Thread: Stock training for an Middle aged dog

Gday guys.
Any advice on initial key points for training a 7yr old lab x around sheep for example. It's Exposure to farms etc has been extremely limited but wondering any key points to start with if introducing the dog to this environment. Wanting to be able to take hunting etc in the future with training but need some fundamentals like stock training to feel comfortable to be out there with it.

Cheers

aversion training...eg no looking or get tap on bum...
rock solid no bullshit stop on command will be a get out of jail card IF its rock solid.
the 2nd is reasonably easy to do and should by now be there anyway.
the first is easy enough to do if sheep nearby,dog on lead and walk past,ANY looking,inclination to chase met with firm ...ummmmm...negative from the boss..how firm depends on dog...mine used to get wee tap LIGHTLY with healing stick....
funniestthing Ive ever seen with dog was when pet lambs came and mugged dog trained this way...dog tried to turn invisible to get away...no way in hell was it being associated with lambs...IM NOT LOOKING...IM NOT LOOKING bit like us fellas when walking with Mrs and pretty scantiliy clad woman walks past....

I'd do as @Micky Duck said.If you already have a farm you hunt on ask the farmer if you can use his rams to help train your dog,they are usually handy to the house and less prone to running away and provoking a chase response from your dog.If your dog insists on chasing, the farmer may also have a "hot" collar you may be able to borrow to really get your point across.

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Cheers for the pointers. I think the showing interest point will be one needed to drill in as rather inquisitive. Love the story about the lambs, haha so true!

Tied a dog with error tendencies with a long chain to a big ram and the house cow one time and left them to it for several hours. When I went back to the paddock later the dog was sitting on one side of a very large but short log, and the cow and ram standing on the opposite side. That dog hardly ever glanced at stock ever again all his life. (None of the critters involved came to any harm )

my dogs grew up with pet lambs, that worked. try to borrow one as they will feed out of the same bowl as each other.. Good mates then

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

I shouldn't admit to this woody, but I did the same to a pig dog that was keen on goats. Tied him to a big angry billy he bailed. Gave them about twenty minutes with about three feet of rope between them. Put the dog off goats.

We could try that on a few things ah, ummmm let’s try it on Minster of Environment and a bull Thar

If you dog knows what the word no means, you should have no trouble. Just say no when he or she takes interest in what you don't want them to. Just one of the basic commands you really need to be sorted to help solve all sorts of possibilities during the dogs life. "No" leave that dead possum alone. "no" don't eat that bit of dead crap, chase the cat etc...

Heh Yeh, the dog involved was a very hard Queensland Blue Heeler. I figured he would relate better to discipline from the actual stock than from me in this case. Iv'e never had to resort to that trick with any of my other dogs but it worked well with that one. Iv'e also heard of guys firmly strapping a sheepskin around a dog with worry tendencies, for several days. They reckoned it works but I never tried that one myself.

jeeez Woody....dont mention that or Ruff will be along with his lynching rope.......

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

I shouldn't admit to this woody, but I did the same to a pig dog that was keen on goats. Tied him to a big angry billy he bailed. Gave them about twenty minutes with about three feet of rope between them. Put the dog off goats.

Classic.


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That would work if the dog was only slightly interested in goats, and since they were Blue heelers, smaller than the goat. . If the dog was serious it would rip the throat out of the goat and you would still have the problem. I would think a serious pig dog would be a pretty good match for a goat.

It's somewhat different when the tied dog can't easily avoid the goat or fearess horned old housecow

I have heard of a solid mastif, determined bastard type pig dog being chained to a renowned dog hating horned ram. After half an hour both were exhausted and standing off panting. The dog had broken ribs and the ram had no ears and half a nose.

Regarding the dog in question, does it actually show any interest in chasing stock ? It has probably never killed a possum or a rabbit and wouldn't know what to do with one let alone chased a sheep. I think it will be easy to sort.

When stock training my pig dogs I’d put electric collars on them & leave them off wandering around the house then put the collie onto the sheep , young dogs can’t help them selfs when they see another dog chasing something , it’s by far the best method iv ever used , I had one particularly eager collie blue healer that took 3 go,s over the course of a couple of weeks , no yelling , screaming or death threats involved and they never forget.