PUPPY STARTING
Prepare your herding breed puppy by providing it with a fulfilled life.
Herding is the ultimate partnership with your dog. In my Six week course I use a blended method of positive reinforcement, the practical sheepherding principles of pressure and release, and gentle exposure and socialization to livestock in a safe environment. Dogs' behaviour is a reflection of their way of life, if we provide herding pups with an outlet for their innate desires, this confidence can provide the framework for how they view other interactions and experiences, and helps to create an optimistic puppy!
Week 1
Focus/ Listen
Lie Down
Tie Out/ Place
Farm Familiarization
Herding Instinct
Week 2
Puppy Recall
Here to Me/
"That'll do"
Up & Off
Herding Instinct Development
Week 3
Shaping & Balance
Pressure & Release
Herding around a pen
Week 4
Leave It
Take It
Sit
Stay There
Extending Herding
Week 5
Heel to Position
Lets Go
Loose Leash Walk
Waiting at Gates
Lie Down with Herding
Week 6
Wellness & Flexibility Exercises
Certificate
Photo
Call Off from Stock
Moving Stock Off Fence
Our herding puppy course consists of online videos for each topic and six in-person lessons (45 minutes). You will also receive a bonus video lesson on "Functional Flexibility" that covers practical exercises you can do to warm up & strengthen your dog, as well as "Puppy Care". If the weather doesn't cooperate for one of the weeks and we need to go indoors, we will cover the health/ maintenance aspects for that lesson and reschedule an additional outside session.
Adult dogs are present throughout the lessons to socialize young pups with and to demonstrate the various exercises.
Here are a few videos showing my training techniques. Depending on the age of puppy, a mixture of panels or an older dog may be used to help frame your puppy's herding experience to aid in shaping the concepts while we associate them with their cue words. This allows both the puppy and the handler to learn the concepts more easily, without the pressure of keeping livestock together.