Dalesred Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 OK. I am thinking- and that is ALL I'm doing right now - about one day. maybe, trying my hand at handling. I live near the great Barbara Sykes and I could go on one of her beginner's handler courses where we work with her dogs - a kind of taster session. My question is this. If I like it, and want to try my dog, what is the chance that he might get turned on to sheep so much that it ruins his behaviour? We live in sheep country. His recall is 100%, 100% of the time. He is totally focussed on me and channels his drive towadrs tennis balls and frisbees. The thought of turning him into a would-be sheep chaser is my ultimate nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesred Posted March 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 I say would-be because I like to think I'd be able to stop him. And it would only need to happen once, and I wouldn't like to try to explain that to a farmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 He's not going to turn into a sheep chasing maniac unless you start leaving him outdoors to find his own amusement. I think if he turns on to sheep work the most likely thing it will do is enhance your bond. My older dog loves working sheep, but understands when it is sheep time and when it is not. I can go back and forth from working her to playing ball with her next to the pasture. While she definately has a different attitude (all business) with working, she's great with either. My 2 y/o will gravitate to the sheep pens if on on his own outside, so I just make sure he is not out without supervision. He listens and responds well to me when I'm out with him. ETA - I was wondering how exposure to stock would affect the fact that I wanted to do SAR with my young dog. I think the fact that he is learning control and a solid recall with stock work will be a plus for SAR. So, go for it! I dare you not to get hooked.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockdogranch Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 Hi. Good question. I find that any exposure to livestock, with a dog that has some instinct to work them (notice I didn't say *chase*), is actually good for their general behavior. If you try your hand at it, and the dog likes it, initially, on the stock, the dog may lose a bit of his recall or down or whatever. But they very soon realize that to get to go to the sheep again, they need to listen. So, in a very short time, you have great control over the dog in the livestock environment. When you have great contol over the dog in that environment, it's even better elsewhere. As a general rule, I find that dogs *with instinct* that are exposed to stock even a handful of times tend to behave themselves pretty darn well. So, I think the chances of "ruining his behavior" or turning him into a "sheep chaser" are pretty much zip, at least in my experience. So I say, "Go for it!" Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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