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Still trainable?


Lyndsey
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Okay, here's my dilemma. Almost 2 years ago I went with my boyfriend to go get a BC with intentions to train him for herding purposes for their sheep farm. The pup, Winston, was 6 weeks old and VERY interested in herding the sheep from the first day. However, this family is a strong believer that no dog should ever be contained, and needless to say the BC never got trained. Instead, he ran loose with the sheep, chased them and eventually started attacking them and carrying lambs off into the woods. Each time he did something of that nature, he was beat, with whatever was around. That was the final straw, and he was due for a bullet in the head, until I stepped in and took him. Winston went from roaming on lots of acreage with 3 other dogs to learning to be inside and kenneled with my 3 dogs. He was very dog aggressive, chased cars, afraid of loud sounds he wasn't used to (traffic, banging trashcans, etc.). Now over the fact that he only has less than 1/2 an acre to roam in, and dealing with a neighborhood he never knew before, he's a much better dog. I also raise a few lambs for 4-H each year. I plan to one day have my own sheep farm and want a herding dog. Will Winston work? Or has he had too many bad experiences with people and sheep? Is there any hope?

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I've heard this story told of many great dogs of the past though it's certainly not the recommended way to raise a BC pup. I'd highly recommend you seek the help of a trainer to start off with. They can tell the difference between aggression which must be corrected, and enthusiasm which must be encouraged and shaped into acceptable working behavior. They can also help you if he's had such a bad experience that he doesn't want to go near the sheep.

 

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Rebecca

Brook Cove Farm, NC

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I have a dog now that was basily the same way he was raised loose with the stock and did his own thing till he got too ruff and then they started beating him for chasing stock. He is a 3 yo and I have had him about 6 mo. He would work when no one was around but if I was around he would just quit and move away form stock. I have a 4 ac rctangle kinda pasture with a cross fence in the middle and a gate in the middle of the cross fence and one on each end of the pasture. I would take him with me and go in the side where the sheep were and just walk to the gate in the middle it took him about a week before he even looked at the sheep with me around. One day he got behind and broght the sheep with me I didn't look back say a word just walked to the gate. I went through the gate and he brought the sheep through. When the sheep came through I turned and shut the gate and walked back to the house never saying a word. The dog quit when I turned to shut the gate. I did this exact thing for about a week. I guess he figgered it was ok to bring the sheep to the gate. Then I started to prase him a little and pet him. The next week he was gun ho on them and I started training him and he is making a pretty fair using dog now. He just had to learn that I didn't mind him working my sheep. He sure had a lot of bad habbits that I had to put up with for a while.I had to really be easy with him the first mo. Till he found out I wasn't going to beat him for working. When it did click he started paying attention to me and we kinda hit it off. Sometimes you have to do wrong to do good this is one time. I think any dog can be trained if you find the right way which is the hard part. On this dog the beatings didn't hamper his working desire it just stopped it around people. I had to find a way to let him know it was ok to work around me that I liked it and it worked this time the next time this method might not work. So good luck pay attention to your dog and figer out a way to get him started don't worry about the way he does his work just get him knowing you like him working and then ease into control. He probally won't take any pressure at the start so go slowely when he latches on good then start the comands. Now this comes form a man that has been trained by a few good dogs.Wish you well

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