Is there a dvd or can someone point me in the right direction to train a sheep dog? We have a collie 1 yr old, and he wants to herd these sheep- I just do not know how to train him. Also, will a herding dog be protection against predators? Had a coyote trying to get in the livestock fenced 3 acre pasture, our lab/pyr chased it off. Put him (this is dog #2) in with them for the night, and did not lose the lambs. The herding dog wants to herd them, but the ewes with lambs and the ram stomp at him till he backs down.
InHisName
There are some excellent videos here
http://bordercolliesinaction.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=35&cat=DVDs
http://bordercolliesinaction.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=35&cat=DVDs
No, herding dogs will not protect your flock, they will herd them to death. A dog with a herding drive should never be left alone with stock.
It sounds like your sheep aren't dog broke. You can't train a dog on un-broke stock they're too unpredictable and frightening for a beginner and will undermine your work and your dog's trust. I suggest finding someone with either a dog broke herd or a finished dog to break your stock. Littlehats.net is a great herding website with articles book and video recomendations
It sounds like your sheep aren't dog broke. You can't train a dog on un-broke stock they're too unpredictable and frightening for a beginner and will undermine your work and your dog's trust. I suggest finding someone with either a dog broke herd or a finished dog to break your stock. Littlehats.net is a great herding website with articles book and video recomendations
Rural Route Video has Starting border collies on ducks, sheep and cattle, also First steps in border collie training. you can preview these on youtube. Agreed they should never be left with live stock except when commanded, like in a stay command to keep sheep from going through a gate, but they are still working.They want to work so much they make there own work and can really get in trouble. But fantastic farm dogs. rough collies are different than border collies. I've had both, border collies are in my opinion are the smartest dog I have ever had. Make our job so much easier. Also check out http:/www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.php?... lots of good information there. Good luck.
I have Australian Shepherds, and we always start with dog broke sheep in a round pen to keep wrecks from happening in corners. My trainer will start BCs the same way, even though they feel a bit claustrophobic in such a small area. Her goal is to make sure the dog can flank around the stock in both directions, learn to hold the stock to you, and to take pressure off the stock when they are balanced to you (rather than smashing them over you!). When the dog is quiet and confident about controlling his stock, then you move to a larger area. That still means an area small enough that you can run to your stock to help them if things get out of control.
I tried getting videos but never found one where I felt I could just go out and try it myself. It would be best to find a decent trainer to start with since they would have the appropriate sheep and facilities to start with. Where in WA are you? Maybe there's a trainer nearby.
I tried getting videos but never found one where I felt I could just go out and try it myself. It would be best to find a decent trainer to start with since they would have the appropriate sheep and facilities to start with. Where in WA are you? Maybe there's a trainer nearby.
Jeanne Joy Hartnagle has some very good information on working dogs- not just Aussies. Here's her blog link: http://stockdogsavvy.wordpress.com/
Try this site also: http://www.workingaussiesource.com/stockdoglibrary.html
And you can also get information here: http://www.farmcollie.com/
There is a link to join the email list- it's a yahoo group and there are many people available for help.
Not all herding dogs are obsessive about herding. It depends partly on the breed and partly on the dog itself. I raise English Shepherds. My adult dogs CAN be trusted to be with the stock all day and not herd them to death. They aren't strictly herding dogs; they are all around farm dogs. So herding is only part of what they do.
They protect the flock- different than a LGD would- but they will watch out for predators, etc. They also mark all the way around the pasture and paddocks to keep coyotes away. The dogs and the sheep learn to respect each other's space. Once they are used to each other, the dogs are even allowed to help clean the lambs.
Remember, a 1 year old dog is a teenager. It will listen to some of what you tell it, and forget the rest. It will learn best by repetition so do what you want it to do repeatedly until it gets the hang of it.
Good luck!
Try this site also: http://www.workingaussiesource.com/stockdoglibrary.html
And you can also get information here: http://www.farmcollie.com/
There is a link to join the email list- it's a yahoo group and there are many people available for help.
Not all herding dogs are obsessive about herding. It depends partly on the breed and partly on the dog itself. I raise English Shepherds. My adult dogs CAN be trusted to be with the stock all day and not herd them to death. They aren't strictly herding dogs; they are all around farm dogs. So herding is only part of what they do.
They protect the flock- different than a LGD would- but they will watch out for predators, etc. They also mark all the way around the pasture and paddocks to keep coyotes away. The dogs and the sheep learn to respect each other's space. Once they are used to each other, the dogs are even allowed to help clean the lambs.
Remember, a 1 year old dog is a teenager. It will listen to some of what you tell it, and forget the rest. It will learn best by repetition so do what you want it to do repeatedly until it gets the hang of it.
Good luck!
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