure to stock.

Click here to download our Clinic Flyer.
Click here to download/view our liability Waiver.
CONTACT us for more information.

Arena and ranch facilities' rentals are available!

Take a virtual tour of our arenas, pens and work spaces for sheep & ducks, sheds, ratting and lost item searches.

Our hobby ranch can be rented for your event. The type of event, work & preparation required and renting entity work support will determine the rental fee.
We can support herding clinics and trials (AHBA, ASCA, USBCHA (limited field size, outrun max is 300yds and requires fetch through gates)), Nosework and other search events.
On-site parking and dry camping is available.

***Liability waivers are required from participants.

Renting entities MUST HAVE THEIR OWN EVENT INSURANCE.
Click here to download/view our liability Waiver.
CONTACT us for more information.

SHEEPDOG CLINICS

We are planning on offering sheepdog training clinics twice a year: late spring/early summer and fall. Pending interest and participant need, we would like to host one beginner and one advanced clinic each year.
Check with our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GLADE BRITISH COLUMBIA) or our Google business page for announcements.

OUR SHEEPDOG VENUE

Since 2017, our development focus has been to build a venue to facilitate training for sheepdogs, and we have built several arenas to accomodate this goal. The bulk of our training and trialing experience has been in Ranch work, Arena work and trials with AHBA, so our facility reflects this experience and is designed with many farm dog training pens and set-ups.
These arenas may be available for practice with sheep or ducks on a 'drop-in' basis.
We usually have working courses and pens set up for various types and levels of practice.

Drop-ins:
ducks - $15.00;
sheep - $25.00.
Ducks AND and sheep - $35.00.
Drop-ins are limited to two short sessions-- no more than 20 minutes each --to keep stock from being over-worked. Coaching is included, but optional -- pending renter's interests and needs.

Summers have recently turned quite hot, and sheep should not be worked in temperatures above 25C (77F), so the best summer working hours are between 7:30am-10:00am.
Unfortunately, it has not been cooling down on summer evenings, so evenings are not generally available.
Cooler days extend the time available for practice (Fall/Winter/Spring hours are 10:00am-2:00pm, 3:00pm-sunset -- pending snow depth).

We have 25+ sheep available: Katahdin/Shropshire wethers for working sheep, Katahdin & Katahdin/Shropshire ewes and 20+ Indian Runner ducks.
The sheep are larger, lighter and more reactive and ducks are always unpredictable. We also have a few heavier sheep for schooling particular training needs and less experienced dogs.

Prior to using our practice facilities, we will ask for a signed liability waiver which includes a statement of previous experience of handler and dog.
**We expect generally calm working dogs that respect their stock. While we do tolerate some scrambling in training greener dogs, we don't want to see a lot of gripping.
Dogs that bark excessively, lunge or chase stock will not be accepted.**
We request that stock renters here do not use E-collars.
We reserve the right to refuse stock rental to those we feel too inexperienced to work our animals without supervision.

Herding Lessons: Herding lessons are $35./session, and are available to dog/handler teams ONCE the dog can demonstrate a SOLID 'stop' AND 'call-off' IN THE PRESENCE OF moving stock.**
There are excellent trainers available through online resources and in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. We recommend attending multi-day clinics as an excellent way to get started.
Looking for information on one of the many Facebook Stockdog group pages or doing a google search are good ways to locate clinics.
If you have a herding breed...
Even the most naturally talented herding breed dog will need training, and training them can take two-three years of consistent work.
The ABSOLUTELY BEST resource for the beginner-to-intermediate+ handler/dog team that I have found online is through the Fenzi Dog Sport Academy.
Fenzi DS400: Herding Flatwork Foundation with Helene Lawler or WW516: Starting Your Herding Dog Workshop with Barbara Lloyd.
Just about everything you need to know and how to prepare for herding with your dog is introduced in one or the other. click for more info.
Two of our personal favourite online herding training hubs/subscription programs are through:
Jen L'Arrivee at Dore River Border Collies Dore River Stock Training Bootcamp** Dore River
Patricia and Alistair MacRea at MacReaway Sheepdogs ** MacRaeWay


**Replacement of injured or killed stock: $250./sheep or $25./duck