Training Your Stockdog

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 believe 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.