The Wandering Shepherd 2

Way back when, March 17, I started to speak of the nature of the work/life of the Wandering Shepherd in Germany.

I would like to add now to the little I have spoken of already. 

Tending is a difficult concept for most Australians, Americans and British (where I am happily lead to believe I have readers👍). It is a foreign concept to us. We just do not manage our stock this way. We might see elements of it at different times and places but as an established, historical sheep feeding system we just do not have it.

The only caveat I would put on this is that I am speaking now as a person of the Schwabische Alb. I have hardly been out of the Alb since I arrived(!) so I cannot talk about the effects different landscapes around Germany have on sheep and dog.

The Working Space

Well this is fascinating and of course very particular to the Alb. I cannot stress enough the impact of these mountains. And the skill required to navigate them while feeding sheep.

This "field" behind Hausen and just below the slopes we graze has three different allotments

Georg here is working in the the Magerkingen and Hausen areas. There are other shepherds about and I occasionally see them as I drive about. 
The areas Georg can graze are defined by agreements he has made with Magerkingen and Hausen. That is, he has chosen the public lands he wishes to graze, made a contract and has permanent access to these lands so long as the contract is in place. He has access to private lands but that tends to be on an ad hoc basis.

Just look at the variations of land use in this photo. The grass was cut for silage that day.

A very hot day and we needed to be near
the shade come mid afternoon

A vegetable patch and a crop!

A farmer will decide that he would like his land grazed and will contact Georg or perhaps some farmers have a standing agreement that Georg goes on to their land after the crop has been harvested. For me this is still confusing BUT as an example yesterday we were grazing close to the main highway here and a car pulled up, a man spoke to Georg. 

It turned out he asked Georg to graze a nearby plot of land. So Georg re arranged in his mind  the planned movement for the day and we diverted to a sloping piece of land near the road. At one stage Christmas trees had been grown on it I believe, but as an Australian I have to say I was surprised that such a piece of land would be used agriculturally.

The sheep were no problem with the road. Naturally I stood with Bear on a lead!

There is a wonderful creativity about the grazing that I had not expected. There can be no certain pattern. Not only because the shepherd is reliant on nature growing the grass to define the length of his stay, or the weather to dictate the areas that are better for grazing and housing the sheep but there is also the wildcard of access to parcels of land.

It is of little use to ask Georg where he will settle the sheep for the night too early in the day! He literally does not always know till mid afternoon. The local knowledge Georg has is superb. The location of the fields, their quality, the best access to them, the local farmers and their fields etc

For those of us involved in our Canine Associations' C Course we are used to a 4 sided Graze. And in the annual German National competition they always have a 4 sided Graze. But here I have not yet seen one. We go from one to three. There is always some bush/forest forming a border. 

(This is also why Georg has some goats. The locality  wants bushes grazed.) 

Of course the sheep will wander into these forests and the dog will need to go and bring them out.













The "borders" are a constant mixture of asphalt road, dirt road, tyre tracks, obvious crop/grass changes, very minor grass changes and where the shepherd decides for himself when he is managing the grazing pattern of the sheep. The dog has to understand the nature of his work, not just relate specifically to a marked line which he follows. This threw Bear at first, he had no experience outside of  well marked tracks but I am thrilled to say that he now understands the nature of his work and the variability of the "border". 



The sheep are in a long line along this hillside so we have bushes, clear space and then the forest as the "border" at the top. Earlier we had a "fenced" field. For horses! As they graze the sheep start to pressure the dog to come over the top so in this case it was a long line for the dog to monitor. Unfortunately I did not video Bear going into the forest.

Same line as the video, but earlier in the grazing

I believe the Alb grazing is very challenging to the dog. And it is always critical that the dog can hold his line and his nerve as there is always land next door the sheep cannot enter.

LOVE this photo. Yukon(the Enforcer), Dana(the Gracious Queen), Bear(the Hoon), Zora(the Young Gun), Eugen (a friend of Georg's) and just the ears of his dog(unknown, but seems very Polite).

Also, Georg does not let the sheep graze randomly. He keeps them reasonably well together so that they do not pick and choose at will to eat only the choicest bits! So he is never passive. He is always managing the sheep and the dogs. The sheep must never stray too far into the forest or he runs the risk of losing them. And he has had to watch for lambing sheep, sheep who need to have their feet looked at (they can pick up thorns) and any other concerns with the flock.

One thing that is clear as you spend long hours in variable backgrounds is that a large flock of sheep is always moving. Sheep move to graze and, I suspect, to find something with which to amuse themselves at your expense!!! So, if you are not watchful, you are only a few seconds from ovine disaster!! And do not forget the goats!!!

And because these plots of land are small the sheep are moved several times a day. Three, four, five is typical. Again, there is always something going on that needs to be managed. We work in a wonderfully attractive, quiet, peaceful landscape but if you are not watchful  things would quickly go pear shaped.

Tschuss

We put up some fencing for the road and I stood at its corner. This was taken as we were getting ready to leave. Hence the sheep in the background.

****I will be writing more about the Wandering Shepherd and will cover such topics as penning, moving the sheep about, looking after stock, young lambs, water, feet etc

Working in the Mountains 2

We have just had a string of lovely, very warm days and the country I am working in is looking lovely.
I am much more familiar with the "office". I can find my way around reasonably well and I am developing a clearer picture of the Shepherd's work life.
It is so different to my experiences in Australia. I find it fascinating to reflect on the influence of the landscape and the past social histories of this part of the world that has lead to this style of stock management.

And Bear too is thriving. He has "got it". He no longer worries about all the different sheep cafes. He is now looking for permission to go and get the sheep out of the woods and bushes (Dana's job). And he can handle my sometimes weird and wonderful instructions. Although I have to admit that if he is in the middle of something he thinks is important he does not appreciate being asked (told) to go and do something else!! 

The thing he does have trouble with is the sheep moving away from him (see further below). Herr Control Freak does not like to stand by. But that, I am sure, will come. 

So, here is a snapshot of the last couple of weeks.

Yep. This is where the snow shots of Bear were taken.(Working in the Mountains 8/5) A few warm days and I have almost forgotten the bitter cold.

"Now, here is a dirty trick to play on a fellow. They go on the road and I have to go off it??"

"Order restored. Or partly. At least I get some of the road back."

This was a magic day. Our first real hot, not overcast day. A lovely spot. Bear worked well. We all had fun. Dana is Bear's companion.

"I can do this. Do not know why though!"

"This I hate. I do not want to do it. It upsets me."

As you can see in the middle photo, as the sheep move and are closer Bear becomes distressed. He is desperate to move and get away to the front. He finds this very difficult. 


And saving the best till last;

Zora (who earlier had given Bear a Serve) is standing, Dana is resting and Yukon is unseen the other side of Georg

Into the Woods

The sun has come. At least for the moment. 
I have been told it will remain changeable weather. But the cold has gone. We may have wet and cloudy weather at times. But at last summer is pushing itself into the picture.

And you can see it in the countryside. The meadows have flowers. 
And all the deciduous trees are now in leaf.

I thought I would share with you a view of the woods around me:

The Light and the Dark of the Forest


The Bright Flash of Colour in the Meadows


And then we have the Songs of the Birds

Bear's Second Report Card

This is a Boast Blog.

Bear is on the move↑. 

It is coming together. He still has a lot to learn. Nothing is perfect and he still makes mistakes. You cannot go to the pub for lunch and leave Bear in charge yet! But he understands, feels comfortable and wants to do the work.
And he is becoming less stressed about sheep things (look at video Noisy Sheep; this is what they do to him for no good reason!) He is getting the idea about what to let go to the keeper. As Susan Sullivan (USA) said in a Comment, it is wonderful what regular exposure does for a dog. In good hands he settles and does the job. 
IF we continue on as we are now going Bear might end up as a useful member of the team yet. 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌  (But I think Dana may have a say in that.)

What delights me most is that the sheep have not been in the mountains for a full month. And it really has been a huge learning curve for him. So I believe and hope that from now on Bear can relax into consolidating his new skills.

May 2

May 3

May 5

May 11

May 13

May 17

Whenever he can !

*******no apologies for the blatant self congratulation!! or for the excessive media content!! 
With animals you take your successes as you have them. Who knows what Bear will do to me in the future!!!

The darling buds of May

May would seem to be universally celebrated around the northern world for the coming of summer.

I was here when the locals saw off the wicked spirit of winter (The First Steps 9 March) and now everywhere I go I see the villages and towns are celebrating the coming of the new season. (Even if it is taking longer than they expected.) And like England the Schwaben have a May pole.

The Hausen an der Lauchert Maibaum is right at the bottom of my street, next to this highly perched Church which happens to have one of the most charming cemeteries I have ever seen.

They start to get fancy in Langenenslingen

Our neighbour (and Georg's territory) Magerkingen

I have spoken to several people and there is no real explanation for the Maibaum  "it is a tradition". But an excuse for a party and some drinking is always given as a good reason to have them!!
They are Germany wide so they are not just Schwabische. Apparently villages do often compete on the height and straightness of the Baum. They go up on the 1st May and remain the whole month.
My teacher, Reinhold, confessed as a young man having put one in his girlfriend's garden. (This too is part of the "tradition" and I see single trees quite often.)
And on the eve of May 1 the children go around the village playing practical jokes. There is no Trick or Treat. Quite the opposite. The point is not to be caught out.

But as I pointed out in an earlier blog, these villages are all within a few kilometers of each other, so it is lovely to drive around and see these Maibaum. It gives a sense of wider community and shared experiences. On a (currently rare) sunny day they are a quaint and eccentric delight to me.


Oh, as an extra visual delight for you here is where I am living till the end of the year. In the video I refer to my balcony. At the moment it is Bear who spends the most time there. But when it warms up I expect to have many a gin and tonic (or perhaps a Schnapps) out there on the long summer evenings when the sheep are safely tucked up in their pen.

Working in the mountains

Bear and I are now living the dream of this trip. We are out and about with the sheep in the Alb as Georg moves them from one pasture to another.
The rains have been slow to come and the grass has not had enough sunshine to grow high yet.Typically Georg would expect to cross his mountain territory three times in a season. We shall see how it goes this season.
Bear has a work day then a rest day. It is a good rhythm for me too, although I have a bit more to do with the sheep. I sometimes check out the sheep on the off day or even help Georg move a vehicle/cross a road. Georg is easy going. He lets me set the tempo of my involvement.

A feature of this wandering shepherd lifestyle that I had not quite factored into my brain is the effect of this movable feeding on my inexperienced dog. As well as learning new tending skills Bear has to learn to cope with an ever changing environment. Each time out he is in a new place. It blows his mind. The steep hills, the common lack of defined borders and a large mob of very vocal (the lambs), mobile grazing sheep are new to him. It is nothing like home. And it certainly is not a reassuring environment for him.

But he looks forward to working and each session he shows growth. Bravo Bear.

And I am loving it too. Its challenging just to find my way around. Everything is within walking distance of our starting point of course but it is around corners and behind trees🌲🌲🦌🌲🌲 I am finding I have a lousy sense of direction!!

Here is a taste..

Georg is in Magerkingen with Zora, Yukon, X (featured) and Dana (Bear's working partner and a real sweetie) on the one brilliant sunny day we have had.

and.......

*****those tending people reading this will have noticed that I am always showing Bear along a reasonable border. That is because I am not in a position to photograph (yet) when we are doing other exercises eg corners, pen entries, open ground. Bear still needs help and I am somewhere near him encouraging/instructing.
But in all honesty this is not really about Bear alone. It is about the total picture of a shepherd's working lifestyle.

 

Schwabische Alb

I am off tomorrow to go and be registered as a foreigner living here. It is the first step for the visa I must have to stay till the end of  the year. I have been here for two weeks and I am loving it. Although I complain, and shall continue to, about all the steep slopes I must climb I love being up in the mountains. Although they could not be called "wilderness" they are still rugged enough. Things are not always as neat and lines as straight. The towns especially sometimes struggle to fit in with the terrain.
The weather too has gone its own merry way. We have had snow, bitter cold, rain, mist, overcast and finally a superb sunny weekend. Sunday was my first free day so Richie, Bear and I set off.

I give you my new home....................

 


And my new backyard....................

I make no apologies for the choice of music. 
It had to be selected ♬♪♫♬♪♫♬♪♫♬♪♫♬
I apologise though for the abrupt ending. I blame YouTube 💻💻💻💻