Get in touch to share sheeping stories or questions anytime!If you plan on showing your sheep then teaching your sheep to lead will be very helpful. Start off by purchasing a good quality Halter and lead rope, we use the following Halter which can be purchased online from The Farm Store. This halter is great as it can be adjusted both behind the poll and over the nose. | www.thefarmstore.com.au Bainbridge halter for sheep and goats $26.95 Product Code: A2131 For a lead rope try and get one that will not stretch too much, The cotton ones tend to stretch a bit and make it hard to undo when you have the sheep tied up. We use a Marine/Yacht rope. Once you get a halter on them, tie them to a solid post or rail, Making sure to use a quick release knot and walk away to let them figure out for themselves about pressure and release on their own. Most sheep will catch on quick. Make sure you stay within sight just in case they get into trouble getting hung up or flipped over. Find something else to do, close to them and every now and then walk around them to get them used to activity. When left tied, they will pull for a while. After a bit, they get tired, they take a step forward and discover they get relief from the pressure. Once they have been tied for 10 mins untie them and start by firmly putting pressure on the rope till they take a step forward, remembering to let them feel the release of pressure when they take a step. Keep repeating this until you can get a few steps forward from them, Every time they take a step back make sure you ask them to take a step forward to where you asked them to stand. I find that standing slightly to the side and not directly looking at them helps as it gives them somewhere to go and they don’t feel as pressured with someone eyeballing their every move. The next step is to be able to stand beside them as you would in a show ring, Step towards their shoulder holding the lead firm so they can’t run away, they will run around you in circles to start with so just keep taking one step towards the shoulder until they stand, When they stand release the pressure on the lead, step away and keep the lead slack so they can rest, if you notice your sheep starting to lick their lips or chew a bit this is a good sign and usually means they are thinking about what you are asking them. After you can stand beside them at the shoulder you can start touching them as a judge would. Start by grabbing the halter where the nose and cheek strap meet and holding their head slightly tilted towards you so you have control and they can’t run away or over top of you. Then using firm touch place your free hand either on the top of the shoulder and pat or feel your way down their back, keep repeating this until they stand still as you do it. When letting your sheep go always get them to stand still before taking the lead off so they don’t learn to run as soon as you reach for the clip. Doing this daily or twice daily in short lessons over a few weeks should have them quiet and leading well. If you are hard feeding them try and leave the feeding till after the lesson as a reward. Mini Goldendoodle puppiesDesigner Doodles offers top quality mini or micro mini golden doodle puppies for sale.Support the showWant more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new

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