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Herding
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For centuries,
shepherds and cattle ranchers have used dogs to help them do their
work. Why? One good dog can easily do the work of several people
because that is what they were bred to do - it is in their DNA. They
can gather the stock much more quickly and efficiently and from much
more rugged terrain than we possibly could. When we train a stockdog
to work livestock, we are just modifying a natural behavior to fit
our purposes. This behavior is based on prey drive – in other words,
they are the predator, and the livestock is the prey. If you’ve ever
seen one of those National Geographic programs where a wolf pack is
hunting caribou on the tundra, you have seen prey drive at work. The
wolf pack will circle the herd of caribou because that stops the
caribou from getting away. The wolves will continue to circle the
herd, which keeps the herd nervously moving around itself, until
eventually the old, the infirm, or the very young fall to the outer
edges. Lunchtime for the wolves, with the alpha wolf dining first. |
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In training a stockdog,
who is just a modern-day descendant of the wolf with a strong prey drive
still intact, we, as the handler, become the alpha wolf. We use the dog’s
natural instinct to gather the stock, but rather than allowing them to then
have lunch, we teach them to bring the stock to the alpha wolf, or to take
the stock wherever we direct them. We may need the dog to move them to
another pasture, to bring them in for doctoring, or to move them through
obstacles at a trial. |
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Because this prey drive is
instinctual, or inherent, we cannot teach a dog to work livestock who does
not have natural instinct. Unfortunately, many of the herding breeds have
been bred for many years to fit a particular “breed standard”–that is, the
dog must fit within specified parameters for height, weight, ear set, body
proportions, coat, and even color! Because this has been the case, many dogs
who fit the breed standard (in other words, “pretty” dogs) were bred,
despite the fact that they had little or no herding instinct. After only a
few generations, you have pretty, but pretty useless dogs, if you want them
for working dogs. |
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For a dog with strong
herding instinct, the work itself is its own reward. We do not use food,
toys, clickers, or any other “gimmicks” to get them to do the work–there is
just something inside them that makes them want, above all else, to work
livestock. In fact, many of these dogs, on a very hot day, will have to be
monitored; we will have to tell them when it is time to take a break and
cool down, or they can literally work themselves until they drop.
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An added bonus of herding
training is the fact that you end up with a dog who is a model citizen both
in and away from its work environment. When we have control in a livestock
environment over a dog who wants more than anything else to go to the stock,
gather them, and move them about (in other words, where temptation is
greatest), we have great control in our daily lives, whether we are hiking,
at the dog park, taking them to Petco, or just trying to get in the door
while our arms are loaded down with groceries without being knocked down.
They absolutely, positively, and consistently come when they are called
(without taking the scenic route), lie down when asked, and don’t get up
until released or asked to do something else. Off leash. At distances of
over 400 or 500 yards. Sound good? The first step is to do what we call an
instinct test to determine if your dog
has the inherent desire to work livestock. |
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