Dog Broken Sheep

[Lizmo]

*I'm not sure where this goes, so feel free to move it if needed*

 

 

What goes into making "dog broken sheep"?

 

 

 

 

P.S. In NO WAY am I trying to do this

[Bo Peep]

It's when you work the sheep so much that they feel comfortable being next to the "person" and stay with you so you can work on your directions, etc. Great tool for young dogs. NOT so good for experienced dogs. It's not good to use them when you are teaching an outrun as it teaches them to cut in at the top. It also gives a young dog confidence that s/he can move the sheep. Hope I explained that right.

[Lizmo]

But what actually do you DO to make dog broken sheep? Are you using a dog thats been trained on sheep and does very well? Say you have a flock of 30 sheep, would you "brake" them all at once or do a certain amount at a time?

[Bo Peep]

Well, If you are working 5-6 dogs and the sheep aren't broke yet, they will soon become broke. Usually we used 5 sheep at a time until they started getting tired. Put them up brought out 5 more, etc.. With a flightier sheep example hair sheep- it will take longer. Most of the dogs we used were well trained. After the sheep were broke we didn't want them for the trained dogs, only for the younger dogs. Depends on the size of the field, the breed of the sheep and how much you work them. If you know some people in your area, I'm sure they would love to trade you some dog-broke sheep for some more flightier ones.

[Lizmo]

No, a lady I know who owns a farm has offered to let me "barrow" some of their sheep when needed and they aren't dog broke, so I was just wondering what actually went into making "broken sheep" (lol, I hate calling them "broken"). Not that I'm considering doing anything at this point unless they get their own, already started, Border Collie which might be a possibility. LOL, I'm just trying to think logistically through this.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Generally what you do is use an experienced dog to bring the sheep and hold them to you until the sheep learn that the "safe" place is with you.

 

You can actually use yourself as a draw for such sheep - if you stop the dog you are working, and back up, the sheep will follow you and open up more room between themselves and the dog. Or, if you are working with a really young pup, the sheep will pretty much follow you when you turn, allowing the dog to understand his job without having to work too hard at first.

 

By the same token, however, such sheep can make your dog sloppy if you continue to use them. Since they will move towards you regardless of where the dog is, they can make a dog come in too early on an outrun. A dog only worked on really dog broke sheep may never learn to really control sheep. And they are murder to try to use to teach driving.

 

There's a happy medium, however - you can stop short of teaching your sheep to love your knees. Instead, you can teach your sheep simply to trust dogs and realize they can't get away from them no matter what. You need a really good dog to do this - one that is kind but confident. One thing I've been told is never to fetch your sheep all the way to your feet, once your dog is trained to drive. Instead, call the dog around and drive them somewhere once they are gathered.

 

Since moving here (and coincidentally losing my good trained dog), my sheep have learned to run like mad things and I really regret now letting that happen. Good sheep are worth their weight in gold, since they teach dogs good habits - and then with your good dog you can keep your sheep good.

 

Oh, here's the short method of dog breaking a flock. Hold a clinic with a top notch clinician. Use all your sheep, and by the end of the weekend they will all be quite humble.

[juliepoudrier]

This recent thread from the "Livestock Management" section might interest you: dog-breaking sheep.

 

J.

[Lizmo]

Julie, I didn't see that thread till after I had posted.