Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
In shows there are generally various classes of sheep competing against each
other. The classes that have been established for a given show may relate to
the age, sex, production type, or breed of sheep, or they may relate to the per-
son doing the showing. Open classes are those that are available for various
breeds and to any competitor within the appropriate category — for example,
any woman can compete in an open “ladies lead” class or any child can com-
pete in an open “market lamb” class. A closed class is limited to participants
who meet certain requirements; for instance, a 4-H show is usually open only
to children who've participated throughout the year on a sheep project in a
local 4-H group.
So you have a sheep you want to train to take to shows — let's call her Fluffy.
How hard could it be to train a sheep, anyway? They're not very big, and
you've watched a few competitors. They make it look easy: they walk around
the ring with their sheep cooperatively trotting along on a halter, they stand
for the judges, and their sheep stand still — no sweat. But like anything else
you do with critters, you quickly learn that Fluffy has a mind of her own. In
this case she has no burning desire to be a cooperative show sheep. She must
be well trained if you expect her to perform in the show ring. And even if she's
doing pretty well walking around on a halter at home, the fi rst time she's in
the spotlight she may become scared or confused and not do what you want
her to do.
Training should begin 2 to 3 months before the fi rst show. As with any type
of animal training, frequent — but short — sessions are better than infrequent,
long sessions. Fifteen to 20 minutes per day, 4 or 5 days per week accom-
plishes far more than one 2-hour session a week.
You need patience when training an animal, and this is especially true for
sheep. If Fluffy doesn't follow your lead, don't yell or scream, drag her off her
feet, or hit her. Stand still and hold her head upright, close to where the lead
rope connects to the halter. Once she settles down, try again. When she does
well, give her a pat, a word of encouragement, and an occasional treat, such
as a piece of apple.
Leading on a Halter
The fi rst step is to lead the sheep on a halter. Halter training can actually
begin with lambs as young as 1 month old. In fact, if a child is going to do
