What’s the first lesson for a sheepdog? Or the second lesson? Wondering whether to teach flanking, driving or the outrun? Watch our recommended order for training sheep or cattle dogs.
When you first start training a dog to work livestock, it can seem very daunting. The dog could be whirling around, refusing to stop, while sheep or cattle run in all directions. A beginner often feels they’ll never regain control, but they can, and do! Attending to the most urgent points, and tackling them correctly, will quickly yield good results.
“What Shall I Do Next?” gives a solid structure of priorities for setting up the situation correctly, and then maintaining (or regaining) control when the dog is released.
If you’re wondering what you should be teaching your dog now, and what can wait, or even whether you should be training all of the basics at once, watch “What Shall I Do Next?” to learn the order of lessons that many years of sheepdog training has given us the best results.
Interesting and Varied
The training order shouldn’t be inflexible. Once you have good control of the dog (and the dog has good control of the stock) as the dog’s skill increases, it’s good practice to vary the training, the training venue, and if possible, the stock too. This keeps sessions fresh and interesting for both dog and trainer, and equally importantly, broaden’s the dog’s mind.
Sheepdog Trials
Watch two tutorials dealing specifically with preparation for Sheepdog Trials. We explain how trials are run, and tell you what trials competitors need to know right from the start.
Our video tutorials give members lots of guidance for starting a dog, progressing its training, and dealing with the challenges that arise.
NB: Tutorials are available to paid subscribers when they are logged in to their account. There’s more information about our sheepdog training tutorials in the video below.
CLEAR, AFFORDABLE SHEEP AND CATTLE DOG TRAINING INSTRUCTION
Over 70 clearly explained, easy to follow sheep and cattle dog training videos for first time sheepdog trainers, farmers, and shepherds. Just £12 per month or £120 per year (choice of currencies for payment). Watch the preview here!
For French, Spanish or English SUBTITLES click “CC” on player.
For a very small monthly (or annual) subscription, watch many hours of expertly presented sheepdog training lessons. Not just theory – we show you what should happen, and what to do when things go wrong. Signup now. It’s easy to cancel payments at any time and you can continue to watch for the period you paid for.
