Four States Ag Expo Sheep Dog Clinic

Joyce is broadly experienced in almost all areas of stockdog work, and brings 40 years of seasoning and a deep, problem-solving approach to her clinics. Her methods are well proven: she is the only person to represent the USA four times at the World Sheepdog Championships (held every three years in the UK). She also places consistently in the very competitive “classic” sheepdog trials, such as Meeker, the USBCHA National Open & Nursery Championship, the Bluegrass Sheepdog Trials, the Canadian Championship, and others, both in North America and overseas. Most importantly, she has accomplished this with home raised and trained dogs.

Competitive successes aside, Joyce believes that competition is merely a way to measure the dog, it’s training, and the dog-handler partnership. The real measure of success is a dog that reliably, effectively, and efficiently accomplishes needed daily livestock management jobs.

Joyce’s clinics are popular and in demand. She focuses on helping participants achieve their goals (whether daily ranch work or international competition) and solve the problems that they face. The techniques that she suggests are tailored to fit the dog, the job, the handler, and the handler’s values.

And although Joyce concentrates mainly on Border Collies and working with sheep, don’t be put off! She and her students have achieved success with many breeds of dogs; in venues ranging from ranch work, to arena & field trials, and to commercial nuisance bird control; and on livestock ranging from poultry to sheep to goats to cattle. Her deep training tool kit means that she has something useful to offer to everyone.