Mellykca Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 Hello. We will be bringing home our 3rd BC is just a few weeks, and I would love to get her started on hearding. I am aware she needs to be a bit older before she can actually work livestock, but what are some of the stepping stones I could do when she is young to get her ready? Any tips for a beginner? Also, could anyone recommend a herding trainer near northern WI? I haven't been able to find much. Thanks =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 Hi! You are right, real training on live stock won't start for a while. The general rule of thumb is that real training starts around 1 year old. But again this is a generalization. Young dogs need to be able to handle pressure and this happends at different ages for different dogs. Just enjoy your pup. Let them be a pup. Work on basic obedience - sit, lie down, leave it, a recall, leash walking, etc. We have a pretty active stock dog community here in WI. Check out www.wwsda.org. Sign up to become a member. We have a bi-monthly newsletter and for a relatively nominal membership fee you support working dogs in WI. The club holds an annual trial over labor day weekend in Hudson WI. There are also 4 other trials coming up in WI, IL, and MN this year. Check out www.usbcha.com to see those. There is also a fun trial tennatively planned in Whitehall WI on 6/15/13. It will be posted on the WWSDA website when finalized. As far as a trainer, I would recommend John Wentz in Portage WI. www.bigyellowboots.net I'm not sure exaclty where you are located in WI but he maybe be able to help you find someone closer or let me know where you are and I can see if I know of someone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellykca Posted May 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 Thank you for your reply and the helpful links, I will definitely check them out. I am in Wausau WI, and Portage isn't too terribly far (about an hour an a half), so I will have to get in touch with him. =) It would be nice to find something a little closer if possible, but I haven't had much luck. I know I have to wait for the real livestock training, but there really isn't anything I can do to prepare her, or myself for it while she is younger other than basic obedience? Maybe I am just overly excited and getting ahead of myself, but I want to make sure I don't miss any opportunities for either of us to learn. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 I travel from Kenosha county to John for lessons a few times a month. So I know it's not ideal. Really, there isn't much that you can do specific to stockwork outside of actual stock work. The best thing that you can do is build a great bond with your dog through basic training and socialization. This will help you when you start training. Stockwork just isn't like other dog sports where you can work on some obstacles and cues with a young dog ahead of real training. I would suggest that when you talk to John ask him about auditing at the Scott Glen Clinic in June. Auditing a clinic would be a great way for you to meet handlers and their dogs. Scott is an outstanding clinician and the group of people that attend the clinic are real nice group. (And I don't say that just because I'll be there.) You learn a lot without having a dog entered. Also, if you are new to stockwork you can read books or rent training DVDs. And of course try to plan to attend a trial or two. IMO, there is a bigger learning curve for us, as the handlers, than there is for most dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 Teach your pup to take a correction without falling apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 Have you ever brought Evie to sheep before? You could try to start learning with her or when Dexter is a little older try to start him. I know he is a lower drive dog, but they can be very sensible around stock and it might be a very good experience for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEC Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 Good advice, above. Here is a link to this forum's bibliography: http://www.bordercollie.org/products/books.html You could do some reading (as mentioned by Wildflower) to familiarize yourself with terminology and basic concepts. That would give a head-start for your initial lessons. Vergil Holand's and Bruce Fogt's books are standard training texts which have been around for a long-time. Holand presents training in a step-by-step linear fashion, while B. Fogt tells the story of adventures with his Sparky. There's a good deal of fun fiction about herding dogs and border collies. I believe a few are listed at the same link, along with BC history books. -- Best wishes, TEC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjones Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 I'm not that far from you, I'm in Auburndale, I'd be happy to help you out. Vicki already gave you a link to the WWSDA, which I would recommend joining or at least coming to some of the clinics, trials and fun days we host Samantha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjones Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Forgot to add, if you want to get into working your dog on livestock, is to get hands on experience working with stock, understand how they think and react, etc. Volunteering at trials in the set out pens is a great way to gain some experience. Samantha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellykca Posted May 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Thank you for all the tips and advice. I will definitely check out the links and get in touch with John. I am sure I have a lot more to learn than the dogs do. =P Gideons girl, no, I have never brought Evie or Dexter to sheep before. Evie has been around horses, cattle and deer when she was younger, but not since we moved to the city. She definitely has a high drive and I would love to see how she does with sheep, although we are still working on her issue with men which makes bringer her places a little more difficult. (She has gotten much better though!) Dexter really is a low drive dog, and I wouldn't be surprised if he just looked at livestock while laying in the shade, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 He might surprise you. Gideon is really laid back, but he works very nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 My fear aggressive dog forgets his worries when he sees livestock. It's his happy place. Give your dog a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 .....I know I have to wait for the real livestock training, but there really isn't anything I can do to prepare her, or myself for it while she is younger other than basic obedience? Maybe I am just overly excited and getting ahead of myself, but I want to make sure I don't miss any opportunities for either of us to learn. =) Hi there! Welcome to your new youngster and your future endeavors with her. As others have said, there's really not a lot you can do to prepare a pup for sheep. In the meantime, I'd simply recommend building a good bond with her, teaching her all about being a civilized little dog and having good manners, how to come promptly when called and taking her places so that going to new locations won't itself be cause for undue excitement. It wouldn't be a bad idea to give her recall/come whistle, so that later on you can use that on the field. The thing to remember is that, once the herding switch is flipped ... if she's keen, you're liable to see a totally different dog when she's on sheep. All that obedience, all that good behavior that you worked so hard to train is liable to vanish the minute she figures out what sheep are. If that happens, though, don't worry. It's totally normal and just part of her learning process. You'd much rather have a keen dog than a wishy-washy one. You can meanwhile educate yourself, by reading. That link above is a great resource. Enjoy your pup and have fun! ~ Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 I'm not that far from you, I'm in Auburndale, I'd be happy to help you out. Sam would be a great option for training if she is closer to you! I'm just not real familiar with that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellykca Posted May 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Sam would be a great option for training if she is closer to you! I'm just not real familiar with that area. That would be amazing! Auburndale is a little less than an hour from here. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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