Training at home

[Bullet87]

Question! My dog has been in training for the past month and a half now and will be coming home next weekend. ( Yay! I've missed him!!!) He is completing short outruns and is working on driving, flanks, etc. Where we train is about a 1.5 hour drive and I can't make it up every weekend. Perhaps once a month this winter if the weather stays calm. I don't want him to loose what he has learned, although I'm sure he won't being the smart cookie he is, but is there anything that we can actually practice at home without any livestock? Can we got to the park and practice whistles, such as the down and stop just to continue to reinforce those? I've tried to find people in my area with pasture to rent or even livestock to rent out for some training but no luck.

 

Thanks!

 

[lookback]

Sadly (with the possible exception of using certain other creatures such as ducks, goats or cattle) there's nothing that you can do to replicate the conditions for herding sheep.

 

The best you can do in the time between training sessions is ensure your dog respects you as 'pack leader' - stops when you say stop, waits while you go through the gate (or door) first etc etc.

Just general good manners, really.

 

Training once a month does not have to be a bad thing. A lot of trainers over-train their dogs - with the result that the dogs become bored or 'stale'. In our experience, dogs sometimes benefit from a good break, although, I'd recommend more frequent training whenever you can.

 

Good luck.