Tag: Circling & Flanks
Inside flanks – circle on command (2 of 2)
A great tip to make training your dog to do inside flanks in the training ring. Use a training ring to develop your dog’s inside flanks PART 2: We take another look at training your dog to do inside flanks (circle the sheep on command). Provided the dog works reasonably on flank commands, has a…
Back to forwards
Improve control of your working sheepdog once you and the dog have mastered “Backwards is the Way Forward”. A matter of trust Walking backwards, with the dog steadily bringing the sheep up to you at the pace you choose to move back at, is one of the best exercises we know. It’s a particularly useful…
Starting a reluctant dog
What to do when starting a reluctant dog, which doesn’t want to work. There’s always the exception… Most dogs are over-excited when they first encounter sheep and it’s up to the trainer to do their best to protect the stock. Occasionally though the dog takes no interest in the stock at all and doesn’t want…
Why your dog should flank both ways
We explain why your sheepdog must go both ways round sheep. Make sure the dog will run around stock in both directions. Left or right-handed Most humans are left or right-handed. Similarly the majority of herding dogs favour working in one direction over another. Flanking one way is simply a habit. Dogs can be trained…
Balance – what’s the point?
Sheepdog trainers often refer to The Point of Balance but what exactly is it, and where can we find one? In this short tutorial, we discover that the point of balance is not always to be found where we might expect it to be.
Sending the dog the wrong way!
No, it’s not a mistake! Sending the dog the wrong way will improve its flanks. Make flanking fun for the dog One of the best ways to get a dog to give the sheep space when it’s flanking (or casting) is to use a technique we call “sending the dog the wrong way”. Once you…
Get (the sheep) off the fence!
Train your dog to get sheep off a fence or hedge. Strictly collie dancing… Getting stubborn sheep away from a fence or hedge during the early stages of training can be very frustrating unless you know the “tricks of the trade”. This tutorial shows you how to get sheep off a fence or hedge, as…
Educating Gloria! A typical sheepdog training session
Watch a typical sheepdog training session, full of valuable lessons. It also shows the wrong way to take sheep out of the training ring, into the open field! Educating Gloria This tutorial shows nine-month old Gloria, a bright, enthusiastic young dog, and her fourth training session with some well-dogged sheep. As well as showing a…
Backwards is the way forward
Our best sheepdog training exercise, once you have control of your farm dog, and the dog has basic control of the sheep or cattle. Our best sheepdog training exercise It’s boring – and it might appear pointless to the novice, but walking backwards with the dog bringing the sheep up to you, is our best…