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

working dog UPDATED

Help Support Ranchers.net:

A

andrews29

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Messages
92
Reaction score
0
Location
colorado
Have a aussie that took her first hard hit today ( kicked in the head by a 800 pound steer that got out). Should i do anything with her to help her confidence i know i would be gun shy now if i was her. little back ground she has been working cows for 2 months had a few small blows but nothing like this.


I let her work cows tonight and she did fine, never would have guessed she took such a hard blow this morning. thanks Curtis
 
Just keep her confidence up and keep praising it and your dog will be just fine. I had a dog a while ago that all he worked for the first year was calves so he thought he was king till on day when an old cow layed him out cold. He was ok but he did learn to duck and not go in on them 100 mph
 
Same thing happened to my blue heeler "Shotzie" when she was a pup she was mighty bold, after that first solid kick she learned how to duck pretty good and got a little bit more cautious.
good luck
 
My Aussie hasn't nipped a heel since she got layed out early on. I guess that was the point where she made her career choice to become a header.. :lol:
 
I have the craziest English shepherd ever. He is three now and has been plum laid out 7 or 8 times by adult cows. Our 2200lb simm bull hammered him in the ribs last year and launched him about 20 ft and he never slowed down. He still hasnt figured out to bite them down low and duck. He wants to bite way too high and thats why he gets kicked that way, but it hasnt hurt his feelings yet. He has more grit than a bare knuckle boxer. We named him Rocky because he isnt afraid to take a hit.

As far as your pup goes just continue to work with her and be positive with her. You might try purposely working her on some smaller calves a few times and let her take a hold of them to get her confidence back up.
 
I know professional dog trainers that don't work dogs until they are a year old,
so as not to get them hurt and scared when they are pups. Letting
them work too young is a mistake many make. However,
as mentioned above, they aren't apt to
get nearly as injured working calves as cows if they want to work
really bad.
 

Latest posts

Top