Story on James McGee School as printed in the International Sheepdog News
The Irishman Down Under
The Gooch farm in Pearsondale, Victoria, Australia recently
played host to two well attended sheepdog clinics instructed by 2011 World
Trial Champion James P. McGee. Given on
two consecutive weekends in the end of September and first weekend in October
the schools filled an instructional void in the sheepdog training venues in
Australia. Until recently the style of trialling in Australia has been limited
to yard trials and three sheep trials. Growing interest in open field trialling
on an ISDS style course has begun to spring up in small groups around the
country. Clinics given in the last year and a half by South African Faansie
Basson and Welshman David Rees fuelled this interest.
Participants came from all over Australia including West
Australia, New South Wales and Queensland and of course Victoria. The first
weekend was geared towards more beginning dogs. Ten workers and a group of
eager observers showed up bright and early on the Saturday morning to learn
from one of the masters of sheepdog handling. Border Collies and a Kelpie
learned the basics of what makes a World Champion Sheepdog from the ground up.
James concentrated on getting the essential good “stop” on your dog, taking
some participants back to the beginning of training with some dogs going on a
line to re-enforce the stop command. The first day of the school was cold and
windy with whitecaps on the flood water in the nearby paddock. Participants
also enjoyed a few of the 300 or so Australian pelicans that have taken up
residence on the property. One Border Collie that participated was also in the
process of being considered for ROM recognition with the ISDS. A great lunch
that included some homemade chili to warm chilled bones gave energy to the
students for the afternoon’s second round of training. Each dog made
significant improvement using the method McGee taught. The majority of dogs
were too pushy and needed help with stopping and approaching their stock in a
calm sensible manner. James emphasized firmness and consistency and having a
good relationship with your dog.
The second day of the school brought sun and a rainbow in
the sky and much improved dogs. Dogs that rushed in on their sheep yesterday
were stopping much better and most came off the line by the day’s end. On the
Monday following the school folks from Queensland and New South Wales stayed
for private lessons with James. This one on one experience enabled the handlers
to really entrench themselves in the methods being taught and ask questions
that may have come up over the other two days of the school. Week one done and
all participants went away with a new insight into their dogs and methods
simple enough to try at home.
Now almost completely recovered from the horrific jet –lag
that accompanies the long flight to Australia, James was able to help me tune
up my dogs. And that included one in particular that I had been tearing my hair
out over.Not being much of a tourist
James attended a local cattle sale, helped Geoff sort and shift cattle and
settled into life on an Australian farm for the week prior to the second
clinic.
On the Friday before the second school James gave another
round of private lessons to handlers from Queensland and Victoria. These people
were also attending the second school so they had a jumpstart on all the other
attendees. Saturday morning heralded perfect weather for working dogs. The
level of handlers at the second school was to be more advanced than the first
school and included some of Australia’s top three sheep handlers Paul O’Kane
and Jean Moir. Each had an issue with a young dog and they were keen to get a
different perspective on what could be done with them. Paul was to later say
that he got his monies worth in the first five minutes of the school and would
have paid twice that amount for the information he received. This is fine
praise indeed from a man who has represented Australia in the Trans-Tasman;
Australia vs. New Zealand sheepdog competition multiple times. Most of the dogs
in the second school had a more reliable stop so more emphasis was put on
driving and off balance work. Two of the things that James constantly reminded
each handler was that the foundation of training has to be solid before moving
on to the next step and the most important thing is a reliable “stop”.
Although cold, the weather on the Sunday was perfect for
working dogs. Day two of the second school saw handlers with a good stop on
their dogs work on more off balance work, driving and some shedding. A couple
of the dogs worked on shedding in the big field. The improvement in each dog
was very obvious by the last session on the second day. There was nothing but
praise from all the students that attended both schools. Each was able to take
with them how to use McGee’s methods of training to improve their dogs. For
those looking for advice on driving and shedding, the key elements of ISDS
trialling, and never taught at schools here with Australian trainers; it was
the perfect venue. They came away with some degree of enlightenment about the
“mystery” of teaching the drive and shed.
For me personally by the time the second school had finished
I had a clear picture of the foundation that James McGee puts on his dogs to
get the performance from them that he does. The techniques were not complicated
and quite simple to put into practice. Being firm, fair, and consistent was the
key to success. James is also a stockman and reads both sheep and cattle with
equal ease. The two weeks were an interesting insight into one of the best
sheepdog handlers on the scene today.If
you get the chance to attend one of his clinics I highly recommend doing so.
Litter Arrival - June 14th Bess gave birth to eight pups. Three dog pups and five bitch pups. All doing well. Photos to follow. Sire - Rick ISDS# 312937 pedigree here Dam - Glencregg Bess ISDS# 289413 pedigree here This litter combines some of the best working sheepdog lines in the world. The pedigree includes Jame's McGee's Becca, Aidan Gallagher's Bill, Derek Scrimgeour's Ben and many more outstanding dogs. Both sire and dam are tri-coloured smooth coated, upright in their work and forceful. Rick is a half brother to Aidan Gallagher's Jimmy; both sired by Dec Bess is a daughter of World Trial winner Becca and sired by Aidan Gallagher's World Trial placing Bill. Pups will be ISDS registered and CEA DNA tested prior to sale. For further information contact us