• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Stock Dog Training

Help Support Ranchers.net:

sic 'em reds said:
Well, say what you want, but anytime anything out of the ordinary gets in a pasture with cattle, you're gonna make them nervous. Dogs are a tool just like your rope. If you don't know how and when to use them, then yes cattle will get upset.

Apparently you haven't seen a Border Collie lately. There are two lines of them (sheep & cattle) and cattle side of them will outwork most dogs. They're plenty tough on "snuffy cattle" and they don't even have to bark at the cattle like an Aussie.

I am not gonna bash on your dogs, but at least the Border Collie breeders were smart enough to form their own association to keep the working/herding ability in the dogs. Most Aussie's were almost bred to working extinction by the AKC for conformation and show ribbons. You definitely can't say that about a Border Collie.
Click to expand...
I sure agree with you on the border collies vs the Aussies. Funny though how people see things,we find a border collie won't ever quit on you,yet when greg tried to train his brothers aussies,he found the aussie super sensitive,would quit on him if aussie feelings got 'hurt' He tried training two of his brothers aussies,no relation so it wasn't a herditary prob. Our border collies worked thier butts off and NEVER quit.
 
Aussie get their feelings hurt really fast and don't get over it for awhile. I've had to re-hab several, not my choice but the dogs we given to me, and I found that out really quick.

But for me I like them better than BC's.
 
kolanuraven said:
Aussie get their feelings hurt really fast and don't get over it for awhile. I've had to re-hab several, not my choice but the dogs we given to me, and I found that out really quick.

But for me I like them better than BC's.
Click to expand...

Hate to disagree about which breed is more than likely to hide but it wouldn't be the Aussie the ones I see working are aggressive and wanting to be in control. If timid I would question the trainer/trainer and the teaching tactics.
I have been working / training dogs for a lot of yrs, putting them in any kind of rehab if they have been injured while working is a waste of time, the cannot be trusted to do the job, therefor the dog under the horse!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone working dogs prior to 1 yr old is just asking for trouble, the period between 6 months and 1 yrs is very fragile time, one kick and more than likely you will have a timid dog!

I refuse to let my pups work any cattle, prior to 1 yr old much prefering to start them out on ducks and geese.
Anyone allowing a dog to work horses is looking for a disaster to happen.

My personall choice is border collies crossed with heelers best of both worlds, a header and a healer, but for the purists I would take a border collie over anything else.

These are working dogs folks not PETS time to acknowledge that
 
That's why I said I re-hab . I get the ones that are bought for pets and the people soon find out that was the wrong move. So I get all kinds in all states of mental/physical distress.

Some dogs I actively go and get & save....others get brought to me. Some re-hab quickly and I find quick good homes for, others I end up keeping because they have ' problems'.


I guess it's what ever works for you and your situation.
 
Nicky, I'm up past Willow Creek, up the John Day Hwy, but I go over to Crane, Princeton, Burns Junction that direction quiete often. The boards are fun really enjoy them.
 
My stock dog is a purebred German Shepherd.

We don't ever have to worry about freelance cattle chasing, because if she's alone, and I'm not there to need 'protecting', the work ethic is just not there. :wink: Most of the time she's a gate dog. With her typical German attention to detail and requirement for everything to be IN IT'S PLACE, nothing comes out a gate that's not supposed to!

When we need to move cattle out of a pen, I tell her it's time for "work", and she lights up like she's going to Disneyland. She knows she is going to get to clean the pen out. Nine times out of ten when I'm checking a pen, I don't need her, and she stays at the gate, but you just say that magic word, and she's ready to go.

She works slow and easy, and only barks when an animal comes back. It's funny to watch her when the last animal goes through the gate. She comes to me for a pat, and then she's gone! Back to the house, job done. Chute work bores her. :roll: :)

She generally just works with feeders and calves though. Cows only on occasions when the donkeys aren't with them. She's the perfect dog for us, because with the donkeys we have, an eager border collie would get itself into a world of trouble around here. You don't chase donkeys with a dog, and the donkeys are usually with the cows. :shock:
 
Sure glad I started this thread. It gave me a new insight to the interesting connection between cattlemen and their working dogs, and it gave some of us a chance to show pride in ours four legged partners!
Thought you might be interested in this, I stopped for a cup of coffee in Tilden ,Texas yesterday, and picked up a big game magazine laying in the window for patrons to read. I happend to open it to an article on "Deer Dogs" . Now Tilden is smack dab in South Texas, one of the best deer and hog, and turkey hunting spots in the nation. Here was an article describing those old Cow Dogs (mixed breeds) catching wounded deer and knocking them down in mid flight. Grabbing the flanks, ears, whatever. It had pictures also of this action.
Now here is the part you cattlemen are gonna love. When you can't find the wounded deer, you get out your cell phone and call one of these ranchers, he get $500 to show up at the place, and $750 if the dog gets your deer for you. It said "Tips" include Benjamins, and even pairs of binoculars!
Pretty good sideline, huh?
 
Funny, we have deer dogs in Illinois too and mot of the time the service is free excet maybe the hunter paying for gas and a meal for the search guy... Oh well...
 
IL Rancher said:
Funny, we have deer dogs in Illinois too and mot of the time the service is free excet maybe the hunter paying for gas and a meal for the search guy... Oh well...
Click to expand...

In Saskatchewan they shoot dogs that chase DEER. :cowboy:
 
It is to track dead/wounded deer and they have to stay on a leash.. Blood tracking..

Dogs chasing deer is a no no and grounds for a lot of bad things.. All though shooting a dog can also get you in some trouble..
 
Tilden
thats a favorite spot of mine i consider south TEXAS home to me
i think the part not mentioned about the deer dogs is they are tracking a deer that a hunter paid between 6 and 10k to shoot at and then gut shot him so now it costs him more
i have hunted wounded deer down there and the pay is very good when you find them big throphy deer that they might not have found otherwise
until later
jerry
 
skidboots said:
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.
Click to expand...
Are you still looking to find a home for her? I have a 6 month old Blue Heeler and we needs a companion and someone he can learn from. Let me know.
 
2007 ??? Oh oops it happens. But thanks for reviving it, it is interesting to read. And most importantly is was really
good to know that I am not the only one that wants my horse and dog to get along. So many people think it is
okay/cute for a horse and dog to chase each other in the pasture. It has always been extremely important to me
that the horse and dog get along with each other. From day one a pup needs to understand that "sic em" never applies
to going after the horse. Worse case I ever saw was as soon as this one gal would go to get on any horse and her heeler
was there, he would start biting at the horses heels. I give the horse credit for not turning that into a wreck.
 
Ernie said:
Are you still looking to find a home for her? I have a 6 month old Blue Heeler and we needs a companion and someone he can learn from. Let me know.
Click to expand...
Ernie, If you can tell people on Ranchers where you are located, roughly, in the USA it helps so people in that area might have some suggestions or know of a dog of the type you are hoping to find. :)
 
Puzzled wrote: "
"sic em" never applies to going after the horse. "
Totally agree!! We NEVER allowed our dogs to chase horses, EVER!

A lady we knew, and she was a great hand, used to use her dogs to load horses in
the trailer. (Bad idea). One day, she had a horse tied to the trailer and went to walk behind
this horse. Horse thought she was the dog and gave a swift kick, caught her in the head and put the gal in the hospital. It was thought she wouldn't live.
She did live, though it was a lengthy hospital stay.
Thankfully she was able to do what she had always done. Much better
outcome than was originally thought.
 
Ex wife drug home a dog from some friends of she knew. Daughter was riding a young horse of mine. The horse had been rode some and was plum gentle and liked people. But he was also a grandson of Little Hired Hand an could really move. The dog heeled the horse. I heard a noise and turned my head just in time to see all four feet higher than the cab of my pickup. And then he stood on his head. NFR broncs would have been jealous. Drove the daughter on her head like a tent stake. Gave her a pretty good concussion.
 

Latest posts

Top