While sheep festivals take place across the country, it’s not just the woolly livestock taking center stage. Where there are sheep, there are often dogs, and with them, the thrill of sheepdog trials. At this year’s Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, that tradition was proudly upheld during the Crook & Whistle Stock Dog Trial, hosted by Jeff Seeger and his fiancée Samantha Jones.
These trials showcase the precision, obedience, and teamwork between handlers and their dogs, as the canines guide sheep through a timed course with finesse. But pulling off an event like this is no easy task. One major hurdle? Finding the right sheep.
“A big challenge with a lot of the sheepdog trials is finding sheep that somebody with a big enough flock that it’s in your area that’s close,” Seeger tells Mid-West Farm Report’s Ben Jarboe. “We were lucky, Samantha knew a couple who runs basically a woolen mill out of Valders, Wisconsin. They generally keep a flock of 300 plus ewes and lambs.”
The catch? The sheep had never worked with dogs before. That meant several training visits just to get the flock comfortable. While they’re still not perfect, Jeff said, it gives the dogs a challenge.”
The trials featured 65 open-level dogs, the highest competition tier, along with 45 pro-novice competitors and five nursery dogs (those under two years old). Over 100 sheep rotated in packs of four or five to give each dog a fair shot at the course, which tests their ability to fetch, drive, and pen the sheep. Sometimes even separating specific animals from the group in a move called “shedding.”
But perhaps the most heartwarming moment of the weekend isn’t found in the scorecards or sheep pens. Jeff and Samantha, who started the festival as co-hosts and partners, will end it as husband and wife. They’re tying the knot right on the stock dog trial course, surrounded by friends, fellow handlers, and, of course, sheep.
