Stock Dog Training Secrets
Part 1 in a series of 3
By Margie Scott
The biggest problem most of us have when we begin thinking about
training our stockdogs is that we are looking for a simple step-by-step
agenda for training. We'd like to pick up a book or view a videotape that
tells us when the pup is a certain age, do this. Weeks later, do that.
After step three do step four. We'd like to see a gradual upward
progression from untrained pup to a dog that can handle one hundred
cow/calf pairs or one that at eighteen months of age wins the National
Trials! Not only that, but we also want the agenda to successfully apply
to every dog we work with. It sounds great, but it just doesn't work that
way.
No matter what level of training you are working at or wish to attain,
whether you only want a "get back" and "come" or want
to teach the full range of commands, enabling you to fully utilize the
dog's capabilities, a certain number of basic principles still apply. In
articles over the next few months I'll be sharing these principles -
Stockdog Training Secrets - with you. There are four basic principles that
apply to stock dog training. They are Discipline, Understanding Canine
Behavior, Understanding Livestock Behavior, and the most important, Common
Sense. Thoroughly understanding and mastering these principles is the key
to successful stock dog training. Let's focus on the Common Sense
principle first.
Common Sense
This principle should be easy for all of us but too often it's totally
overlooked. A few common sense training rules to remember are:
- Don't expect more from a young dog than he can physically or mentally
do. An eight-week old puppy can't be expected to outrun flighty sheep in
a forty-acre pasture. Nor should a four-month-old pup be expected to
tackle stubborn angora wethers or an eight-month-old be used to work
cow/calf pairs. A knowledgeable trainer sets up situations that will
assess the young dog's abilities but not damage or destroy its budding
working instinct. He will put a few head of mild stock in a small enough
area to easily control both the livestock and the dog.
- Use the right kind of stock. This is probably the most underrated
common sense principle when training a young dog and one usually ignored
by the first-time trainer. You can't teach a dog anything if you are
trying to use wild sheep that are careening off the fence from the
moment you walk toward them with your dog, or stock that are constantly
attacking a young dog. If you can't buy dog-broke stock ask someone with
an experienced dog to come over and work your stock until they are
settled enough to allow your young dog to work with them. If your
breeder lives nearby, don't hesitate to ask him to help. If you have
purchased your dog from working lines (the first common sense rule in
buying a stock dog) your breeder should have one or more dogs that can
do the job. Most stock dog handlers are happy to have the opportunity to
work their experienced dogs on fresh livestock.
- Don't leave your young dog in a kennel or on a chain for a year and
then expect it to be trainable. Many trainers will advise, "Don't
start training the dog until it's about a year old." But they don't
mean you should ignore the dog until that time. Take your puppy with
you. Play with it. Teach it its name, some manners and some basic
obedience commands. Build a relationship with your dog and the stock dog
training will be far easier in the long run. Even just five minutes a
day will make a big difference later when you begin livestock training.
- Know when to quit. You can quickly ruin a young dog by continually
hammering on a specific point.
- Learn to accent little successes. Mentally consider the small bit of
width on a flank as a success, not a failure. Naturally, you want a dog
to stop or down when it's told. But don't overdo this to the point where
the dog is afraid to get up or drops every few steps. Your later
training will suffer from this over-commanding of your young dog.
- Don't continue working a dog that is mentally unable to absorb
commands. A sure telltale sign of this is when the dog stops reacting to
a simple, well-learned command or does not respond to the movement of
the livestock as it normally does. Also, learn to recognize when the dog
has had enough for one training session. Is he looking for somewhere
else to go? Has he lost his enthusiasm for working? Has he stopped
watching the stock and is too concerned about your movements? These are
signs it's time to do something you know the dog likes and can
successfully accomplish, then quit the training session.
- The final common sense principle to remember is that good trainers
never loose their tempers or, if they do, they stop the training
session. If your are angry, you're not teaching the dog anything, you're
only punishing him. The dog's actions may require a harsh punishment but
once administered, the good trainer immediately wipes the episode from
his mind and goes on with the training. If you find yourself still angry
over something that happened ten minutes earlier, it's time for a coffee
break.
Go directly to Article 2 in the series of Stockdog
Training Secrets by Clicking on the
running horse.
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