Minn. woman bitten by sheep herding bug
By Heather Thorstensen
Agri News
Jordan, Minn. (AP) -- The dog had no hesitation as it sprinted far to the right of a fenced-in area that held a group of ewes and their lambs.
The border collie, Duce, had to be careful because the ewes could get aggressive around their young.
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From many feet away, Susane Hoffman took a metal whistle that hung from a braided leather string around her neck and made a short sound, telling the dog where to go.
Duce's eyes focused on the sheep. He was confident, fast and efficient. He grouped them quickly together, crouching for another signal from his handler.
The drive to work with dogs this way has been a major piece of Hoffman's life for more than a decade.
She was born in Sweden and came to America in 1980, when she was 21 years old. She first lived in Florida and competed with her dog in obedience competitions. Her next dog, a border collie, turned out to be hopeless with obedience skills but a good sheep dog. With this dog, Hoffman was bitten by the sheep herding bug.
"The sheep fascinated me," she said.
She learned as much as she could about sheep by helping friends who had flocks. She cleaned barns and helped with their care.
In Florida, the closest flock was 135 miles away. It wasn't convenient, and Hoffman didn't like Florida's heat or bugs.
She and her husband, Chuck, a native of Mankato, moved to Minnesota, a climate more similar to Sweden's. They lived in South Saint Paul for two years, but Hoffman wanted a rural life. They found a 10-acre frozen soybean field just south of Prior Lake and moved there in 1996. A house and barn were built, they put in fencing and prepared the land for pasture. They dubbed their home Sheepy Corner Farm.
"I always wanted to be a farmer," Hoffman said. "... The itch really got to us."
She brought her first group of six sheep home the next May, then got some rams. Sheep herding remained a hobby for a couple years, until other people started asking for her help with training their dogs. Hoffman enjoyed teaching and continued taking on students. Now she spends two days a week teaching sheep herding skills to dogs and their handlers. Her fees pay for sheep feed and their veterinary care. She has about 20 students, and a waiting list. She also holds a part-time job as an analyst 15 hours a week.
Hoffman and her husband have five border collies and a flock of 25 to 30 sheep. She breeds eight or nine of her crossbred North Country Cheviot ewes each year. Some lambs are direct marketed to consumers while some grow up in the herd.
She teachers her students and their dogs how to control a flock, such as leading them into a pen or separating the group. Herding is a fluid skill, she said, because the handler, the dog and the flock are constantly moving.
"You take what the dog gives you in reaction to the livestock," she said.
Some of her students have also found a deep interest in sheep herding and have started their own lives in the country. Most clients are from urban areas and are training for sheep herding trials. For Hoffman, competition titles aren't as important as training a good, usable stock dog.
"Working my dog is the best reward for me," she said.
The practice brings out instinctual skills in some dogs and can build their confidence. She has worked with a variety of breeds, from German Shepherds to standard Schnauzers.
"This is awesome," she said about her life. "It's intensely rewarding. I would like more space, but don't we all?"
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Information from: Agri News
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)