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Hello to All!
I have exciting news! Action K9 Sports is starting a BLOG!
I don’t want to use the blog to share with all of you the mundane details of my day-to-day life. Instead, I want this blog to serve as a knowledge base where we can discuss tips, tricks, and insights into Sheep Herding, working dogs, and livestock management.
To get things started, I am looking to you, my readers, for inspiration! I’m seeking questions, comments, etc. on all Sheep Herding subjects. So think of the most interesting, curious, or informative questions that you may have, and attach them to this blog post in the form of a comment. After a week or so, I will review the comments and select the top 2 or 3 to answer, and I’ll write separate posts to answer them. I will attempt to provide clear answers, suggestions and directions in an effort to make the sport of Sheep Herding more enjoyable and SUCCESSFUL!
Other subjects to be entertained will be behavioral training for the high energy, workaholic dog, livestock management or anything else related to this enterprise.
So please take a minute to think of a great question, and write it in the comment section below!
Tags: action k9 sports, sheep herding
Hi, Did you get a new facility for the LA area?
A suggested starter question: Can a family pet also be a good working stockdog?; i.e. to what extent does closeness, affection for your house dog affect the dog’s desire and ability to work stock? Does it depend on the dog? Does it depend on how far/serious you want to take trialing? Is there a diiference between giving affection to a pet and spoiling the dog?
P.S. The blog is a great idea!!
Great question! And to further it…. For the many of us whose dogs see stock only once, maybe twice, a week – what kinds of things can you do with your dog in your day-to-day “home life” that can carry over to the “work life” to help make him a better worker and strengthen your relationship as working partners?
1) shepherds whistles – why is it so hard to do?
2) getting handler focused dogs to work away from you (example agility/obedience dogs making the move to sheepherding)
3) what are some of the unusual breeds you have seen become sucessful sheep herding dogs
4) is there a herding puppy in my future (that’s for your psychic mind to figure out)
I am becoming so confused by the “new” fangled style of training and traditional styles. I was away from working dogs for forty years. I have jsut retired, acquired a nice little aussie pup and am interested in training him for many things including herding. Sounds simple but there are so many approaches today as opposed to forty years ago. What are the pros and cons of the various styles of training? Which would be best for an aussie; I am told the breed is “sensitive” and will shut down with hard corrections (though I don’t have this memory of working aussies). Adivice is welcome!
Thanks
I have struggled with understanding what is my role at the post after the initial outrun lift and fetch to get the sheep around the post.
1. Can you explain what is the handler role and how to approach the post as an equal and valid obstacle.
2. How does my behavior at the post later impact the sheep?
3. How to best use the dog and the sheep at the post.
What is the best way to get a down on a dog? My male is very hard to get this in his head. He wants to go to sheep ASAp. Then he splits, chases and grips. Thanks. I am enjoying your blog.
Hi Narita,
There are several ways to accomplish a good “stop”. However, if he is getting to the sheep FIRST, he is being rewarded for his disobedience by chasing. Put him on a prong collar and attach a long, stout line to it. Tie the end of the line to a post in your pen and make sure the sheep are BEYOND the line length. When he jumps up to attack the sheep, he will hit the end of the line, get a HARD correction and NOT be rewarded. You IMMEDIATELY get a grip on the line and give him a ROUGH correction and put him back. He doesn’t get sheep till he lays there and doesn’t move. May take awhile.
BTW, don’t you have a good trainer who can help you?