Making progress with your sheepdog training
CONGRATULATIONS! You are making good progress with training your dog to work sheep, cattle or other livestock. The tutorials in this category will help you take your dog’s skill to a new level.
BACKWARDS IS THE WAY FORWARD!
The most important exercise you can do once your dog has basic control of the sheep. It’s boring, and may appear pointless to the novice. Done properly though, it improves the dog’s pace, working distance, stop, sheep control, and much more. The technique involves walking backwards with the dog bringing the sheep up to you, at the pace you walk back. A highly recommended exercise.
BACK TO FORWARDS!
The next step, once you and your dog have mastered “Backwards is the Way Forward“! As the dog brings the sheep up to you while you walk backwards, turn around and walk forwards! It shouldn’t take much more training before the dog responds by bringing the sheep up along behind you nicely, even when you’re not watching it! Teaching your dog will become easier and progress, quicker!
EDUCATING GLORIA!
This is Gloria’s fourth training session, with some well-dogged sheep. The tutorial shows how to train a dog to work farm livestock using techniques seen in other tutorials, for instance the training ring; training stick; reinforcing the stop, and flank commands; widening the flanks; taking the sheep out of the ring (the wrong way!) and dealing with gripping. Gloria’s no angel, but we think she’ll impress you!
WHY YOUR DOG SHOULD FLANK BOTH WAYS
Just as most humans are left or right-handed, the majority of herding dogs favour working in one direction over another. But it’s simply a habit that can fairly easily be trained out of the dog. This video emphasises the importance of teaching your dog to go both ways around stock. Find out how to train a dog to work farm livestock properly and go both ways around the livestock.
HOW CAN I SLOW THE DOG DOWN?
An excited dog racing around sheep or cattle, will stress and frighten them. Distressed animals, not only become less productive and move erratically. This further excites the dog, which in turn runs faster. Training a dog to work livestock shouldn’t be like this any longer than can be helped. Learn how to get your dog working steadily around stock, and your training lessons will improve quickly.
MOVING OUT – INTO THE OPEN FIELD
Getting your trainee dog to bring the sheep out of the training ring without crisis can be a tricky affair. The sheep usually grasp the slightest opportunity to bolt, and this can result in an ugly chase. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to train a dog to work farm livestock using a routine to get sheep out of a training ring and into the open. A method which increases the chance of a smooth transition.
NO EXCUSES PLEASE!
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of thinking your dog’s work is better than it really is. (It happened to me and my first dog, Dot many years ago)! Novice trainers are often over-eager to move-on with their dog’s training. Some even overlook shortcuts and bad habits which the dog adopts to get the job done quickly. Find out how to train a farm dog to work better, and accurately assess the dog’s skill level.
SENDING THE DOG THE WRONG WAY!
No, not a mistake! The technique we call ‘sending the dog the wrong way’ widens the farm dog’s flanks around stock. It’s not easy to describe in print, but it’s easily understood when you see the video. Sending the dog the ‘wrong way’ is a great training technique to get a dog to give the sheep space as it works. Once you can achieve this, your dog’s well on the way to becoming a fine farm dog.
SOMETIMES NICE IS NOT ENOUGH
Does your dog need more “GRRRRR”? It’s fine training your dog to keep well back from the stock, and not upset them. What can you do if the sheep refuse to go where the dog’s trying to put them though? For their own welfare, sheep, cattle or other farm stock must be treated for ailments and managed. That means we need to teach the dog to get tough sometimes. Give your dog’s confidence a boost!
TESS IN THE OPEN FIELD
Highly recommended. This sheepdog training video is a complete training session, packed with important training examples. Watch Tess learn to widen her flanks, and not cross over on her outrun or split the sheep up. We also encourage her to work more calmly around the sheep, and come away from them more reliably. In addition, she gets an introduction to driving. Plenty for Tess to learn!