This 14 minute video shows you how to teach your dog to do good dependable out run. Out run or gather is the the most important thing you can have on a cowdog and should be second nature to your dog.
I have a 3yr male border collie that was returned to me ( the breeder) they said he was herding their cattle and holding them even when they weren't home. They wanted him only for being a fluff dog, meaning looks not work. I reminded them he was bred to herd its his instincts. Anyway, my question is, they failed train him on cattle, yet he holds n pens cattle, can he still be taught proper commands for me? We have cattle and Id love to see what he can do. He's never gotten nippy with them, just stares them down,n,moves them slow to,where he wants them n holds them.
I should think a good trainer can train any dog with the right instincts, even if he has been not correctly trained or not at all for the work. It just takes a lot more time and effort and perhaps some faults will not totally disappear. But if it is turned in the right direction so it can do the job you need him to, and you know yourself how to ignore the bad things or to praise the good things, in time you can make a great combination. Just don’t let him be re-trained by one and sell him as a good working dog for anybody else. The dog will loose trust in people if to many tell him different things or he has been handled by to many people with less skills. Then he will just do it the way he likes it for himself (for getting the kick out of the game he made of it). If they just wanted him for the looks he will probably also need to learn some other basics anyway.
Abria79 to be able to keep eye contact. First with your dog, but the livestock to. Eyecontact means a lot. Make eyecontact and you tell your dog something. Don’t make eyecontact and your telling him just as much. With dark glasses you loose this tool to train your dog. Once your dog is trained, you will be able to wear dark glasses, but you probably don’t want to anymore 😉
I have a blue heelerxstumpy tail cattle dog. He is amazing at listening he is glued to my hip listens to sit stay and lay down when he starts to wander which is very very rare he comes when i call. my only problem is he is completely uninterested in cattle which is upsetting considering we work for a ranch that has 600 head and as much help is the best. I did take him through a herd of heifers and he didn't even look at them his eyes are GLUED on me constantly. If i ride a four wheeler he runs and barks and nips at that. Im just starting to get disappointed and loosing hope do you think he is a dud or is there still a chance. (he is 8 months old we just got him about a month ago never been around cattle.)
he is still young I bought a dog over a year old from a person who said he would not work, or look at stock he's now my best dog, You do need to stop any bad habits though!
Update: best cattle dog my husband has EVER had he goes out even and brings at least 75 head back all on his own I worked with him just clicked one day it’s frikin amazing! I am so happy he has the best common sense he knows what we want that we don’t even know what we want. Downs in a dime keeps calves off our back when cutting bales for feeding even works bulls it’s insane.
And some stupid pet owners are now being trained by their working dogs. How stupid can some humans be? These working dogs are bred to obey and work. If you give them treats in order for them to listen to you, you will only spoil them. And eventually, they will bite your wife and kids.
