I am writing an article for a national stockdog magazine and I need some people from out west to interview(to keep the article balanced).
Its about hired hands and bosses that started using dogs-- mainly I need stories that new to dogs, hired hands and bosses can use to learn from.
Heres what I have so far to give you a better idea of what I need.
at the end are some questions that can help focus your story to fit the article.
Don't worry about formal writing talent- I have a very good editor.
Karen Hart
Working Dogs: Employees and Bosses
Its hard enough getting going with a dog when the only person you have to motivate and please is yourself. Add in having to convince a boss and keep him/her satisfied during the transition period makes it an even bigger obstacle to overcome.
I have interviewed several people on all sides of this issue. Hopefully their stories will make it easier to get your boss on board with using dogs and give you insight to your part in making sure it works out for them.
If you are lucky your boss might see some value in using dogs and might be realistic enough to know things aren't going to be smooth at first- and might even be forward thinking enough to understand that you get what you pay for.
Odds are they won't and you will be fighting an uphill battle. One thing I have learned over the years is that working a dog to impress someone else ALWAYS backfires sooner or latter, resist the urge to showcase your dog, and don't have the mindset that the dog has to be perfect all the time so that you look good all the time. Working a dog(even a good one) is a constantly humbling experience- accept that fact and things will go better for everyone involved..
First obstacle is to convince the boss that dogs will EVENTUALLY improve working conditions for both the stock and the employees. Don't oversell the product as being a perfect solution- new dogs and new handlers are anything but perfect at first. We need to be selling the future, The first dog/dogs are going to be costly(time and money) and some are going to be complete failures. But after that the ranch/farm can have an endless supply that start a lot easier. Having an experienced handler and dog broke stock(or dogs good enough to break stock constantly) are the key to eventual success with dogs. That takes time for most people to accomplish and it might not even be done with the first couple of dogs.
Trust is a key ingredient. The boss has to trust that using a dog is going to make him money. The boss has to trust that you are going to work his stock the way he wants them to be worked. There are some bosses that will want the cattle intimidated and will be disappointed if there aren't some tore up ears. But most are going to be worried that the stock or the fences will take too much punishment- and end up costing him money. It helps if you have already proven that you have stock sense and just want the dogs to make things work better.
Education is the next key ingredient. Get your boss involved with going to other ranches, fundays or trails to see good dogs working. Get you boss on the internet to read and see (utube) others who are using dogs. Get into conversations about what you like and don't like about dogs/handlers you are watching with you and other handlers. Get them some books to read about training so they understand what is involved. Try to get the boss to let other people bring trained dogs over so he can see first hand how things could be better on his own place with his own stock. Be VERY careful to pick the right people/dogs to come- the last thing you want is bad dogs or a bad handler showing up.
Make sure he understands that cattle need to be broke before everything settles down and gets smooth looking- even with good dogs.
Sometimes we have to counter a bosses bad experiences with dogs/handlers in the past. This is tough , its a lot easier to sell an idea if the person doesn't already have a bad taste in their mouth that you have to overcome. People that don't understand dogs will blanket all dogs by that one experience. Its even harder to overcome a predjudice against other people that used dogs and left them unimpressed. This happens a lot when cattlemens first exposure is to sheepdogs trying to work unbroken stock or they get ahold of a dog of the right breed but not bred for livestock work(lots of them around). Or they watched someones dogs run cattle thru fences or ripped their ears to shreds- or worse failed to get the job done.
It helps greatly if the boss is also interested in the dogs and takes some personal satisfaction in their being used. My Husband (who persists in the thought that hes my boss) is not a dog person and has no concept of training. He gets no joy out of seeing a dog work. He also sees no need for dogs. If I would just listen to him and try harder I could get done everything without having to BOTHER with a dog. My husband has this unique ability to just look at cows/calves and have them do whatever he wants them to even at a distance.. He really does have no need of dogs.
He can't understand that I don't have that natural influence on cattle and I never will. The only reason I have dogs is that I threatened to quit unless he let me use them. I think that is also part of the reason he will never appreciate them. Plus he has blinded vision, he doesn't remember the bad stuff in the past, that having the dogs has permanently fixed.
No "boss" accepts gracefully being forced into using dogs, especially if the boss is your husband too. In hindsight I don't think there is anything I could have done differently that would have made a difference to his view of dogs. Some "bosses" are just a lost cause.
So leverage works, but it will cause resentment on both sides.
Following are some more stories from other bosses and hired hands of their experiences.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions
Bosses who already let employees use dogs
Tell me your story?
Did you see a need for dogs in the beginning or did someone have to prompt you – and what convinced you that getting dogs was a good idea(either way)?
What were your reservations?
Were there some employees you were more comfortable with the idea of them using dogs and why?
What were your main roadblocks to getting started with using dogs?
What would you change about how you started if you had a do over?
What was the most effective incentive for you to try dogs?
Is there something I have not addressed that should be in the article?
Bosses who refuse to try dogs
Tell me your story
Why are you against using dogs?
Are there any circumstances that could possibly change your mind?
Employees that convinced a Boss to use dogs
Tell me your story.
What were your most effective inputs to convince your boss to use dogs?
What were the drawbacks to being the one wanting to use dogs?
If you had a do over what would you do different?
Is there something I have not addressed that should be in the article?
[/b]
Its about hired hands and bosses that started using dogs-- mainly I need stories that new to dogs, hired hands and bosses can use to learn from.
Heres what I have so far to give you a better idea of what I need.
at the end are some questions that can help focus your story to fit the article.
Don't worry about formal writing talent- I have a very good editor.
Karen Hart
Working Dogs: Employees and Bosses
Its hard enough getting going with a dog when the only person you have to motivate and please is yourself. Add in having to convince a boss and keep him/her satisfied during the transition period makes it an even bigger obstacle to overcome.
I have interviewed several people on all sides of this issue. Hopefully their stories will make it easier to get your boss on board with using dogs and give you insight to your part in making sure it works out for them.
If you are lucky your boss might see some value in using dogs and might be realistic enough to know things aren't going to be smooth at first- and might even be forward thinking enough to understand that you get what you pay for.
Odds are they won't and you will be fighting an uphill battle. One thing I have learned over the years is that working a dog to impress someone else ALWAYS backfires sooner or latter, resist the urge to showcase your dog, and don't have the mindset that the dog has to be perfect all the time so that you look good all the time. Working a dog(even a good one) is a constantly humbling experience- accept that fact and things will go better for everyone involved..
First obstacle is to convince the boss that dogs will EVENTUALLY improve working conditions for both the stock and the employees. Don't oversell the product as being a perfect solution- new dogs and new handlers are anything but perfect at first. We need to be selling the future, The first dog/dogs are going to be costly(time and money) and some are going to be complete failures. But after that the ranch/farm can have an endless supply that start a lot easier. Having an experienced handler and dog broke stock(or dogs good enough to break stock constantly) are the key to eventual success with dogs. That takes time for most people to accomplish and it might not even be done with the first couple of dogs.
Trust is a key ingredient. The boss has to trust that using a dog is going to make him money. The boss has to trust that you are going to work his stock the way he wants them to be worked. There are some bosses that will want the cattle intimidated and will be disappointed if there aren't some tore up ears. But most are going to be worried that the stock or the fences will take too much punishment- and end up costing him money. It helps if you have already proven that you have stock sense and just want the dogs to make things work better.
Education is the next key ingredient. Get your boss involved with going to other ranches, fundays or trails to see good dogs working. Get you boss on the internet to read and see (utube) others who are using dogs. Get into conversations about what you like and don't like about dogs/handlers you are watching with you and other handlers. Get them some books to read about training so they understand what is involved. Try to get the boss to let other people bring trained dogs over so he can see first hand how things could be better on his own place with his own stock. Be VERY careful to pick the right people/dogs to come- the last thing you want is bad dogs or a bad handler showing up.
Make sure he understands that cattle need to be broke before everything settles down and gets smooth looking- even with good dogs.
Sometimes we have to counter a bosses bad experiences with dogs/handlers in the past. This is tough , its a lot easier to sell an idea if the person doesn't already have a bad taste in their mouth that you have to overcome. People that don't understand dogs will blanket all dogs by that one experience. Its even harder to overcome a predjudice against other people that used dogs and left them unimpressed. This happens a lot when cattlemens first exposure is to sheepdogs trying to work unbroken stock or they get ahold of a dog of the right breed but not bred for livestock work(lots of them around). Or they watched someones dogs run cattle thru fences or ripped their ears to shreds- or worse failed to get the job done.
It helps greatly if the boss is also interested in the dogs and takes some personal satisfaction in their being used. My Husband (who persists in the thought that hes my boss) is not a dog person and has no concept of training. He gets no joy out of seeing a dog work. He also sees no need for dogs. If I would just listen to him and try harder I could get done everything without having to BOTHER with a dog. My husband has this unique ability to just look at cows/calves and have them do whatever he wants them to even at a distance.. He really does have no need of dogs.
He can't understand that I don't have that natural influence on cattle and I never will. The only reason I have dogs is that I threatened to quit unless he let me use them. I think that is also part of the reason he will never appreciate them. Plus he has blinded vision, he doesn't remember the bad stuff in the past, that having the dogs has permanently fixed.
No "boss" accepts gracefully being forced into using dogs, especially if the boss is your husband too. In hindsight I don't think there is anything I could have done differently that would have made a difference to his view of dogs. Some "bosses" are just a lost cause.
So leverage works, but it will cause resentment on both sides.
Following are some more stories from other bosses and hired hands of their experiences.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions
Bosses who already let employees use dogs
Tell me your story?
Did you see a need for dogs in the beginning or did someone have to prompt you – and what convinced you that getting dogs was a good idea(either way)?
What were your reservations?
Were there some employees you were more comfortable with the idea of them using dogs and why?
What were your main roadblocks to getting started with using dogs?
What would you change about how you started if you had a do over?
What was the most effective incentive for you to try dogs?
Is there something I have not addressed that should be in the article?
Bosses who refuse to try dogs
Tell me your story
Why are you against using dogs?
Are there any circumstances that could possibly change your mind?
Employees that convinced a Boss to use dogs
Tell me your story.
What were your most effective inputs to convince your boss to use dogs?
What were the drawbacks to being the one wanting to use dogs?
If you had a do over what would you do different?
Is there something I have not addressed that should be in the article?
[/b]