Some other sheepdog training topics you may not have thought about.
They include the thorny problem of sheep which jump out of the training area, how to teach your dog to ride in vehicles if it doesn’t want to, and how to make sure your dog doesn’t need to go to the toilet while it’s working stock.
Finally, there’s a wonderful insight into what our dogs get up to when they are not working sheep.
WOOLLY JUMPERS!
It’s amusing to watch, but sheep jumping out of the training area, don’t just disrupt the lesson. The sheep can injure themselves and also damage fencing and hurdles into the bargain. Sheep learn very quickly from each other, so if you do nothing about it, before long, you’ll have a whole flock of jumping sheep! Reduce the chance of your sheep jumping out of the training area during classes.
USE A REWARD TO GET TRAINING ON BOARD!
Does your dog refuse to get in the car, truck, quad or tractor? Poor Odo went to a sheep farm, but his new owner brought him back to us a few days later. He couldn’t get the dog into his car to go to work! That was a pity because Odo was working really well, and getting a dog into a vehicle is a very simple matter – if you know what to do! Learn how easy it can be to get your dog into a vehicle in a few minutes!
ELIMINATE THE TOILET BREAK
A farm dog which has stopped to relieve itself can easily lose control of its sheep or even cattle, because it’s no longer concentrating on them. If this happens in a sheepdog trial, you will lose a lot of points. You might even be disqualified. There’s no need for it though. Learn how easy it is to teach your dog to toilet on command. Teach it before the dog works, and the dog will soon do it unprompted.
SHEEPDOGS TIME-OUT!
Following on from “An Insight Into Pack Behaviour“, we thought we’d give you a real treat by adding this fun video to our sheepdog training video library. “Sheepdogs Time Out” comprises of no less than four great chapters from our second DVD; Border Collie Sheepdogs & Friends – Still Off Duty! It’s around 17 minutes of Border Collie fun, including training lessons with “Super Sheepdog” Kay.