Saturday, 1 February 2025 - Steaming into Picton, a small town with a very deep harbor so we can dock. We would
visit a working farm and a winery during our excursion.
The smaller ones are Sheepdogs and natural herders.
The manager of the property and his wife own these dogs trained to move sheep.
In this video the Huntaway dog is sent out using whistles specific to the dog and the master's sound. The
whistles tell the dog
to move right, left, come in, go out...
Amazing to watch the sheepdogs move the sheep around.
The goal is to move the sheep individually through a narrow chute, yet they prefer to stay in a pack.
In this video you see the
dog jumping on top of the sheep to move them.
Sheering a sheep is fast.
A demonstration of "pulling the wool over your eyes." They place the sheep on its side then cover its
head with the sheared wool. The act calms the sheep and so it stops moving. They shared that this technique
is used in the field to calm an injured animal for treatment, they place a shirt or blanket over the sheep's head
when it is on its side.
We did not think the wine or the experience was anything special.
We had a great seafood lunch at a cute local restaurant.
