Steve and Renée lived in Chicago, IL for many years, where we were first introduced to the
Groenendael and Tervuren varieties of Belgian Shepherds. It is here that we met the dogs
and people that changed our lives, introduced us to the world of herding, and eventually
caused us to look to a more rural lifestyle. In 2003 we took the plunge and moved to sunny
Brisbane, Australia for work, taking our Belgian Sheepdog, "Spock," and our Belgian
Tervuren, "Sulu," with us. They survived the month in quarantine better than we did,
waiting impatiently to spring them from doggie jail!
Steve works in the business world, and Renée is a History professor, so we are 'hobby farmers.' We found a lovely 11-acre farm and former persimmon orchard north of Brisbane that was a real 'diamond-in-the-rough' - with a lot of sweat and perseverance, we converted it into our dear "Woolagon Farm," home at one time to 25+ head of African Damara hair sheep. The name "Woolagon" was our play on words that sounded like an indigenous Australian aboriginal name but actually described our hair sheep - i.e. "wool a' gone"!
In 2007 we moved back to North America, determined to establish our Woolagon Farm again here. We're now on 25 acres, about 1.5 hours from Toronto, 2.5 hours from Buffalo and about 3 hours from Windsor/Detroit. This Woolagon Farm has the added feature of snow in the winter months, so we've added some woolly sheep to the mix as well!
Our dogs are members of our family and they go where we go. They live in the house with us, they help us out on the farm, they love to swim in the lake, they keep us sane and they remind us of what is truly important in life. We hope to share that love of Belgians with others, whether through the perpetuation of the bloodlines we have, or through herding training we provide to herding breed dogs and their humans. A powerful bond develops between you and your dog when you learn to trust one another to work with livestock as a team, and we think it is the most rewarding activity you can pursue.
We offer all-breed herding training that caters to people interested in CKC, AKC, ASCA or AHBA herding programs. We have extensive experience in training a variety of herding breeds, and focus mainly on Belgian Shepherds and other upright breeds. Our goal is to teach YOU how to work with YOUR dog and its natural instincts and abilities, since each dog is different. We have trained and trialed successfully in AKC A, B & C-courses, CKC arena courses, ASCA Stockdog courses, and AHBA HTAD & HTD courses, on sheep and ducks. We offer both arena and tending style training, depending upon you and your dog's needs.
We have a 50 x 50 ft. training ring, a 50 x 100 ft training arena that is also a regulation size duck field for CKC/AKC arena trials; a training/competition arena that is 130 x 225 ft, and a large fenced pasture for more advanced open field work that will also serve as our tending course field in the future.
Please contact us for more details about training schedules and rates.
Steve works in the business world, and Renée is a History professor, so we are 'hobby farmers.' We found a lovely 11-acre farm and former persimmon orchard north of Brisbane that was a real 'diamond-in-the-rough' - with a lot of sweat and perseverance, we converted it into our dear "Woolagon Farm," home at one time to 25+ head of African Damara hair sheep. The name "Woolagon" was our play on words that sounded like an indigenous Australian aboriginal name but actually described our hair sheep - i.e. "wool a' gone"!
In 2007 we moved back to North America, determined to establish our Woolagon Farm again here. We're now on 25 acres, about 1.5 hours from Toronto, 2.5 hours from Buffalo and about 3 hours from Windsor/Detroit. This Woolagon Farm has the added feature of snow in the winter months, so we've added some woolly sheep to the mix as well!
Our dogs are members of our family and they go where we go. They live in the house with us, they help us out on the farm, they love to swim in the lake, they keep us sane and they remind us of what is truly important in life. We hope to share that love of Belgians with others, whether through the perpetuation of the bloodlines we have, or through herding training we provide to herding breed dogs and their humans. A powerful bond develops between you and your dog when you learn to trust one another to work with livestock as a team, and we think it is the most rewarding activity you can pursue.
We offer all-breed herding training that caters to people interested in CKC, AKC, ASCA or AHBA herding programs. We have extensive experience in training a variety of herding breeds, and focus mainly on Belgian Shepherds and other upright breeds. Our goal is to teach YOU how to work with YOUR dog and its natural instincts and abilities, since each dog is different. We have trained and trialed successfully in AKC A, B & C-courses, CKC arena courses, ASCA Stockdog courses, and AHBA HTAD & HTD courses, on sheep and ducks. We offer both arena and tending style training, depending upon you and your dog's needs.
We have a 50 x 50 ft. training ring, a 50 x 100 ft training arena that is also a regulation size duck field for CKC/AKC arena trials; a training/competition arena that is 130 x 225 ft, and a large fenced pasture for more advanced open field work that will also serve as our tending course field in the future.
Please contact us for more details about training schedules and rates.
About Us
Woolagon Farm
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