Close work with your dog
A useful sheepdog needs to be confident when it’s working sheep in yards and buildings. A huge outrun might be a sheepdog’s most impressive skill, but any working dog is likely to spend more time on yard work – penning, pushing, holding and loading sheep – than it is gathering them. The outrun will save… Read more…
Portia’s training upgrade at Dean Farm
Training a sheepdog for working a larger number of sheep Note: In terms of training, the actual number of sheep discussed in this article, is not as important as the step-up in flock size compared to the dog’s previous experience. Increase flock and field sizes slowly. A welcome invitation! Busy schedules have reduced opportunities for… Read more…
Looking at the Point of Balance
Is the point of balance always in the same place? You’ll often hear that the dog MUST stop at 12 o’clock, on the “point of balance”. The theory is that if you imagine the handler is standing at 6 o’clock on a clock face, the dog should be directly opposite the handler – at 12… Read more…
When outruns go wrong, go back to basics
What can be done to improve a bad outrun? There are many opportunities for the outrun to go wrong. It’s important to keep them tidy, because the quality of the outrun can make a huge difference to the way the whole operation goes when you’re gathering sheep, or even cattle. Here are some of the… Read more…
The training programme that we recommend
Training tutorials that guide you through a recommended programme of sheepdog training – what to do, and when to do it. The early stages of sheepdog training, especially for a beginner, can seem daunting. There’s so much for the dog to learn, and it can be hard to decide on what to teach first –… Read more…
Working off balance – Sending the dog the ‘wrong way’
Our “Sending the dog the wrong way” tutorial introduces a great exercise for widening the dog’s flanks and outrun. Just as when we teach shedding we ask the dog to ignore a basic lesson (NOT to run through the sheep) this time we want the dog to work off balance. We’re asking the dog to… Read more…
Backwards is The Way Forward
Wondering whether to work on flanks, stop, or working distance? We think Backwards is the Way Forwards! Work on all aspects at once with this deceptively simple but effective sheepdog training exercise. As soon as your dog’s working around the sheep, and is under some sort of control, this simple exercise in an opportunity to… Read more…
Featured tutorial – Why Your Dog Should Flank Both Ways
It’s important that your dog will flank both ways around the stock For day-to-day farming tasks you might be able to work around your dog’s shortcomings, but when the unexpected happens (as it surely will) you, your dog, or more likely your sheep, will run into trouble if the dog is reluctant to flank freely… Read more…
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Sheepdog training tips and advice
Teach your dog to herd stock with help from our sheepdog training tips and advice.
Read our collection of entertaining and useful blog posts. They will give you a better insight into herding and cattle dog training. For example, if you’re wondering whether to work on flanks, stopping your dog, or the dog’s working distance from sheep or cattle, we think an exercise we call “Backwards is the Way Forwards” will be a great help! It teaches them all at once!
Our sheepdog training tips and advice blogs will inspire the creative sheepdog trainer that’s within you. Teach your dog to herd stock!