Re-Training Screwball Cowdog?

[urbanfarms]

I've got a bit of a challenge.... I'm not sure it's even possible.

I've gotten a couple dogs that the owner was fed up with because he couldn't "train" the dogs. They are super sweet and I've always loved them, so I decided to try and make cowdogs of them yet. What an undertaking!!

They are both unneutered male, (go figure!) one is definately VERY dominant and the other is obviously the underdog. Bandit, the dominant dog had SEVERAL very bad habits. Including, but not limited to: barking like mad, running tight circles in place, and gripping BADLY. He is also always trying to sneak away during training on me. I started him on a long line and he is doing well. I did this for weeks every single day and finally started trying to take the line off and he went directly back to his old habits. He will unless the line is on, but he is nearly unaffected by anything else, or he will become discouraged and run off. I feel that he was yelled at alot and so he gets overwhelmed and simply tries to escape. I am just wondering how to get the same behavior off line as on it..... Hmm... Also, does anyone have an opinion on whether or not to discourage the constant barking or just let him do it until his confidence is up?

Ok, now for Jakey. He is super sweet and not scared of anything, has some great natural talent. However, I feel that Bandit would dominate over Jakey when it came to the cattle and so he is discouraged to do much. Once in awhile he will get ambitious, but not too often. I wonder if anyone has any ideas to get his courage/ambition/desire up?

Thanks!!!!

[NRhodes]

Don't work them together for one. For your dog that wants to leave start in a dog tight pen that he can't get out of. You might use Ben Means method to progress from the rope to off it as well... http://www.theperfectstockdog.com I find his method works real well for dogs that I've trained as older dogs or badly started/discouraged dogs.

[urbanfarms]

Thanks for the link! Hopefully it helps with Bandit.

However, I can't use the same method with the other dog. I haven't worked them together since I got them and even without the dominant dog around the passive dog still needs a lot of encouragement to do much of anything. Any ideas on how to re-spark his interest?

[NRhodes]

Did he show a lot of interest when you first took him out? Did you work him with the other dog first? Maybe he just showed interest because the other dog did, some dogs won't work on their own, and I won't keep one like that. Maybe he just isn't that interested in the first place. You might try taking him out on some smaller calves that want to run and bounce off the walls, that might get him excited and interested in working, then just ask try to keep him balancing and moving around the calves. Switch directions often, send him to the head.

[lrayburn]

Urbanfarms,

I'm not sure if this applies directly to stockwork but in a non-stock setting, I would gradually fade out the longline. If it is safe to let him drag the longline, put it on him and gradually every couple of days cut a foot or two of length off the line. At the end, you would just be clipping the snap to his collar. You can still step on the line (at least for the first little while) if you need to regain control. Eventually, you can do away with putting the snap on his collar at all. If it's not safe for him to drag the longline, forget I said anything.

Lisa