XP RANCH

10/12/2026

Heading out to the field to work dogs this morning! Every day brings you opportunities. Just keep working towards your goals. Let us know if we can help.
🏡 Ashcraft Stockdogs
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10/10/2026

Entries are open for the National Western Stock Show Cattle and Sheep Trials in Denver!

Our entries are in! We haven’t missed a year trialing dogs in Denver since they added the trials in 1996 so it’s a very strong tradition for the XP Ranch. This year, instead of trialing Dodge and Lexi, we will be trialing the dogs we took in from Sara-Jo. Digr, Carey, Buddy and Fly will be making the trip with us.

Will we see you in Denver?
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10/08/2026

Schedule for the USBCHA National Cattle Finals next week!
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USBCHA National Cattledog Finals:

10/08/2026

10/07/2026

Dodge and Denny were just trying to set out some calves in the pasture this morning when this calf took a wrong turn and tried to hide in plain sight in the pond. A little bit of Dodge Stink Eye later, everyone was back on track. Big thanks to Denny and Donna at Ashcraft Stockdogs for some great training opportunities for our Finals dogs before next week!
Photo by Denny Ashcraft
Purina Pro Plan | Rogue Pet Science

10/06/2026

We would love to help you with your training. Come see us at a clinic, or contact us to schedule one at your place. And check out the training videos at Dog Training Online!

Kent Herbel has been working with stockdogs since the mid-1970s and began trialling in 1989. Over the years, he has competed successfully in several venues and has taught stockdog clinics across the country.

In 2018, Kent and his Border Collie Sweep won the NCA National Finals Open Championship in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

But competition is only part of what Kent brings to his training.

His approach focuses on helping handlers build a strong working relationship with their dogs through clear, quiet and fair communication. He also puts a strong emphasis on understanding the actions and reactions of the livestock.

Whether you're working ranch dogs or preparing for the trial field, Kent's lessons can help you better understand the partnership between dog, handler and stock.

10/05/2026

Well we had quite the weekend in Nebraska, at the newly dubbed “Nebraska Through The Backroads” Clinic. Fortunately, Kent had an eye on the forecast so we arrived a day early and had camp all set up at Brian’s before the rains came. Five and a half inches later, we were getting alarms coming across our phones to seek higher ground. 🌊 Our camp was actually in a pretty good spot, though it did have standing water about three inches deep for a short time (right while we were walking dogs of course). The first three days, our students had to do some fancy maneuvering to find roads that weren’t under several feet of water due to the river continuing to rise after the rain quit. But these guys are determined!! Everyone made it in and we had four awesome days of dog work on cattle and sheep. Add in our usual tour of the local eateries and we had the best time. Welcome to the new handlers this round, and of course we always welcome the dedicated regulars! Big thanks to Emily May for organizing, hosting and as always, providing tasty snacks. We also appreciate Brian Moline for allowing us to use his arena and field for this training opportunity. We will return next year, spring and fall. Contact Emily to be added to the list. It’s a popular event so get your name on the list early!

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10/05/2026

Big congrats going out to our youngest, Kelli, who recently had an awesome week trialing her Border Collies in two back to back national events in Missouri!

Purina Pro Plan | Rogue Pet Science