Herding

[emusician]

Has anyone here ever done any herding with their border collie?  Dolce's first instinct at a dog park is to run at, bark, and nip at tails to manipulate other dogs... All clearly herding behaviors.  He's even pulled fur out of their rears for laying down and not moving -- much to my horror.  I've been thinking of having an evaluation/lesson

Comments

[recreatexme]

Find a training facility near you and schedule a herding instinct test. They will guide you through the process - you don't need to know what to do beforehand. Many dogs have "herding-like" behaviors around other animals and people, but have no idea what the heck to do with livestock, so an instinct test is a great way to try it out without being too invested.

[emusician]

I'm kind of scared because he's a very petite dog... only 23 pounds. How do I know if someone is good or not? There's this guy nearby who supposedly has a great bunch of sheep, is only $30, and will take care of the training for you.

[recreatexme]

My new Corgi pup is only 29 pounds and he herded his first sheep at six months old :) Petite (skilled) dogs will do just fine.

I'd be on the look out for harsh methods, which many instructors do use and are definitely something I'd walk away from. The particular sheep too - if they are dog broke sheep and are used to dealing with new dogs, or ones that he just has around, is pretty important for a beginner. Otherwise it'd just be like finding any other trainer - are they willing to educate you, do you click with them, are you comfortable with them handling your dog, etc.

[ohrocy]

For me, I went through the NEBCA (North East Border Collie Assoc.) and found a local trainer/competitor. After a couple back and forth emails, we set up a time for a first lesson**. It was pretty straightforward, although I went through a rigorous ~selection process, haha. That probably added some unnecessary time. But I'll be getting involved with herding/sheep with or without Indy, so the opportunity to network was important for me.

** I went the ABHA route - no muss, no fuss, no herding instinct test. If your dog can herd, great. If (s)he can't, get off the field. And if you're taking a lesson with a qualified, knowledgeable trainer that knows how to start an older dog, you don't really need an instinct test.

[emusician]

Oh, good to know. The guy I'm looking into going to doesn't do an instinct test, and I was kind of put off by that. However, his lessons are only $30, not $68 like another place I was considering.

[ohrocy]

Just make sure that you check him out - like any trainer, there are some that aren't worth the money or the frustration. You could even ask him why he doesn't do HITs - it's a legitimate question. When I first spoke to D., it was one of the first things that I asked.

[ohrocy]

Also, while I'm thinking about it, you might be interested in littlehats.net - it's a great resource for herding beginners. So are the BC forums at bordercollie.org.

/random