Spring time is sheepdog puppy training time!
The promise of longer daylight hours and milder weather makes sheepdog puppy training more appealing than during the cold of winter. Additionally, it’s a time of year when there are more puppies to choose between.
We have our own puppies in the spring, and are eagerly awaiting our (Ezra and Meg) litter in early April.
When you’ve bought a puppy to work sheep there are a couple of important points to bear in mind. First, preserve your puppy’s confidence at all costs. Don’t give your puppy the opportunity to be unsupervised around livestock.
A puppy confidence issue
It’s not so much the danger of injury (though there’s always a chance). But an aggressive sheep‘s head-butt, or several sheep chasing the puppy away, can seriously damage your puppy’s confidence.
On the other hand, it’s important that you allow your puppy to be a puppy during its early months. Encouraging play, socialisation and exploration will all help to develop your puppy’s, and later your dog’s, confidence.
Secondly, if you want to take your puppy to see livestock, take care if you use a lead. You can either get it accustomed to the stock or see its reaction. Dogs, especially border collies, take things very literally. If you walk your pup to heel and insist on good lead behaviour around stock, you MIGHT be teaching your puppy that you don’t want it to chase!
Sounds like a minefield? It needn’t be.
The early months with your puppy are invaluable for getting to know its personality, establishing a bond, and laying the groundwork for early sheep training. It’s even, dare we say it, an opportunity to have some fun! So use the time to play with your puppy and take him out and about with you.
We know that some trainers disapprove of playing with sheepdogs, feeling that it distracts the dog from its training. However, we’ve only ever seen sheepdogs of all ages benefit from having some fun and relaxation away from livestock. Playing with a puppy will not be a problem as long as the pup knows that when you want to stop, you mean it! If the puppy is able to persuade you to keep playing, it’s not good.
Puppy training gone wrong!
The pup will learn that it can control your behaviour, and it will work to increase that control.
You’ll find a huge amount of information and advice about training your puppy in our Online Tutorials library. Much of it, we’re sure, isn’t available on any sheepdog training DVD.
Start with our short introduction video, “Puppy Training Essentials”. Then move on to “Starting a young puppy” parts One and Two. There’s also a “Pack Behaviour” tutorial that explains how, we believe, dogs view hierarchy and leadership.
If you don’t yet have a puppy, watch “The Sheepdog – Selection and Preparation” to help you make the right choice. The video also gives useful sheepdog puppy training advice.
Remember, to watch the tutorials you’ll need to be logged in as a paid member. If you still need help, leave a comment or question on the tutorial page and we’ll respond as quickly as we can.
You’ll find 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.
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