Hello from Thunder Bay, Ontario!

I have been reading so many notes re people working and trialing quite a distance from home and thought I should place a note in here letting people know about our all-breed herding group here in Thunder Bay.

We have been training and trialing here, hosting clinics and seminars, for over 10 years now.  I raise Australian Shepherds as many folks know but we have a first class facility for hosting AHBA, CKC, ASCA and even AKC trials including several different sizes training areas - round pens, holding pens, flow through hold pens (great for take pen training) open pastures and regulation arenas.

Because of the large variety of breeds training here, from GSD's Collies, Aussies, Border Collies, Shelties, Beardies, etc., I usually keep a group of sticky dog broke woolies, some hair sheep and some crosses that we typically use for trialing.  We have some of the best clinicians in North American come here and have had for several years.  It is a great place to have trials and train.  In the summer and fall/ spring, we have mini seminars focusing on specific skills such as video taped sessions for body language, driving, flank seminars, etc.  We are also planning to have fun trials (CKC, AHBA, AKC, ASCA) every weekend next year (2005).

If anyone wants to be included on an electronic newsletter we send out (rarely) periodically, please end me an e-mail at tuckercr@tbaytel.net  I let folks know of local trials clinics and those south of the border nearest here.  It's not a chat line, just an info notice.  We are also working on compiling a host of all breed herding pix for our website!

Cheers,
Tanya Wheeler

I have a small hobby farm (Tucker Creek) with sheep and ducks and offer herding classes to people in the region. We have been holding classes since 1995, 2-3 times per week and are pleased to offer everything from beginner to 'trial ready' classes.  Over 15 regulars attend classes each week in the summer and in the past we have held a cattle clinic at a local Red Angus Cattle ranch as well as our normal classes. For the past 7 years, we have held a sanctioned herding test combined with a clinic at the farm. Clinicians include some of the top ten judges and herding dog breeders in America:

Bob Vest - Georgia: ASCA, AHBA, AKC stock trial judge
Marie Murphy - Wisconsin: ASCA, AHBA stock trial and conformation judge
James Bergert - Minnesota: ASCA, AHBA stock trial judge

Clinics have always been filled to capacity (max 15 dogs/day, 2-3 day clinics once per year) with waiting lists.

Each year since 1995, we have held herding tests sanctioned by the American Herding Breed Association (AHBA), and to date, over 60 dogs from around the region, have achieved their HCT (Herding Capabilities Testing) titles and almost 20 dogs have now completed their JHD (Junior Herding Dog) titles at Tucker Creek Farm. We will continue to test with the American Herding Breed Association, and will hold our first ASCA sanctioned events in the fall of 2006, with our newly formed Thunder Bay Australian Shepherd Club of Ontario (TBASCO).  Many of the dogs from our classes have traveled to the ASCA and AHBA tests and trials in Minnesota and Wisconsin and are doing exceptionally well.