Gypt has shown her potential in agility at a young age. His sense of group is about as good as it comes. We wanted to try something new so I decided to give rally a try. All my training is constructed the same way: verbal first, then the stick to back it up if I need it. As they evolved even more they came to be called Australian Shepherds. Ella is an active, athletic black tri Border Collie/ Australian Shepherd cross(50/50). I use a long bamboo stick at the dogs shoulder to push him out. She shares her home with three naughtySalukisand oneJack Russell Terrier. Try to do some half-moons on the fence. Those are things I teach later. The dog learns through his mistakes how to save making that mistake in the future, moving on to new things and not dwelling on what he did wrong. Her favorite place is to be by your side. The year-old dog can be trained every day, and you can make a lot of progress quickly. Its not my job to make that dog move with a bunch of commands. She heads and heels and is the first dog that works on new cattle here at my place. Whiskey is accomplished in her training knowing hand signals, voice and whistle commands, leash and off leash trained. Your email address will not be published. And how to read a cow, thats a bred-in instinct. Thats it. But all dogs go through puberty. Most well-known are certain heartworm preventives, but other medications can actually have more serious effects. She is super kind to sheep and loves to make big wide outruns. Natural bob tails do not breed true. He is kind to student dogs and teaches everyone a whole lot every day. A DNA test is available to determine if your Aussie is at risk. 2023 by DoyleCattle Farm. With good training, its like polishing the rock: the dog learns to be in control, but youve labeled those natural tendencies, smoothed them out, then they become really polished and fancy. PICKING A PUPPY But theres no question about the Shepherd designation; this is a talented and versatile herding dog ready to tackle any challenge. I dont ever want him to run to them, chase them and split them up. 2004-2020 Working Aussie Source. At about four months my puppies start doing chores with me. Some dogs turn on so early that they are actually a nuisance. We consider ourselves caretakers of the breed and strongly promote the use of these versatile dogs on farms and ranches. Lots of people out there who dont have ranches, who have a hobby group of stock in their yard, or no stock at all and go someplace else to work, they are really at a disadvantage. He is gorgeous and passes his biddability and talent to his offspring. Her favorite activities are herding, fetch, running and trail rides. You have to make them turn. She has been clocked at 28 mph. We raiseASCA Australian Shepherds and Border Collie/Australian Shepherdcross. Then, when you get out in the open, you have all these tools, and you can start adding lighter, more difficult stock, , harder jobs, and build distance on your young dog But you always have this understanding with the dog from your work in the roundpen. Never breed two merle Aussies together. That, and my mom (Audrey Klarer); Ive learned so much about dog psychology from her. You should be pushing the dog out and around the heads of the stock, not downing him to control him. Never guard your stock. She is an amazing family dog and incredibly loyal. Do you own an Australian Shepherd? This means they herd with an upright posture, tending to use their body and movement to intimidate and thus move sheep rather than staring and stalking. There comes a time when you have all the pieces in place: he knows how to get out when you apply pressure, he knows that if he dives in and takes a hold therell be repercussions, he knows how to stop, rate, stay, and down, youve put all these commands on in the roundpen. She is a hard-headed opinionated dog. They need to learn how to control that adrenalin, and you need to be in position to control the situation, to where he doesnt learn to do bad habits. These dogs are now known as Miniature American Shepherds. USE OF THERE And the handler has to be up there too, thinking quick with the dog. The dog learns to be flexible to you, learns to roll over his hocks on his turns. When you train for a trial youre always nitpicking your dog to be better. The least amount of time on sheep I ever put on a dog was four days in the roundpen. Don't let her cuteness fool you. I use a stick all the time for training. They accompanied Basque shepherds (the human kind) to both locations as they followed the sheep industry to new frontiers. You can train all breeds with this technique. Then you have this nice, trained, round, supple dog. Despite being called shepherds, they are equally good at herding cattle. Its not obedience with stock; you dont have to have this great handling technique of controlling the dog. When youre away from stock and you tell your dog to do something, do you try to talk them into it, or is it: no, do it now? She is the sweet girl that started it all. No dragging rope, no chain collar on your young dog, its too dangerous. He will head and hit front feet when needed. Then let him turn in on THERE and pull at a walk while you are walking backwards in a very straight line. He has been trained to fetch different objects on command. Youll find your dogs attitude will change. For fifty years, Twin Oaks Australian Shepherds in Galt, California has provided ranchers and stockdog trialers with sound, stock-savvy using dogs. They can get rusty for lack of work but will come right back to where they were left off. That will get your dog barking at you, barking at the stick, charging the stock because they feel youre guarding it. And then the final thing green handlers lack is their dogs respect. The Aussie is an upright, loose-eyed dog, so downing him for control is not the best way to start him. SHORTCUTS It's quite an interesting paradigm to see her work cattle like a force of nature, and then gently quietly move ducks around a few minutes later. Ideally you want dog-broke cattle, but some folks arent going to have that. If you had a lack of patience on a day and take it out on your dog, he wont ever forget it, because it happened at that sensitive stage, I call it the weenie stage. Having the fence helps him stop the stock. When youre first starting young dogs, youre dealing with a very intense, turned-on dog with a lot of adrenalin, who isnt necessarily going to make the best decisions. A trial is not a job. But I do play with them, and they keep doing the feeding with me. The first bounding spring he makes toward the stock, I want to be around it. When you apply the positive and the negative to get your point across. If he keeps running into the stick when I block him from going the wrong direction, I wont put him on cattle. Id give that dog lots of time, and build his confidence. Cattle are very smart and need a bold, courageous dog. I like to spend at least a week out of the roundpen in the field, with the sheep, and then I can go to the cattle. When you down a dog in the beginning all the time, he gets so wound up, hes like a wound-up spring ready to uncoil; its hard to smooth him out. You dont want anything to get tangled up in the cattle and break the dogs neck. In her younger years her favorite pass time was to go to the Windrivers on a week long pack trip. Full panel clear for Border Collie AND Australian Shepherd. Ella is a perfect combination of both breeds, she is extremely athletic and intelligent. It would be nice too, to use gentle, slow-moving-type cattle that arent scared to death of you, the handler, if youre on foot. I use the stick just as a backup for my verbal commands. Duke is a Blue Merle ASCA registered Australian Shepherd. And if you have a favorite breed youd like us to write about, let us know that, too! A keen young dog, he might make a mistake but he will self-correct and you can see this right off. Most of my training ideas come out of training horses. I dont introduce THERE for the first week or so, because I want to build the rate on the top first, and the understanding he has a side and I have a side. You have to read your dog and adjust. Embark is the only canine genetics company that uses a research-grade DNA genotyping platform, They dont have enough confidence to get out wide and outrun their stock, so their idea is to run in tighter, grab and hold the sheep down like a cat does a mouse, for control. I have never found training a puppy every day, or even every week, has gotten me any farther along than just waiting until hes a year old and working him every day then, when he mentally can handle it. Some Aussies are born with natural bob tails, and the tails of others are traditionally docked in some countries. In this interview, Sherry focuses on the first yearselecting a puppy, exposing it correctly to stock, and when and how to start it. She has written for various publications and is currently a columnist for AKC Family Dog. Its the dogs job to control the livestock. He can problem-solve. Ducks die easily and they are pounced on easily. She is a ASCA registered black tri. Any chance you can, step forward and get them to roll over their hocks, then back up again. I never put young pups on ducks. She is now spayed and enjoys watching her daughters take a turn at motherhood. Dogs are creatures of habit. Sure, puppies can be coaxed into it with a treat, but an older dog should be sharp and snappy at it. Because they work so closely with the shepherd, herding dogs are especially good at learning complicated tasks, including tricks. If the dog decides he can outrun you, and not turn back, not stay on his side, you dont have a five acre field to run across to stop him. I just want them big enough to where I dont run over them with a tractor. This allows us to capture over 200,000 The real working-bred Aussies do really well sharing between the two, sheep and cattle. Many of todays Aussies trace back to Jay Sislers rodeo dogs. If the handlers always charging through the middle of the stock, instead of stepping to the side, left or right, depending on where the heads are going, then the dog never learns that its his responsibility to rate the stock. Your email address will not be published. He learns as he goes and has a nice off button on stock. His ability to read stock is impeccable. Get to Know the Australian Shepherd: A Jack of All Trades. The Australian Shepherd may have a bit of an identity crisis when it comes to part of its name. The merle color is caused by the action of a single dominant gene. In these pages, not only will we showcase dogs of our breeding, but we hope to provide a resource for those who need basic information on how to choose and use a Stockdog. I train my dogs like cutting horsesif I have to step in and do their job, thats a correction. Well, random to me, but confidently correctly to her. Other dogs are hard, and constantly keep trying you, so you leave them a little longer on sheep, so they have the good obedient habits of listening to you and minding you before you go to cattle. For instance, every time you want the dog to flank the other way you block them with the stick. TRAINING ON CATTLE I want my dogs always to be watching their stock, not looking at me. Thats more more genetic data than any of our competitors. She is extremely athletic and loves to please. He reminds me of those old school aussies in so many ways. Now a dog thats soft, easy to turn off the stock, I dont apply it that way. The purpose of the roundpen is to develop flexion, rate, and label the dogs natural tendencies. Although the founder of the kennel, Audrey Klarer, is still a large part of the operation, her daughter Sherry Baker has become one of the preemininent Aussie stockdog trainers in the country. Have you spent time with one? If any time the stock decides to come off the fence, then you can let your dog get around them and bring them. DUCKS AND PUPS Not every dog is a cow dog. You dont get so many days like you do with a puppy where theyre just out to recess. Usually I dont have a lead on him at this age, I just try to get him to follow me, then get ahead of me. I can read the stock and the dog can read the stock, we can read them together just that quickand you can see that (talent) in a young dog. Her favorite activities are fetch herding and trail rides with the horses. The other way I pick is to take the frontrunner of the litter, the one who does everything first. Young, feeder-size cattle are the best. The better, smarter, keener the stockdog, the more he can reason. Let Dogster answer all of your most baffling canine questions! Sherry trains her own dogs, clients dogs, and gives herding lessons at her cattle and sheep ranch in Galt, California, as well as giving clinics all over the U.S. and in Europe. Then I change directions and go the other way. Embark is the only canine genetics company that uses a research-grade DNA genotyping platform, 2023 by DoyleCattle Farm. Veterinary Medicine. But the roundpen also keeps a softer dog in contact with their stock. Get to Know the Bernese Mountain Dog: A Real Teddy Bear, Get to Know the Yorkshire Terrier: From Blue Collar to Blue Blood, Get to Know the German Shepherd: A Dog Breed with Brains, Brawn, and Star Quality, Get to Know the Great Dane, a Little Dog in a Huge Body, Get to Know the Bulldog: Part Gargoyle, Part Clown, Get to Know the Bloodhound, the Famous Tracking Dog, Get to Know the Miniature Schnauzer: The Most Popular Terrier in the United States, Get to Know the Beagle: Super Sniffer and Beguiling Buddy, Dug Up at Dogster: August 2022 Dog Events and Dog Holidays, 2016 Reader Survey Sweepstakes Official Rules, Dogster Magazine Subscription Maintenance, Editors Choice Awards 2022 Dogster Approved. They just chop the dog off with the stick wherever, when they decide to go the other way, before the dog has gotten to head and gotten control. Copper is the most naturally talented dog I have ever worked. Sometimes a dog that wont get to head on sheep, it helps to put them on cattle. For 6decades,Slash V has produced working Australian Shepherds suitable for almost every type of stock use. All the other things are gambles. Im always gearing a dog to cattle; its the really smart dogs that can work cattle. She has the border collie stare and stalk when working cattle, then the fun loving Aussie side comes out when she's around the family and kids. Covid curtailed the rest for awhile. Skilled at herding, agility, flyball, Frisbee, and obedience, this do-it-all breed is up for anything. Without respect, the dog argues, and they run all over you. Then again, when a pup runs in on a duck and it flaps its wings, that stinging slap on a puppys nose can really freak him out. The AKC recognized the Australian Shepherd in 1993, amidst much controversy. So, with a dog thats not been let to get to head, and not been taught to flex to the handler and rate, youve got a pretty pushy, wild, no-focal-point type dog, with flat spots, thatll dive in and grab, or split the stock. She has excelled with a Jr. Handler and is shown in Agility, Rally, Obedience and Showmanship. this article was first published in Stockdogs Magazine May/June 2005, The worldwide leader for working Australian Shepherds. The Aussies herding style is termed loose-eyed (as opposed to strong-eyed). Next month Ill bring him in again and I may apply the stick that time, if hes more turned on. So the next month I take him to the roundpen again. This takes more squaring him up on the top, having him give ground on his side so that he is rating the circle on his side by doing lots of 45 degree (or bigger if needed) pivots till he is respecting the top. Some dogs are real flexible and biddable, and you can teach those things quickly. A dog that hasnt been taught to roll over on his hocks on his flanks, taking the pressure off, will start looping his turns, pushing the stock into you. You have to teach him that he has a side and you have a side, with the stock controlled between you. In the 1950s and 60s, a group of highly-trained Australian Shepherds appeared in a rodeo trick-dog act. He rules with an iron paw though. That's why we don't trial anymore. Learning cattle will help them with sheep and vice-versa. I use him as a demo dog and let my students work him as well. Soon, hell start anticipating that and start squaring up his top and rating his stock. I see this in all breeds. A pup that is particularly mentally mature and well-focused for their age, it is possible to work them every week or two weeks. Lets hear what you think about this fascinating breed in the comments! It doesnt do any good to have a dog turn on really early; theyre too small to outrun most livestock anyhow. That right there will make a dog short or one-sided. She easily doubled the miles the horses did by running around and having the time of her life. Pretty soon the dog starts quitting on you because youre always nitpicking him. An interview with Sherry Baker by Kay Spencer. With a cutting horse, he gets corrected if he isnt making the decisions on his own. All Rights Reserved. We have loved watching her grow and can't wait for all the years to come with her! Instead he loves to play fetch with his toy squirrel and perform his tasks he was trained for. I dont have time to tell him, oh, now youre supposed to move and go get those head that are leaving. A lot of people use a stick wrong, using it as a reprimand, using it to guard their stock from the dog. But I dont steer the dog with it. She is DNA Tested and is clear for Border Collie and Australian Shepherd Weight: 40 lbs. If you dont have those things, use a feedlot area, maybe 100 x 100 is goodor whatever you can find. He has to have courage, bite, and he has to have cow-sense, the bred-in instinct to not, say, run under a cows front end and get floor-matted. Thats why I always require dogs I take in for training to be a year old. They never get done; they never get the carrot! If theyre on the fence line and you cant get them off, you would use the stick (to get them off). Then, as he turns it around, flank him to the inside again, and send him on a half moon to the head and stop them the other way. You can keep them from getting mashed, crashed, crippled or run over, and you can keep building up his confidence, instead of him feeling oh, I cant do it, theyre getting away, this is impossible. A stockdog needs to be treated as a work partner, not like your mother. She is not red factored. HOBBY HERDING it was an impossible task. The Australian Shepherd is the 22nd most popular AKC breed, but because so many are registered with ASCA or with the National Stock Dog Registry, their true popularity is probably higher. My sixty-day dogs dont forget their training, because they know how to handle their livestock. But generally, I spend twelve days in the roundpen. Stockdog trialing has become a sport. Proudly created with Wix.com. I have taught the stay before I teach THERE. He is smart and quirky in a good way. He can gather cattle on his own out of big pastures. By staying in that zone, you dont allow the development of flat spots, diving in and grabbing, and splitting and chasing stock. USE OF THE STICK Its that there are so many Aussies out there that could have been great dogs, if they had only been allowed to work the way an Aussie should be allowed toin control of their stock themselves. I might have a little drag rope on him at this point, so I can keep him by my side until I see he wants to circle past me and get to head; then I just let him go on and get to the head of the sheep. And they will at times grip (meaning bite) the livestock if they are challenged. A soft dog which wont take pressure from you, can get so far out there in a big field, they lose all contact with their stock. which our industry-leading scientists spent years developing at Cornell University College of In ranch work, you have a days work to do. Gypt is a Border Collie (1/8) Australian Shepherd (7/8) cross. In other words, flanking the dog to the inside of the field and around you, and having him stop the stock as it runs down the fence line. Then, puberty sets in and things theyve seen on a daily basis suddenly make them spooky. It is amazing to watch him work. Maybe a little ah-ah is all he could take. But if I do need to step in and take control, I want him to be supple and easy to rein like the reining horse. I want flexion before I ever ask him to bring the stock to me. Usually this is somewhere around nine to eleven months old. Because they really have to get to head on cattle; sheep kind of float as a group more. I train dogs all the time that are just going to see cattle. STAYING ON THEIR FEET If he picks me, well get along, hell be willing to be biddable to me. Aussies are especially talented at herding, agility, flyball, Frisbee and obedience. Sislers trick dogs were featured in the Disney movies Run, Appaloosa, Run and Stub: The Greatest Cowdog in the West, bringing the breed national attention. The easiest, quickest way to get your point across to a dog which is instinctive, is not let the mistakes happen. COMMON NOVICE ERRORS Many breeders did not want AKC recognition, and chose not to accept it. Duke has no drive to work livestock. They see the livestock from the other side of the fence, hang out watching other dogs being trained, until I see theyre wanting to do something with the stock. But some dogs, the verbal and the stick are almost together, because theyre really tough, pushy dogs. You can find videos of them online by searching for their trainer, Jay Sisler. Dogs know the difference between a job with a purpose and just going around doing the same obstacles over and over. Same thing, if you charge through your stock at himhe gets to do a full circle, hes not learning how to back off the stock and rate, and bring stock to you. We would love to introduce you to our pack! We bred her to a Border Collie to get Ella, then an Australian Shepherd to get Gypt. A well-bred stockdog is like a petrified rock; they start off rough! The minute you feel that he is going to go around them, you start stepping back from the stock to encourage the puppy to circle all the way around the stock. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. When I pick a puppy from a litterif I get a chance to pick oneIve gotten a lot of leftovers and done quite well with themI pick the one that picks me. If youre in the right position and you know how to handle a dog, where to step so that his instincts click, those points come out. And then bring them to me at a center pen, and expect me to open the gate for her.She is quite irritated when I ask her to do the course correctly. If hes a real pushy, hard dog, I might do it differently. But having a green dog try to get cattle off a fence can be dangerous or a wreck and he can get really mashed and kicked in there. I never let a puppy just go in and play with the sheep. I dont, anyhow. GRADUATING FROM THE ROUNDPEN Wyatt is a very talented dog. It would be impossible to describe our dogs of today without giving you the opportunity to know more about our dogs of yesterday. Otherwise hes going to start giving you orders. Over the years, she has developed an efficient system for training a stockdog, which maximizes both the dogs working instincts and its responsiveness to the handler. She is well rounded doing: herding, mushing, family and agility. A hard, pushy, bitey dog in an open area will learn he can get a certain distance from you and then dive in and take a hold, split, grab, and you wont be able to get to him to correct him. Like down, for instance, should be an absolute down, first time. When you start a good, keen dog, you dont have to do a lot of work. Twin Oaks has bred thirty-six Working Trial Champions, many of which were trained and titled by Sherry herself. Nothing bothers them, theyre adventurous, they learn new things really well. genetic markers. If you develop their ability to control their own stock, but insist they do it in a manner thats healthy for the stock, theyre going to retain their keenness to outthink their stock. Like many collie breeds, Aussies may carry a gene that makes them sensitive to several medications. And I guarantee she would try. Four months to up to about seven months, thats a good mental time for a pup. I find that between eight and ten months, they can be really bitey. She has found that, although her technique is designed for the upright, loose-eyed Aussie, it works very well for all stockdog breeds.
australian shepherd stock dogs