Thank you for inviting me to the FMBB championship.

It is a great honour to give my opinion about the herding skills of the Belgian Shepherds.

I think it was about 12 years ago when I gave the first workshop to the Dutch Belgian Shepherd Club: NVBH. Almost every dog we saw there was very attached to the handler, and they both were searching for the skills to work with the sheep. In the last years I have seen a lot of Belgian Shepherds with very good herding qualities (and also the handlers ;-)) That makes me proud of each and every single one of you!

 

So who am I?

I got my first dog when I was 2 years old and since then, they never left my life.

Animals were my first love and the opportunity to work with them in a professional setting felt like second nature to me. The combination of working with people and animals made me very passionate.

I became a Herding Judge TS in 2017 and I love to give my opinion on the work that the handler and the dog show me near the herd.

For me the traditional way of herding is the closest way to become a team with your canines. Taking care of the welfare of your herd and collaboration to lead the flock of sheep to a piece of land where they’re able to eat and walk around freely.

 

My Opinion:

The interaction between handler and dog, the cleaver decisions the handler makes for his animals and the fun they have is the most important thing for me as a Judge. I enjoy it when the handler leaves some space for the dog to show his/her talents and natural instincts.

Those who know me have heard this many times, for me there is one simple rule when I judge:

The dog should make it better, not worse.