You know how “they” say today’s purebred dog can’t do the job for which it was created?  “They” haven’t met “Trey.”

“Trey,” a Bouvier des Flandres,  was not only a multiple conformation champion, he earned herding titles on sheep and cattle from the AKC, the American Herding Breed Association, and the Australian Shepherd Club of America. He was also the first recipient of the ABdFC Tammy White Memorial Herding Trophy. We first saw Trey through this photograph by Michelle Pardee, and were intrigued; how was this kind of instinct developed? We contacted his owner and exclusive trainer, Jane Baugh, to learn more.

Jane’s first introduction to herding was in 1996, but it was in an agility class with her new Bouvier puppy, Sadie,” (“Trey’s” grandmother, underscoring that breeding matters!) that Sadie ditched the equipment to herd a horse in a field next door. The instructor said “I think you have a herding dog!” and that lead to Jane testing Sadie’s herding instinct. A herding affectionado was born (and the dog liked it, too!)

Years later, Jane and “Trey” attended a clinic where sheep and cattle were offered, and Jane was convinced to run “Trey” on cattle. Jane was admittedly a little nervous at first of having “Trey” work cattle; They’re big, they don’t “flock” like sheep, and a dog has to work harder to keep the cows together. That said, cattle also move slower than sheep giving a handler more time to think about the next command. Jane enjoyed the experience, and it probably wasn’t a surprise that “Trey” really enjoyed it.

In the early days, Bouviers were used on farms to herd cattle (their name actually means “cow herder/ox drover), and their abilities as cattle drovers were well known. The Bouvier was, in fact, one of the finest of the European cattle dogs that was found driving herds of beef from the grazing grounds to butchers’ pens. Well into the last century, a cattle drover walked his animals to the slaughterhouse along lonely country roads assisted only by his droving dog. The drive often took days in miserable weather, and it was the Bouvier that took on this grueling work. With instinctive initiative, the dog went about his tasks without waiting for orders from his master, and would even work alone if the drover went away for a short time. Using his bulk and strength to redirect straying animals, the Bouvier would nudge them back onto the road and prod them towards the rest of the herd without having to nip at their heels. Bouviers were also known to throw “body blocks” at the front end of a cow when necessary.

Because of their power and presence,  Bouviers require a fair amount of training (more so than the smaller herding breeds). They tend to work close to livestock, and have to be taught to work farther off so as to not upset the animals. Once Bouviers understand that the stock will move when they are at a distance, the dogs are more willing to stay farther off the stock.

There are many rules in herding, and a dog needs to understand them and follow them to be successful. A good working relationship of mutual trust and respect between the handler and dog is important, and training will go much smoother if the dog truly views his handler as the pack leader.

Jane shared a quote she heard many years ago that stuck in her mind: “The handler must own the game.”  She couldn’t emphasize this enough. One doesn’t want the dog working for himself. The dog’s job is to listen to the handler and execute the task at hand – and the handler is always right (even if they give a wrong command). It’s also important to follow through with all commands.

Like most herding breeds, Bouviers tend to be independent, stubborn and willful, and choose to do things their way. Jane, however, has seen biddable Bouviers willing to please their owner, a trait thatwill make the sport much more enjoyable in the beginning stages of training. Herding requires teamwork, and the handler and the dog must read each other continuously.

In Jane’s view, herding is probably the most difficult of all the performance events. In other events, there is the dog, there is inanimate equipment, and possibly another human aside from the handler. All of these things can be controlled by the trainer to teach the dog and handler in a logical and controlled fashion. In herding, that goes out the window because there is the dog, the handler, the obstacles or course, and the livestock. Livestock have their own agenda and refuse to follow a script – any script. That’s where the fun starts, however. It’s the handler’s job to remember the course, control the dog, read the livestock, move at the correct time (sometimes backwards and at top speed), remain upright no matter what, and assist their dog if needed.  Herding is a multi-tasking sport and that can make it very challenging for some people. 

Sadly, “Trey” passed away this past May, just shy of his 12th birthday. Jane wrote:

Am/Can/Int’l Ch. Cedar Ridge Finest Hour, HSAsc, STDc, HTAD II-s 1/18/2006 – 5/11/2017

My heart is breaking, my sweet boy Trey left us very unexpectedly; there was no sign anything was wrong. In 2007 Trey came back to us at the age of 18 months, the family we selected for him did not work out. I am so grateful we were his forever home. Trey loved to show and was a natural, my husband really enjoyed showing him. Trey had beautiful movement much like his grandmother Sadie. For most of his life Trey was my herding partner, he and I loved to work cows. I will always remember that big booming woof of his, that was his way of telling the cows to move, and they usually always did. This loss is especially hard because less than a month ago I lost Ozzie, Trey’s brother, that boy had my heart also.

Our deepest thanks to Jane for sharing her experiences!

“Trey”‘s breeders and owners are James and Jane Baugh, and co-owned by Ed and Arlene Koetje. He’s trained exclusively by Jane.