[Foobar]

Bucket works well but yes you do need a pen, unless they are so tame you can go up to them and put a halter on.  They do get wise though, especially if you have to repeat the gather a few days after the last gather - hence a need for a pen or some sort.  That could just be a space between two gates or whatever, just an area that is small enough to contain them so that you can catch them easier.
The most important thing about trying to manoeuvre sheep is to learn what impact *you* have on how they behave.  Your body language and your positioning have an effect on what the sheep will do. (and that of any other by standers too)  Understanding their flight zone and the point of balance is important and will help you.  Page 3 of this doc explains it:
http://www.eblex.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Manual-13-Improving-sheep-handling-for-better-returns.pdf

Just weaned lambs can be a pain as they haven't learnt the score.  They need an adult sheep to show them the ropes, or you need a dog or a good pair of daps .
Halter training is easy - take the horse whisperer approach, firm pulls then reward forward movement by slacking the rope.
And yes, there will be a boss sheep .  And there will be a naughty sheep. Hopefully they won't be the same sheep .

[twizzel]

Mine are slightly easier because they were hand reared but keep them tame by feeding every other day, they come to call too

[Marches Farmer]

They'll remember if you feed them only once a month - it's reinforced in the run up to lambing and beyond.  Use one call every time and you won't need to be carrying a bucket after a while.

[Porterlauren]

Seen a couple of really handy dogs for your kind of problem Ladygrey, those that catch as well as herd.

[in the hills]

My neighbour, very experienced collie trainer/trial man has a few dogs that will hold onto a sheep on command if necessary.

[Me]

My mother has trained one the same, the command is "ah no not again, NOOOOOOO let it go you f@?)^%$ idiot!!"

[madcat]

Thanks for the replies.  Foobar thanks for the link, most interesting.

I never thought when I bought a spinning wheel that I would become interested in sheep as well , life is a funny journey.

[SallyintNorth]

My mother has trained one the same, the command is "ah no not again, NOOOOOOO let it go you f@?)^%$ idiot!!"

Of course, that is exactly how collies learn, too !   

[SallyintNorth]

I never thought when I bought a spinning wheel that I would become interested in sheep as well , life is a funny journey.

Whereas I never thought when I bought some primitive sheep that I would become interested in spinning!  lol

[plumseverywhere]

Hmmm I only ever wanted a couple of pygmy goats as 'pets' - that kind of went wrong didn't it    As for sheep, never dreamt I'd own any (and now I love them!) - I'd love to use their fleece for felted soap but its just finding the time, maybe once my human kids have grown up I will have some time?!

[Meh!]

I have 4 sheep as pets and they are very forgiving of nasty jobs and are happy to have a cuddle after as if to say its ok maaam I forgive you. Treats always do the job. I keep a bag of country mix and just give them a wee handful to keep them happy. Mine are very very tame tho and will actually come and sit on my knee if I sit on the grass. They were bottle fed orphans and have forgotten they are now about 5okg.


it is however quite stressful try to move them about, I bought sheep haters a couple of weeks ago, the rope ones and they are not too keen, party though I think because they are not too good a fit and keep slipping towards their eyes. I don't think there is enough indent at the back of the ears to hold the rope in place. I
. Thinking of trying a small pony 4 point halter to see if they work better. I have mine in a a farmers field where there are often cows so I have a bit of a stress getting them out to take them to my garden nearby when I want to do anything.

[Foobar]

it is however quite stressful try to move them about, I bought sheep haters a couple of weeks ago, the rope ones and they are not too keen, party though I think because they are not too good a fit and keep slipping towards their eyes. I don't think there is enough indent at the back of the ears to hold the rope in place. I
. Thinking of trying a small pony 4 point halter to see if they work better. I have mine in a a farmers field where there are often cows so I have a bit of a stress getting them out to take them to my garden nearby when I want to do anything.

Perhaps you don't have it on tight enough, or they are made of rope that is too thick.  Some calf halters are marketed as sheep halters but they are really a bit too big for sheep in my experience, unless you have very big sheep .
This place do sheep headcollars, not cheap though.  And size will depend on what breed you have.  http://llugwy-farm.co.uk/tackroom/sheep_headcollars.asp

[jaykay]

My little Shetland flock escaped, on the same day my neighbour brought loads of his 'big white sheep' up from his main holding, to the fields next to mine. So I had to get mine out from in amongst his flock.

I walked in and rattled the bucket, and called. And a flock of little coloured Shetlands followed me right through the middle of the big white flock, and back into my fields.

So my point is that you don't need halters, to get them out of a mixed field. Teach them that you are the source of all goodies, and teach them a call at the same time. ie go right up to them, sprinkle a bit of tasty food from a bucket and call. Even if you're only a foot away. You're aiming to get the association in their mind between the call and the food. Keep increasing the distance, til you call and they come to you for food, even in the same field. Make sure you don't feed the cows too, you don't want them learning the call=food thing too!

Once you've got that sorted, you can move your sheep out of the field, from in amongst other animals, by shaking a bucket and calling.

[suziequeue]

We have a narrow strip - a runway - running along the length of the bottom of the paddocks. All the paddock gates open into it. When we want the sheep we just open the gate and they come running. We can then herd them up the yard end and race and do whatever we need. One person can do it.

[feldar]

My hubby says i'm the collie dog! 
we have two completely hopeless collies which we tend to leave in the truck when catching the sheep.
Ours aren't bucket trained as such but we do have a tame one in each flock. We have 4 flocks of different breeds and in each one is an old girl or hand reared orphan who tends to lead the others in.
We also have catch systems of fencing which funnel the sheep down to where we want them to go. It's so much easier if you have a fence or race you can push them up to then keep moving them on to a gateway etc etc.plus we move them around a lot so they get used to being moved by people. some of the older girls know exactly where to go and we have to run to keep up. plus we always reward with a few treats/ nuts when they get to where we want them