Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 Gordon Watt Clinic

Gordon Watt, champion sheepdog handler and popular trainer of other handlers, has been an important part of life at Heatherhope for many years. Gordon is a lifelong shepherd and dog handler, following in his father’s footsteps, so his experience and understanding run deep. He has won singles and brace championships in Ireland, England, and the World Trials. He was US Reserve Champion on his first outing in the States. So we are delighted to host his clinics here at the farm.

November and April have been good months for us with nice cool weather and lots of learning. We have a great group of regulars, but each year we gladly welcome newcomer to our group.

This Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 we will have Gordon back. Working slots fill up fairly quickly, so you might consider sending your check in to reserve your slot. A full payment of $130 for each day’s working slot guarantees it. A slot means you go out with Gordon and your dog twice. You can go with the same dog each time, or switch dogs. And you can sign up for one to four days.  We will limit ourselves to about 10 slots a day, but we can put people on the wait list and we ALWAYS have room for people to audit–that is watch and learn as others work their dogs with Gordon. Auditing fee is $45 a day.

The clinic goes through just about all of the daylight hours. We get out to the field soon after sun-up and work till just about dusk. Between the wireless microphone that we try to get Gordon to turn on as often as possible, and the debriefing time after each dog works, everyone learns a great deal–even the auditors.

If you are interested in attending this clinic, or any in the future,  please write John at heatherhopefarm@gmail.com, or phone us at 1-815-895-9736. We are sure you will enjoy the learning, the good food, and the good laughs and conversation among friends.

Gordon Watt helps dogs, sheep and handlers work together better. Photo by John