 |
| Chase earning his 2nd Herding Instinct Certificate |
Most people know that poodles are outstanding retrivers. They excel in competitive obedience and since the 1980's the Canadian Kennel Club has allowed Poodles complete in the Working Certificate tests. The word Poodle comes from the German word Pudeln which means to splash about in water. Our breed is one of the original water retrievers. The CKC states in their rule book that the purpose of the WC test is to have retrievers become more proficient as hunting partners. They are tested by retrieving ducks and sometimes pigeons on land and water.
What a lot of people don't know is that Poodles are descended from herding dogs. You can read more about this here in the Poodle History Project by Emily Cain. Many Poodles have retained their natural herding instincts. They were originally an all-around, multi-purpose farmer's dog. From the beginning poodles were bred to be very versatile dogs.
The HIC evaluation (Herding Instinct Certification) tests to see if the dog has natural instinct to herd livestock. Dogs may be tested on a variety of stock such as sheep, goats, calves, ducks or geese. Chase was tested on sheep at Herding Instinct tests held by the Poodle Club of Canada. To see one of the original water retrievers with natural herding instincts is wonderful.
 |
| Chase and his sheep |
Chase's Herding Instinct Evaluation stated his Stock Evaluation was cooperative and controllable. Herding Style: Gathering. Approach: runs moderately wide. Eye: loose. Wearing: shows wearing. Bark: works silently. Temperament: readily adjusts. Interest: sustained interest. Power: sufficient power for stock. Responsiveness: responds to guidance/control. Grouping of Stock: keeps stock grouped/regroups. Balancing of Stock with Handler: adjusts position. Comments: Great Job! Good sense of balance + responded well to guidance. Evaluator: CKC Herding judge Sue Jewel of Shepherd's Watch Farm (Aug.15-07). Learn more about herding dogs here and here.