Stock Dog Training

[skidboots]

Since most of you are snowed in, just sitting around, I thought it might be a good time for me to aks advice. Hate to admit it, but I don't have any cattle. I have two horses, and seven dogs, two of which might be stock dogs. The blue heeler is nuts! Just runs after the horses, uncontrollably, and at 10yrs, she's too old to change. But, she had the good fortune to get bred by my neighbor's shore 'nuff stock dog...an austrailan shepherd. The pup, now 9, has always been the best you could hope for. With no training, she walks at heel.no leash..automatically. Goes for the horses on command and "comes off" when I call her name. and comes to heel and sits, till I tell he otherwise. I hate that she has spent her life with no job to do.

I find horses really hard to herd where you want them to go with dogs. Do you agree? Are cattle different. Do they "drive" better? This is what I want to know. That's why I started this thread. Any training tips?

I wanted to find this dog a home when she was young, but the local ranchers all use border collies, and some don't treat a dog too kind, so I wound up keeping her. She's never been off the place, and me and the wife are the only two people she's ever seen, so she might not be able to leave now.
This cross resulted in a throwback to the collie. She has a long pointed snout, tri colored face, stub tail, and giant upright ears. Looks funny, but a real good dog. Got bit by rattler 3months ago. Healed up, but left a real ugly scar down her right hind leg.

[sic 'em reds]

First of all quit letting the dog move the horses before it decides to bite one and gets kicked. You arent doing yourself any training favors by letting it go after the horses in the first place. Just wait for the rodeo when you're riding along and the dog heels your horse! If you are interested in training it, you need to get some calves or sheep or goats. Once you do that, then you can train it.

Get a pen set up where the stock cant get away and start teaching the pup the commands you want to use. Such as left, right, stop, etc. See what the pup will do. How old is the dog, 9 months or years? If it's 9 years you probably wont get much accomplished.

Also, by sending the dog to the horses with no purpose and then calling it back, you have taught it to run out and come back.

Cattle will handle easy for a dog if they respect the dog, but if the dog won't stand up to the cattle you will have a hard time training your dog. Thats why you need to get some 4 to 600 lb calves to start with, get them dog broke, and then let the dog training begin. Then if the pup has any work in it, you can move up to more challenging cattle.

Good luck

[skidboots]

Thanks Sic 'Em. That's what I wanted to know.

[Faster horses]

Sic 'ems advice was right on.

NEVER let your dogs heel or chase horses.
It's a really bad deal.

[Heel Fly]

I had a border/heeler cross. She decieded to start chasing the horses and one day when I was working some cows in the pasture she heeled my dead broke horse. He became unbroke and bucked me off, I hit so hard that it herniated(sp) 2 discs in my lower back. They still haven't healed. Notice I said had a border/hee er. I love dogs but that one was bad I have no problems with putting down a bad dog. I couldn't pawn her off on anyone else and sleep at night. Mind you this wasn't a one time thing, she bite the MDU lady and my dads nurse and attacked my brother.
Anyway moral of the story is that a dog that takes after horses can really get you hurt!!

[Faster horses]

HI

[IL Rancher]

Only three things can happen when you let a dog chase a horse

1) Dead dog or badly injured dog.
2) Hurt horse from panic
3) You getting tossed on your butt when dog does it to horse while you are on it.

We have one dog that was trained with horses as where he was to bring the cattle/sheep to. If he is in a pasture and the sheep or cows run to a horse he leaves them be... That is is training, it is so ingrained him that he will bring them to a horse before he will a person... Gets darn annoying... The other ones flat out ignore the horse we have...

[Buckerette]

Since you are asking about cowdogs and your posting name is skidboots...

go to:

http://skidboot.com/

It's pretty fun and interesting


that is one amazing dog!


And yes, do not let your dog herd the horses!

[kolanuraven]

Horses and sic'em dogs....just a matter of time before someone/something is bleeding!! NO...NO....NO!!!!!!

[skidboots]

Okay, I hear you. I have always kept my dogs in 4X16 chain link runs, and let them exercise in a 100X25 dog pen (with hot wire on the bottom, so none dig out). I don't let them run with the horses, but I used too. I can't dare even lead a horse from one paddock to the next with one of those darn dogs out...so I would never have one loose when mounted.

But, I hear you saying that with training and correction, a stock dog can be kept from running horses. I put Cow Dogs in a search engine, and one site is selling a 2007 calendar of mounted cowboys, their dogs and horses. It's a pretty nice scene.

Thanks, again, for all your comments

[kolanuraven]

Try a shock collar. Be easier on them than a hoof between the eyes!!

[OldDog/NewTricks]

Your Horse, saddle, rope and good Dog are PART Of A Cowboys Tools!
Your Horse and Dog should be a TEAM and work together.

I had angus cows - Angus cows tend to put unknown dog out of a field - if my TEAM enters a field of new Angus Cows (or any breed) cow may try to run "Dog" off - "Dog" looks for the only safe spot - under his TEAM mate "Horse" and move with its feet and cows back off.

A good dog-man NEVER uses dogs on horses

Thats a good way to cripple a horse or get a dog killed

You said something about "Drive"
Do you want a "Drive Dog" or a "Head Dog"
Do you know the diff.

Note:
I find Boarder Collies are good dogs but are to Busy for Snuffy (wild) (not dog broke) Cows and get they Buzz-up
Aussie go everywhere with me, are quite, (stock gets to know and trust them) and they only work when I want them to.

I have seen more than ONE Aussie helping clean-up a new born Calf and the cows trusted them. Try that with a BC