If you watch any TV these days you may recognize the title. You hear this frequently on the Dog Whisperer TV show. Well this applies to the herding dog as well, particularly the young herding dog. 9 times out of 10 when I am asked about the potential of a dog/pup, I find that the dog/pup receives no exercise, discipline is not consistant and affection is ALL ways given at the wrong time.
On the exercise part of this, the owner will ALL ways say that the dog/pup has the run of the place and gets lots of exercise. Again 9 times out of 10 this is not exercise. A dog needs to focus on the running part of the exercise and this just does not happen when they are "playing" around the yard or fields.
Now I understand the time limitations of the busy rancher/farmer. Some times taking a 1/2 hour first thing in the morning can be very theraputic. Using this time to exercise the dog/pup can also make the difference between a real valuable working stock dog and just a pet. I usually recommend that the owner take the dog for a run at least for 20 to 30 minutes. Now before you turn off, there is a simple way to do this. Most ranch's have a quad, 4X4, ATV, or what ever you want to call it. This is an excellent way to exercise your dog. At an appropriate speed ie. the dog running just behind the quad, at a comfortable rate, it not only benefit the dogs physical well being, but also his mental state. As an added bonus, the bonding will be strengthened also. And as an added added bonus, it will do the handler a world of good as well.
Thoughts?
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Stop Command
I recently watched some super cow dogs performing at the annual DMS cow dog trial in Vanderhoof BC. Not only was it a good trial, the competitors were top notch. Competitors and dogs came from through out the Pacific North West and through out BC.
One handler and his dog caught my eye. When the dog was given a command it responded immediately. When the down command was given that dog hit the ground and you could not get a hair under him from chin to tail. I'm almost convinced that the dog has a flat underside.
Why do I mention this? Well I no longer teach my dogs, or handlers, the down command. I want my dogs upright and always maximum visibility to the cattle. Also teaching the dog the down command wastes a tremendous amount of energy. This is critical when moving large numbers of cattle over long periods of time. Remember that my main aim of this blog is to train WORKing stock dogs.
Now if you are training a competition dog then you might want to teach the down command. I do not see any need for it. Some may argue that is the only way you can get a good stop (?) on a dog and that you can always train a dog to stand. You may be right and if that works for competition folks then who am I to argue. There is no reason however that you can not get a perfect (?) stop at the stand position. It's all in the way you train the dog.
It is a pleasure to watch the competition dogs work. Most competitions do not allow the dog to think on it's feet. Time and points are the main concern. Still it's nice to watch.
One handler and his dog caught my eye. When the dog was given a command it responded immediately. When the down command was given that dog hit the ground and you could not get a hair under him from chin to tail. I'm almost convinced that the dog has a flat underside.
Why do I mention this? Well I no longer teach my dogs, or handlers, the down command. I want my dogs upright and always maximum visibility to the cattle. Also teaching the dog the down command wastes a tremendous amount of energy. This is critical when moving large numbers of cattle over long periods of time. Remember that my main aim of this blog is to train WORKing stock dogs.
Now if you are training a competition dog then you might want to teach the down command. I do not see any need for it. Some may argue that is the only way you can get a good stop (?) on a dog and that you can always train a dog to stand. You may be right and if that works for competition folks then who am I to argue. There is no reason however that you can not get a perfect (?) stop at the stand position. It's all in the way you train the dog.
It is a pleasure to watch the competition dogs work. Most competitions do not allow the dog to think on it's feet. Time and points are the main concern. Still it's nice to watch.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Starting the stock dog pup
As I discussed in an earlier post I like to take a pup to stock at 5 or 6 months. This is not a training session but more of an evaluation session. What I am looking for is the reaction of the pup to stock. I usually use sheep for this and try to get a group of somewhat passive sheep if possible All I do is release the pup in the general area of the sheep and stand back and watch what happens. Several things can happen:
1. There will be no interest.
2. The pup may show some signs of curiousity.
3. The pup may advance towards the sheep.
4. The pup may charge the sheep.
5. The pup may start to circle (head) the sheep.
When checking this out you should try and have the sheep moving slowly. This may spark some interest to the pup. Now if there is no interest after a few moments, at this early age this is no real problem. The hormones and instinct have not kicked in yet. I will take the pup away and try again in about 1 month's time. There is no sense in trying to force the issue as you may end up doing more harm the good.
Now if the pup takes an immediate interest and starts to do something then I will give her a few minutes and then call the pup off. I want you to note what I said here: “I call the pup off”. This is very important because if you can not call the pup off you have not done your preliminary training. With a pup 5 to 6 months old and for that matter any new pup or dog, I will not expose them to sheep for at least 3 or 4 weeks later after this initial exposure.
Handlers have to accept the fact that not all pups can be started early. I have known dogs that were18 months before they were turned on. I'm not sure if I would want to wait that long and usually would place the dog in a good home.
If you take a look at the following picture, you will see a very young bitch pup displaying obvious herding instinct. No commands are attempted and she is allowed to “do her thing”.
She was first taken to sheep at 5 months and displayed similar behaviour. She is 6 months in this photo. I took her off the stock after approximately 5 minutes and chained her to a post while I did some training on another dog. When I finished the training session I let her have another short go at the sheep be for calling her off. I will follow this routine every couple of weeks and watch as her confidence builds. I suspect at 7-1/2 to 8 months she will be ready for daily training as well as doing some work with the other dogs.
Now this all may sound like I am trying to force the training issue. Quite the opposite. If a pup is ready then it will become more satisfying to the pup, after all, these are herding dogs and that is what they do. The key is don't force it. Also remember “exercise, discipline, then affection” makes for a happy pooch.
Until the next time
1. There will be no interest.
2. The pup may show some signs of curiousity.
3. The pup may advance towards the sheep.
4. The pup may charge the sheep.
5. The pup may start to circle (head) the sheep.
When checking this out you should try and have the sheep moving slowly. This may spark some interest to the pup. Now if there is no interest after a few moments, at this early age this is no real problem. The hormones and instinct have not kicked in yet. I will take the pup away and try again in about 1 month's time. There is no sense in trying to force the issue as you may end up doing more harm the good.
Now if the pup takes an immediate interest and starts to do something then I will give her a few minutes and then call the pup off. I want you to note what I said here: “I call the pup off”. This is very important because if you can not call the pup off you have not done your preliminary training. With a pup 5 to 6 months old and for that matter any new pup or dog, I will not expose them to sheep for at least 3 or 4 weeks later after this initial exposure.
Handlers have to accept the fact that not all pups can be started early. I have known dogs that were18 months before they were turned on. I'm not sure if I would want to wait that long and usually would place the dog in a good home.
If you take a look at the following picture, you will see a very young bitch pup displaying obvious herding instinct. No commands are attempted and she is allowed to “do her thing”.
She was first taken to sheep at 5 months and displayed similar behaviour. She is 6 months in this photo. I took her off the stock after approximately 5 minutes and chained her to a post while I did some training on another dog. When I finished the training session I let her have another short go at the sheep be for calling her off. I will follow this routine every couple of weeks and watch as her confidence builds. I suspect at 7-1/2 to 8 months she will be ready for daily training as well as doing some work with the other dogs.
Now this all may sound like I am trying to force the training issue. Quite the opposite. If a pup is ready then it will become more satisfying to the pup, after all, these are herding dogs and that is what they do. The key is don't force it. Also remember “exercise, discipline, then affection” makes for a happy pooch.
Until the next time
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Bonding
Well you have a new pup. The question(s) is when should I start training. I am of the opinion that training can not start until there is a bond between you and the pup. Now if you look at that statement something should leap out at you! If the pup is going to bond to you then how can you send it away to be trained? That is a good question for which there is many answers, some good and some not so good. This will be the topic of another entry in the blog in the future
When I get a pup for myself, I start out with the pup spending a good part of the time with my wife. That mothering instinct goes along way to eventually bonding with me. A pup has to be a pup. A pup has to learn some basic manners and the mothering instinct usually facilitates this and usually in a very short period of time.
During this phase, I feed the pup, as I do with all my dogs. You know where I'm going with this. If I am feeding the pup the pup begins to see the association between me and the pack and quickly begins to find it's place in the pecking order. I also take the pup in the car/truck anytime I go on short trips. This is usually to town for one reason or another. When I am in town I will put a leash on the pup and take her for a short walk exposing her to different sounds, smells, noises, and people. Holding a leash during this time also allows her to associate me as the pack leader. Of course there is plenty of praise, at the appropriate time, which she will also associate with pleasing me as the leader
This routine will continue until she is ready for training. I will take the pup to, usually, sheep, the first time at about 6 months of age. If the interest is there in any form, then this is my que to having the pup move from my wife to me. The pup is now officially mine and will be with me most of the time. The the real bonding begins.
When I am asked to train a dog, I usually turn the possible engagement down for the reasons stated above. I am often asked to evaluate a dog to determine if it is ready for training or shows any interest. I have found quite often a handler will say they want to begin training a dog but there is no bond there. As most of my trainig is now handler training, I will usually send the handler home with instructions to bond with the dog. When this is done then I will start working with the handler and dog. Training goes much quicker and usually with better results.
There is some food for thought. Comments are always welcome
When I get a pup for myself, I start out with the pup spending a good part of the time with my wife. That mothering instinct goes along way to eventually bonding with me. A pup has to be a pup. A pup has to learn some basic manners and the mothering instinct usually facilitates this and usually in a very short period of time.
During this phase, I feed the pup, as I do with all my dogs. You know where I'm going with this. If I am feeding the pup the pup begins to see the association between me and the pack and quickly begins to find it's place in the pecking order. I also take the pup in the car/truck anytime I go on short trips. This is usually to town for one reason or another. When I am in town I will put a leash on the pup and take her for a short walk exposing her to different sounds, smells, noises, and people. Holding a leash during this time also allows her to associate me as the pack leader. Of course there is plenty of praise, at the appropriate time, which she will also associate with pleasing me as the leader
This routine will continue until she is ready for training. I will take the pup to, usually, sheep, the first time at about 6 months of age. If the interest is there in any form, then this is my que to having the pup move from my wife to me. The pup is now officially mine and will be with me most of the time. The the real bonding begins.
When I am asked to train a dog, I usually turn the possible engagement down for the reasons stated above. I am often asked to evaluate a dog to determine if it is ready for training or shows any interest. I have found quite often a handler will say they want to begin training a dog but there is no bond there. As most of my trainig is now handler training, I will usually send the handler home with instructions to bond with the dog. When this is done then I will start working with the handler and dog. Training goes much quicker and usually with better results.
There is some food for thought. Comments are always welcome
Monday, March 9, 2009
Circle training?
I know that many folks, when it comes time to train there new stock dog, will seek out a reputable trainer. They then will take their dog to the trainer and leave it for a time. The time of course will be dependent on the readiness of the dog and other factors. So many of these trainers will have a training pen, usually 60ft in diameter. Usually, sheep are brought in and the training begins. Force the dog to go around the sheep. Once the dog start then the trainer will attempt to stop the dog. You get the idea.
Well my thoughts on this are: You get a dog that when it is in doubt will be a very good circling dog. This is particularly so when the dog has low self esteem. 2 thoughts on this. 1. Learn how to train your dog yourself. 2. Don't use a round pen.
Why?
First off, training your dog your self not only establishes the pack leader roll, but builds a bond that is very strong. You get a dog that wants to work with you and also builds on the understanding of silent communications between handler and dog. This is how things work in nature, like real life.
Secondly, using a square pen or open field is also reality. More on this later
This is just the beginning. There is so much more that this may take awhile.
Well my thoughts on this are: You get a dog that when it is in doubt will be a very good circling dog. This is particularly so when the dog has low self esteem. 2 thoughts on this. 1. Learn how to train your dog yourself. 2. Don't use a round pen.
Why?
First off, training your dog your self not only establishes the pack leader roll, but builds a bond that is very strong. You get a dog that wants to work with you and also builds on the understanding of silent communications between handler and dog. This is how things work in nature, like real life.
Secondly, using a square pen or open field is also reality. More on this later
This is just the beginning. There is so much more that this may take awhile.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
When is it time to quit?
I attended a cow dog trial the other day with my 11 year old Heading dog. You could tell that the desire was there but the power was not. After the trial he was exhausted. He slept for a long time and any time he moved he moaned and groaned. He was hurting. He tried but the results were not there. It is time for him to retire. Now what?
My thinking is that I will use him to help me train my new pup. Contrary to what some dog experts say!!!!!!!, dogs learn from each other. If you have a well trained dog, it is a good way to start your pup. I usually let the pup out with an experience dog and after a few moments of disaster, the experienced dog will get things under control and the pup begins to watch .... it's magic. It sure speeds up the initial basic training.
I would be interested in any comments on this topic
My thinking is that I will use him to help me train my new pup. Contrary to what some dog experts say!!!!!!!, dogs learn from each other. If you have a well trained dog, it is a good way to start your pup. I usually let the pup out with an experience dog and after a few moments of disaster, the experienced dog will get things under control and the pup begins to watch .... it's magic. It sure speeds up the initial basic training.
I would be interested in any comments on this topic
Monday, February 23, 2009
My Dog(s)
You will notice in the header picture a different looking cow dog. Most folks think that the only good stock dog is a Border Collie. Well I have not met to many of them I did not like. Having bred, raised, trained and worked BC's for many years, I just could not get the consistency I wanted in my breeding program. Also I encountered that aged old problem of getting only 1/2 to 3/4's of a day of work from them. I know that I will get lots of discussion on this and so be it.
In my BC breeding days, the most consistent question I would get from "working" folks was: Will your dogs work all day? I could not answer that question in the affirmative and that always struck me. I had good breeding stock and some as tough as nails, but the working all day in mountainous terrain, heavy bush, was always a problem.
I was introduced to a new breed, the "New Zealand Heading Dog", or some times called the "New Zealand Collie". The dog works with a heads up style and is a really great thinking dog. But more on that in a later post. What I have learned about stock handling and herding I attribute a lot to my dogs. This has also changed the way that I now approach training the working stock dog.
I will get into some thoughts on training in general in my next pot
In my BC breeding days, the most consistent question I would get from "working" folks was: Will your dogs work all day? I could not answer that question in the affirmative and that always struck me. I had good breeding stock and some as tough as nails, but the working all day in mountainous terrain, heavy bush, was always a problem.
I was introduced to a new breed, the "New Zealand Heading Dog", or some times called the "New Zealand Collie". The dog works with a heads up style and is a really great thinking dog. But more on that in a later post. What I have learned about stock handling and herding I attribute a lot to my dogs. This has also changed the way that I now approach training the working stock dog.
I will get into some thoughts on training in general in my next pot
The beginning
The purpose of this blog is to start a dialog on a most valuable working ranch hand, the working stock dog. Be it sheep, cattle, chickens (?) or competition. This blog will definately not be breed specific and will probably talk abut guradian dogs as well.
One of my main concerns is the training of the stock dog. I will spend a lot of time on this and will revisit each topic frequently. I suspect that some of my thoughts will be controversial, and hopefully will generate some discussions.
Although I am retired, I continue to be involved in ranching (on a contract basis), stock dog training and also I put on stock dog demonstrations at fall fairs and special occations. I have just purchased a new bitch pup and will be sharing with you all the fun stuff of bring her up and training her to be a useful working stock dog. I will introduce you to her and why I made the choice for her breed in a later post.
That is it for now .... stay tuned
One of my main concerns is the training of the stock dog. I will spend a lot of time on this and will revisit each topic frequently. I suspect that some of my thoughts will be controversial, and hopefully will generate some discussions.
Although I am retired, I continue to be involved in ranching (on a contract basis), stock dog training and also I put on stock dog demonstrations at fall fairs and special occations. I have just purchased a new bitch pup and will be sharing with you all the fun stuff of bring her up and training her to be a useful working stock dog. I will introduce you to her and why I made the choice for her breed in a later post.
That is it for now .... stay tuned
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