Training Huntaway or Blue Heeler ‘driving’ dogs (FAQ)

QUESTION: I’m getting a Huntaway to work my sheep and cattle. I can’t find any information about training Huntaway or Blue Heeler ‘driving’ dogs on the internet. Are they the same as Border Collies?

ANSWER: Training Huntaway or Blue Heeler ‘driving’ dog isn’t very different from training a collie. The basics, such as general dog behaviour and discipline around stock, are exactly the same. Huntaways and Blue Heelers work in a different way to collies. Their purpose is PUSHING big mobs of stock, whereas the Border Collie (and to a slightly lesser extent, Kelpies) will work with more precision.

Collies are especially good for sending out to GATHER the sheep and bring them to you. Huntaways and Heelers need to be positioned behind the stock and they’ll PUSH them home.

Training Huntaway or Blue Heeler ‘driving’ dogs

This means the ‘Driving‘ sections of our Online Tutorials will be very useful for any shepherd farmer or stockman who wants to get the best out of their Huntaway or Blue Heeler herding dog.

There! You probably know as much or even more about Huntaways and Blue Heelers than I do now. Buy from a reputable breeder and they should be able to give you advice on training the dog.

Lastly! Huntaways are very noisy when they work! It’s one of the reasons they’re good at moving large bunches of sheep. It’s worth thinking about it if you’re interested in training Huntaway or Blue Heeler ‘driving’ dogs.

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