Sheepdog Demos

		Trial & Error Acres

My dogs and I have been performing working sheepdog demonstrations for over a decade, usually with our friend and demo partner, Mark Soper. Together, we have provided demos for numerous festivals and fairs, including The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, The Anne Arundel Scottish Festival, The Spring and Harvest Festivals at the Montgomery County Historic Farm Park, The Maryland Irish Festival, and several county fairs. Our demonstrations last approximately 30 minutes, during which time Mark and I work our dogs throughout a course of assorted obstacles (gates, pens, pylons, chutes, etc.). Throughout the demo, we showcase the talent and ability of the dogs and use dogs of several different levels of training. We stress (in our announcing) the many ways that a trained sheepdog can be an asset to a livestock producer, and we also share a bit of the history of the breed with the crowd. At the conclusion of the demos, we are available for questions from the spectators. The demonstrations are always a big hit, and we have received high praise for our presentations. We always tell people that it is the dogs that are truly the talented members of the demo team, but they certainly make their human counterparts look good!