Starting Your Puppy
Your new pup has arrived and you’re excited to start it on stock. Many young dogs are simply turned loose on stock because their owners belive the dog is supposed to know what to do with the stock. Unfortunately, many of these sessions aren’t what was hoped for. Stock gets run around and many handlers are helpless to stop what is going on. People and their stock quickly find out that an untrained stockdog is a liability and not an asset.
While stockdogs come pre-programmed with instinctual behaviors to one degree or another, dogs need to be taught a communication system of commands in order for the handler to convey their desires for the dog to execute.
A dog also needs to be taught the manner in which the handler expects the stock to be treated as a young enthusiastic dog may have very different ideas as to what constitutes appropriate treatment of the stock than the stock owner does.
It's never to soon to start simple obedience and pressure exercises on your pup as long as they are done in an encouraging fashion.
The following video will show how I introduce my 15 week old pup to some commands and introduce the rake to the pup which she will see again when we start the dog on stock. The small shrub rake (bought at any gardening center) is lightweight but visual enough for the pup to see and at her eye level. If and when I need to tap or apply pressure to the pup, it's made of plastic so it's more shock factor than anything else. I use it to block, pressure and even use it for pleasuring her rubbing her belly with it. It's an extension of me at her lower level so I don't need to bend down and she doesn't need to look up at me.
My voice is always encouraging and positive. I apply the least amount of pressure necessary to get the result I'm looking for. If a small amount of pressure doesn't get the result, increase it till you do get the desired response. Don't drill puppies, short frequent sessions are better than occasional long ones. It's hard to keep the pups interest and enthusiasm for more than 5 minutes or so. Get what you are looking for and quit, don't drill.
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The following is a video of my method of starting young dogs. Enjoy!
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I start pups on ducks. A few x-pens and a corner will do if you don’t have a small working area.
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A small area is used so the handler can easily be in control of every movement of the dog. Many refer to this as a ‘control pen’.
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The handler must immediately establish that they are the pack leader of the activity, the dog works stock for the handler, and a small area lends itself to attain this goal.
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Slow moving ducks that want to stay together keep the learning environment as stress free as possible. Quiet, very dog broke sheep that are very people orientated can also be used in slightly bigger area but of course more solid fencing is required.
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Make sure that the handler can reach any part of the pen within a few steps to influence the dog, thus calling it a ‘control pen’.
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There are 3 ways to train/communicate with a dog:
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-Show or Lure.
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Pressure
I use a cheap plastic shrub rake initially as it is more visual for the dog than a stock stick, which should never be used to hit a dog. The rake allows pressure to be applied down at the dog’s eye level.In case a dog needs a physical correction, plastic is more effective for delivering shock factor than actually inflicting pain.
For the tool’s pressure to get the desired results, the tool must be in the correct spot on the dog’s body to get the desired response. Tool in front of the dog, dog slows, stops or reverses. Tool at the point of the shoulder, the dog gets wider. Tool behind the dog, the dog gets faster and usually tighter. For any of you that have taught a horse to lunge or those that have lunged a horse, this should make perfect sense to you. A horse has 4 legs and so does a dog. The only difference is there isn’t a bucket of grain (stock for the dog) in the middle of the lunge circle and the dog is a much smaller target to pressure so it requires some degree of practice and skill to do it correctly.
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Correction
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Correction should always be appropriate to the situation and the temperament of the individual dog. Some dogs simply need to see the tool brought in front of the eye to get the desired response and some dogs are a little thicker skinned, so fixated or “in the zone” when on stock and may require a harder correction. Anger should never enter the correction phase. Love the dog, take exception to undesirable actions it makes.
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I don’t yell or raise my voice at the pup. Let showing, luring, pressure and correction do the training and keep your voice encouraging. Your goal should be to develop a partnership with your dog, not an adversarial relationship.
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This video will show all three methods while training the youngster. |
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| ABCs/3R’s vs. Gym Class |
ABCs or 3R’s are the instructional part of a dog’s training where commands will communicate to the dog the desires of the handler, especially related to the dog driving the stock to a location rather than fetching the stock to the handler (see Gym Class below). This is where a handler teaches the dog the necessary skills and the commands to carry out a handler’s wishes.
Gym Class is what I call having the dog fetch and balance stock to the handler. The dog gets to make more choices and express their natural instincts. Fetching uses the handler’s location as the dog’s point of reference as to where stock should be brought as the handler walks about the area.
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-ABC's.
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Outs
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Call Off...That'll Do
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Gym Class.
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I use a general command…get around, bring em, round em up, etc. rather than directional (go bye/come bye, away to me which I use for driving) commands. The dog should be able to bring stock on balance to a handler without commands. You will notice in the video that I walk roundly backwards rather than straight back. Round handler movement produces round dog motions. Straight handler movement produces straight movement of the dog. The straighter I would walk, the more forward the pup would become. By keeping my movement round, the pup keeps trying to find balance by moving laterally, thus not exerting too much pressure on the back of the stock.
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Balancing ABCs and Gym Class during a session with a youngster will depend on the demeanor of the pup. Hesitant pups need more Gym Class to build their interest. Pushing ambitious pups need more ABCs and sometimes very little Gym Class in the beginning. Of course as the pups settle into the process, the percentage of ABCs to Gym Class will change and vary even session to session.
I hope this video shows an easy stress free way to start your young stockdog. One should endeavor to produce a confident working dog with a ton of self control.
For those who may not have regular instructional help with your dog and you feel you need more help than the video, I am available for Zoom lessons by appointment.
Contact me by e-mail at Ten11ey@yahoo.com.
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