There is much that can be done to prepare a puppy or dog to become a herding dog ; likewise there is much that can be done to prepare the person to become a herding handler . This "headstart" should improve the ultimate results of the training program as well as make the early stages go a lot smoother.
HEADSTART FOR HERDING
EDUCATION FOR DOG AND HANDLER PRIOR TO INTRODUCTION TO STOCK
(written for the Bouvier, but applicable to other breeds)
by Pam Green, © 1990
HEADSTART FOR THE DOG:
- SELECTION of puppy or adult
- Parents, older sibs : strong gathering instinct shown by HIC or videotape of test on stock. (Note: in most AKC breeds, very few dogs will have any advanced stock titles.) Stable temperament; good trainability/responsiveness.( can be shown by obedience or working titles). You must like the dam !
- Puppy : stable , bold , playful, strong prey drive. Pup who "heads" ball / other fleeing prey is best gathering prospect! You must like the pup !
- Adult or adolescent : stable, socialized, prey drive. Strong gathering instinct when tested on stock. Controllable/responsive to you. You must like the dog !
- REARING of puppy
- Socialize extensively, including rural environments, car travel, dogs, people
- Expose to livestock to arouse interest, instinct.
- On leash or tied up (safely) to watch stock move. DON'T allow stock to challenge, frighten, injure pup! DON'T try to actually work the dog on stock that he cannot outrun well enough to be able to make a correctly shaped gather; if pup lacks physical speed , he will simply fall in behind and chase -- a terrible habit. NEVER allow pup unsupervised freedom to chase & harass your own or neighbors' stock !!! (Stockowners may legally kill harassing dogs !)
- Exercise to develop muscles, heart, lungs
Habituate (teach to ignore) tools you may later need :
- drag-line : useful at many stages of training
- muzzle : may be needed for first stage of herding to allow calm handling and safety for stock. May be useful at the vet's.
- dummy for remote trainer: remote trainer may be needed for enforcement at distance in herding or in other distance work.
- You must be Packleader !!! Benevolent, calm, parental.
- TRAINING OF PUPPY OR ADULT (in absence of stock)
- ESSENTIAL OBEDIENCE (before first herding lesson)
- "Come" : speedy, reliable, under distraction; begin teaching in infancy (can begin at 5 weeks-8 weeks) with praise, petting, occasional tidbit
- "Down" : immediate, reliable under distraction,sustained until released; begin in infancy (5-8 weeks); bait into position, praise, pet.
- "Whoa" (=standing halt) : immediate, reliable, sustained;;begin in puppyhood (4-6 months); mini-tug on leash as pup walks ahead of you.
- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (preferably before 1st herding)
- Sendaway & sendaside : imprints confidence in leaving handler, & working away from handler.Taught with visible goal-post & bait/toy
- Bark & Quiet on command : can be useful on stock. "Bark" : just before any stimulus to which dog will naturally respond by barking. "Enough" : hands gently shut mouth; praise for silence.
- Walking gait on command: essential on stock !! "Walk" : gentle leash mini-tugs as dog goes towards an attraction (eg, cat, chicken , stock)
- HARMFUL ( if stupidly done) or HELPFUL ( if intelligently done)
- Heeling : take care that you don't imprint any reluctance to leave handler & work far away ! (Precise heeling is not essential for stockdog .)
- Jumping : don't do prior to one year & X-ray hips.(& elbows?) To jump over and crawl under fences are useful.skills for stockdog.
- EARLY TRAINING FOR OTHER COMPATIBLE JOBS (optional)
- Tracking : imprints confidence working away from handler; good for heart, lungs, muscle. Prepares for SAR . Tracking a lost/strayed sheep is a useful skill for stockdog!
- Hide & Seek : imprints confidence in working away from handler; prepares for SAR., Police ; good family game. Air-scent search to find lost/strayed sheep.is a useful skill for stockdog !
- Agility : pup-sized, pup-safe obstacles good for confidence and physical coordination; builds trust in handler. No jumping or only over obstacles less than half the pup's height at shoulder.
- Obedience : promotes responsiveness to handler."Too much obedience" does not ruin for stock! ("too much obed" really ="not enough instinct")
- Protection : promotes responsiveness to handler if control is demanded & enforced. Novice handler wiser to wait until pup is a stable, socialized, obedient adult. Dog can learn to be gentle to stock but be forceful to decoy ; any dog can easily distinguish a human from a duck or sheep or bovine, so you can teach different behaviors towards each of these.
- WHEN TO START ON STOCK?
- "Wait on Nature" : individual maturation varies greatly !!! (No one knows age range for Bouvier & other AKC breeds).
- Test pup at intervals on appropriate easy stock: Ducks or free-moving," kneecap-kisser" sheep
- If 'precocious" : take care not to "burn out" pup! Keep lesson short & easy ; stick to basics. Don't let stock intimidate or injure pup.!
- If "retarded' : don't get impatient & don't despair ! A few pups "turn on" as late as 18-24 months. (Meanwhile develop skills at other work.)
HEADSTART FOR THE HANDLER :
- HANDLER'S EDUCATION MORE IMPORTANT THAN DOG'S !
- Dog is bred to understand stock ; handler isn't ! Learn as much as you can before attempting to work your dog.
- LEARNING ABOUT STOCK (before working dog)
- Schools of fish move much like flocks of ducks, sheep
- Ducks : buy some (easy to keep) or go to the park Herd them yourself (without dog) Watch heads: when head turns, duck will turn. Command yourself out loud for all moves.Invite friend : take turns as "dog " and handler
- Sheep : offer yourself as free labour to local shepherd
- YOUR BODY POSITION and use of POLE (before working dog)
- Go to horse stable : pay someone to teach you how to "longe" a horse; position and whip to influence horse to circle you is essentially same as position and pole to influence dog to circle stock.
- FINDING A STOCKDOG TRAINER TO BE YOUR MENTOR
- Seek out good Border Collie or Kelpie trainers : there are currently almost no truly knowledgeable & skilled stockdog trainers except BC/K trainers. (Update : in the dozen years since I wrote this , there has become a small cadre of herding trainers whose primary interest is in the loose-eyed upstanding breeds. If you can find one, great. But still seek out BC/K trainers for additional knowledge.)
- Seek one who trains own dogs from beginning (Avoid those who only buy already-started or fully trained dogs).
- Ask trainer if he has had success with dogs that are "loose-eyed, up-standing, close-running, forceful & powerful" ? If so, would he try to help you with a dog of those qualities but of a different breed? ("Just pretend he's a Border Collie." )
- Watch trainer train own pups & more advanced dogs. Try to figure out why & how trainer influences dog and stock. Ask questions. Think ! And watch trainer teach other handlers at various levels of experience.
- Take handling lessons in which you handle one of the trainer's own trained dogs (one who can't be "ruined").
- Bring your dog to watch (tied in safe place). Wait for dog to become eager to work stock and trainer to become eager to work your dog. Now you can begin.
- READ, READ, READ and RE-READ AGAIN & AGAIN
- Read before you start watching and training. Some will make sense , and some will remain mysterious or be over your head.
- Re-read at intervals as you gain experience : you will find you understand more and more.
- The 5 most valuable books are:
- The Farmer's Dog by John Holmes (Popular Dogs,paperback) : the first book to read because it makes clear that herding is a modified predatory behavior.
- Herding Dogs, Progressive Training, by Vergil Holland : the second book to read (but ignore his assesment of the Bouvier breed as being a driving dog because it is just plain wrong : Bouvier are naturally gathering dogs). A complete course, step by step, start to finish, with methods that will work well for a Bouvier or any other breed. Essential advice on the right attitude for the handler and for the dog.
- Sheepdog Training, an All-Breed Approach by Mari Taggart (Alpine Press, semi-hard) for loose-eyed, close-running breeds. (Bouviers owners: ignore advice to start on calves or goats; start on ducks or sheep.) A good beginners' book but Holland's book is much much better.
- A Way of Life: Sheepdog Training, Handling, & Trialing by Glyn Jones, (Farming Press, hardback) : complete & sophisticated, with superb diagrams. A book for the more experienced handler.
- Training & Working Dogs for Quiet Confident Control of Stock:the book on cattle herding ; great material relating training methods to dog's mental and social development.
- DON'T blindly believe all you read! Even the best books contain some questionable material. Keep comparing what you read to what you see and do.
- PHILOSOPHY FOR FIRST-TIME TRAINERS :
- "YOUR FIRST DOG PAYS YOUR TUITION'
- Your worst training mistakes will be inflicted upon the first dog you train. Thus you will waste some of his potential ability; but ,if you train with intelligence & diligence, you won't ruin him.
- Your first dog can achieve a level &quality you can be proud of !!!
- "ONLY EWE CAN CONQUER THE EWENIVERSE !"
- Begin now : procrastination is addictive.!
- No one else will do it for you !
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