Sheepdog Demonstrations

I can’t begin to say enough great things about the experience my family of five had today at Joyce Country Sheepdogs. We showed up in the morning after having only communicated with Joe through email so not really knowing what to expect. Right away Joe turned his 8 week old puppies loose for my kids to play with and they had an absolute blast. Joe was extremely friendly and is very passionate about what he does. We had great conversation with him about all things dog herding and owning sheep and just about anything we could think of pertaining to Ireland. We got to see a demonstration with the dogs which he explained in depth as they were moving sheep into and out of different fields and into a pen. My kids were so fascinated they even paused playing with the puppies. Shortly after, Joe took us down to see his Pygmy goats and the kids had a blast feeding them. All the while Joe kept the conversation going, fielded questions from my talkative 6 year old and was just as pleasa...

I brought about 40 French school kids and their teachers to this amazing experience just before lockdown in early March. Joe has amazing knowledge and the sight of the dogs climbing a mountainside to gather the sheep was spectacular. Highly recommended Connemara Joyce Country location. The lake beside it is amongst Ireland's finest hidden gems. Can't wait to bring tourists there again.

Joe is the very best host, his talk on sheep farming in the area and about the wonderful dogs he raises and trains is just as interesting and entertaining as the demonstrations he and the dogs put on for the visitors. We were treated to having 2 young pups running amongst us and demonstrations from Nell and Spot two very different Border Collies but both amazingly skillful at their jobs. Nell was a sweetheart and joined the group while feeding the orphaned lambs..... If you are in Joyce Country do not miss out on spending an hour with Joe and his Sheepdogs!!