*Click HERE to read Part I of How To Train A Cowdog
Ben starts his dogs on ducks before he ever introduces them to cattle. “Ducks stay herded very well and that helps those pups play off of their instincts. Don’t use chickens!” he warns with a laugh. “If you have access to them, I like to move on to sheep before I start my pups on yearling cattle. You just want to make sure and set it up so that they don’t get hurt. Graduate slowly and build that dog’s confidence up.”
Ben starts his dogs on ducks before he ever introduces them to cattle. “Ducks stay herded very well and that helps those pups play off of their instincts. Don’t use chickens!” he warns with a laugh. “If you have access to them, I like to move on to sheep before I start my pups on yearling cattle. You just want to make sure and set it up so that they don’t get hurt. Graduate slowly and build that dog’s confidence up.”
Jon agrees, “If you get them kicked too young, you can get the confidence kicked out of them and they’ll never get it back. I started using this one dog pretty hard at 6 months and she got cow kicked and she would never bite a cow on the face again. I got her run over too soon as a pup.”
Both men agree that the ideal situation would be to start
off with either ducks or leppy calves in a small pen where you can control the
situation. Another handy pointer is to keep your long lead trailing behind
them, because if your pup gets excited and you start to get into trouble, you
can chase the lead around and get everything slowed down.
“The first time I take them outside and horseback, I like to
put a front foot in their collar.” says Jon. “It slows them down, it tires them
out and makes it so if there is a wreck I could probably catch them. If you’ve
got a really high powered dog that you’re taking out on cattle for the first
time, if they’re tired enough they’ll listen to you easier, and then you can
start the real work.”
Both Ben and Jon agree that there are a lot of similarities
between starting a dog and starting a horse. According to Ben, the biggest
mistake people make is inconsistency. “Stay consistent with your commands.
You’re not helping the dog much if you try out one set of commands and then start
using something else. Most people don’t even realize that they’re being
inconsistent, but your dog does. Pay attention and really work at providing
your dog with the some consistency with his commands.”
Ben also warns against taking a young pup on too long of a
day at first. “You can cook a dog in the heat really easily, especially if
they’re willing to work. You can also hurt their joints when they’re young, so
take them on short, easy days at first.”
Jon thinks the worst habit people can get into with a young
dog is letting him work without you. “If that dog starts working by himself,
he’ll learn that he doesn’t need you, so it makes it harder for him to trust
you and want to listen to you when it comes time to you guys working together.
A lot of people use their dogs around the corrals to push stock up the alley or
work them in the pen….that’s a really tough thing for a young dog. If your dog
gets in the habit of working animals on the other side of the fence from the
livestock, I’ve seen where dogs get to where they almost can’t work stock
unless they’re on the other side of the fence. They use it as a crutch. If you
can avoid that until they’re an older, broke dog, you’ll save yourself a lot of
headache.”
Special thanks to Matt Mori, Jim & Julie Dunlap, Ben Hay, and Jon Griggs. Without their help this series would never have been written!
*First published in the Nevada Rancher. Like them on Facebook or call 866) 644-5011 for a free copy.
Awesome article of an amazing girl!!! You already know I adore your style Miss Katy 😘
ReplyDelete