training sheepdog pup

spark_28

Member
Location
Western isles
got a now 7 month old pup who im hoping to train. she chases sheep and is interested enough. How big a circular pen would be suitable to get her onto her sides? its mt first time training one, not looking for a competition dog just one that can put my sheep into a pen when needed. Shes still very much a pup, knows more than she lets on!

any other tips, dont have other dogs to work her off.
 

puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
No expert having only trained 2 but firstly like any dog make sure it responds to basic commands. I used a stick to help teach R+L eventually getting the dog to follow the command first with the expectation the stick would follow. Makes it fun for the dog.
Some good YouTube videos out there
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
Thanks yellow belly. How long did you have him outside the pen for?
A week maybe???

Need to have 'lie down' and 'that'll do' commands well established while he's still outside.

Take him in the pen for the first time for a few minutes after he's had a good session outside it first (he'll be tired and less likely to go too daft when he realises he can get at the sheep}
 
No expert here either but I've a pup the same age. Started him outside the round pen at 14 weeks for 5 minutes a day and he had his sides figured out after a few days. Stuck with that for a fortnight and did another fortnight in the pen with them and got him out to a small paddock then. Probably kept him at the pen too long, once he had his sides figured and a good stop put on him he hadn't really any more to learn from it. He's out running really well now and has a good recall on him. He might be lacking a bit of power though and is reluctant to push up on the sheep if they are being really stubborn even though he has improved a small bit in the last few days. My first time training a dog so I'm far from the best to be giving advice, I signed up to the working sheepdog for the year and the tutorials have been massively helpful. I'd highly recommend it, he gives a really good breakdown of every step of training.
 

ARW

Member
Location
Yorkshire
Buy a training book, it’s a huge help
One mistake I’ve made with mine is I end up saying my command two or three times, which is my own fault in training
 

irish dom

Member
Sure do you not have" self trainers" over there? Every doggy man over here likes to roll out that bulls**t to new customers. " Ah sure they'll train themselves"
It's all practice practice practice and lots of patience but be kind and easy with a young dog. See too many of them ruined by guys trying to break them too hard and too early
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Sure do you not have" self trainers" over there? Every doggy man over here likes to roll out that bullsh*t to new customers. " Ah sure they'll train themselves"
It's all practice practice practice and lots of patience but be kind and easy with a young dog. See too many of them ruined by guys trying to break them too hard and too early
Best advice I had was from Pat McGettigan. With pup working some sheep, "Leave him alone and let's see what he'll do next". In other words, we all learn more from our mistakes than from early successes.
 

spark_28

Member
Location
Western isles
saves a new thread.

shes 15 months old and has her sides on the outside of the pen., when i Take her into the pen though she just wants to stare them down. Shes a fearless wee f**ker and the few times ive had her amongst sheep and lambs she isnt scared of the sheep one bit.

any tips, not going on one man and his dog, just want her to pen them!
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Best advice I had was from Pat McGettigan. With pup working some sheep, "Leave him alone and let's see what he'll do next". In other words, we all learn more from our mistakes than from early successes.
Definitely!!

Bit different as my training method once they’ve got lie down and that’ll do sorted is too tie them too one of my others and go working. But they have too be 6/7 months before they are strong enough too do that. Current youngster was only tied too her mum for about a months worth of work (she wasn’t worked everyday obviously) at that point her mum just laid down as if too say “if you tie me too that thing again I’m just going too stay here and you can fetch your own damn sheep” 😂😂

but I’m not training trials dogs. I want rough dogs that go like greased lightening and can handle 500-1200 hoggs in the spring. A lot would class my “good dogs” as half trained morons! 😂😂
 

ladycrofter

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
As said, get her doing some real work outside the pen. She did the same - lock up when close. Don't try to train it out of her, it's exactly what you need when you're trying to catch one in the field. She'll work opposite you.
We had a large pen in the field, our main training job was to gather the hoggs and put them in every night. Sometimes it went well and sometimes it didn't, but she was always learning and so was I. I think repetetive work like that builds confidence, plus throwing in the occasional new task. She knew when she'd done a good job 🤩

It is an instinct to lock up I think. Now, a year later, she will easily call off if required, or stay on it. She's learned there are lots of jobs with mom. See what the dog thinks it should do and work that way, let them learn to think.
Have fun!
 

gwi1890

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North wales
saves a new thread.

shes 15 months old and has her sides on the outside of the pen., when i Take her into the pen though she just wants to stare them down. Shes a fearless wee f**ker and the few times ive had her amongst sheep and lambs she isnt scared of the sheep one bit.

any tips, not going on one man and his dog, just want her to pen them!

I take a few dogs in to train and people always seem to say this, the dogs capable of this are 1 in 10 but regardless the training method and principle of what the dog needs to do to work is the same, take her out of the round pen, keep things close send her around the sheep stop when she’s behind her sheep at 12 a clock, walk backwards the sheep should draw to you this creates room between the sheep and the dog , then ask the dog to come forward steadily, stop her , you move anti clockwise to create room for the dog the dog should the circle anti clockwise, do this daily or every other day for between 5-10 mins, keep up with obedience training off sheep , recall , lie down ect.
 

spark_28

Member
Location
Western isles
I take a few dogs in to train and people always seem to say this, the dogs capable of this are 1 in 10 but regardless the training method and principle of what the dog needs to do to work is the same, take her out of the round pen, keep things close send her around the sheep stop when she’s behind her sheep at 12 a clock, walk backwards the sheep should draw to you this creates room between the sheep and the dog , then ask the dog to come forward steadily, stop her , you move anti clockwise to create room for the dog the dog should the circle anti clockwise, do this daily or every other day for between 5-10 mins, keep up with obedience training off sheep , recall , lie down ect.

she wont go round them, thats the problem , she tends to just stare them down or stare one down
 

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