Wise Women & Hot Dogs by Allan Moult

Wise Women & Hot Dogs Getting the best out of your dog—and yourself

Rachael Treasure ISBN: 978-0-9757460-2-8 Publisher: Summerhill Publishing, Hobart, Tasmania Keep in touch with Rachael’s ongoing dog training tips at her website — www.rachaeltreasure.com

From Pup to Teenager

Contents

Introduction What’s in store for you A woman’s viewpoint It makes centes On with the Show! The first step You The dog The Livestock

3 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 9

How I started with working dogs Selecting a pup Naming a pup Getting Rousie home Vet checks Alpha bitch language Importance of timing Dogs and children Silly wiggly pups Get into their headspace Express yourself Don’t jump up! Politically correct Natural dogmanship Building obedience Teaching a pup to come Sit! Stay! Sit/stay is important Come behind! Where is your dog? Typing up Big Day Out Good food Feeding puppies Food as a training tool

The Teenage Years The basics of natural instinct Introducing sheep

11 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 27 28 29 29 30 31 31

32 32 33

Directional commands Dog’s Big Day Out Beer O’clock Help! Teenagers! Stop dogs crossing Playtime! Ute dog Barking on command Teaching Rousie to back Diverse and interesting Another training aid

Oh, Uh! Problems Don’t put up with crap behaviour Barking on utes Gippy the Chook Looker Barking in adult dogs All in a day’s work Horsing around Pack feeding Choosing company Old girls to the rescue Manners please! Revved up stock work Give it time

Credits Wise Women Dog blokes … References

35 36 36 37 37 38 39 39 40 41 42

43 43 44 45 45 46 48 49 49 50 50 51 52

53 53 56 56

Wise Women & Hot Dogs

Introduction

What’s in store for you?

Getting started

f you think you’re getting a dry how-to training book for dogs, think again. This book will mostly be about you — not the dog. Alongside the basics on how to have your dog sit, stay and come, I’ll also be writing about concepts of Universal Law that might be new to you. It may take you outside your normal frame of thinking — which at times could make you uncomfortable. If this sounds all too removed from the basics of sending a dog around a mob of sheep or cows, stick with me. When you’re uncomfortable or challenged, you are learning — and that’s a good thing. And if you’re not a farmer and you’ll never own a working dog, keep reading. This book takes in concepts that apply to all dogs — whether they’re pets or not. I’m going to take you on my journey with dogs and how my husband John and I now work in harmony with our sheep, cattle, dogs — all with two young kids in tow. We’re not dog triallers, we

don’t pretend to be ‘experts’ and our dogs are far from perfect and I’m still learning — all I know is that by increasing our understanding of ourselves and our animals we have changed our lives for the better. Stock work with the family is now mostly a joy and our dogs are a pleasure to be around. Our livestock are happier and in turn, our farm is more productive. We laugh more — even at the mistakes; we are less stressed and the process of learning as we go is fun. I’ve even been known to train dogs with a beer in my hand — it can be that relaxing and easy!

A woman’s viewpoint

hrough this book I hope that I’ll inspire other women and young girls to discover the joys I have in dog and stock handling. It’s not only fun, it’s empowering. If you think the man in your life is an anchor to fulfilling your dream of working stock, think again. Maybe it’s your own anchor you’re dragging about. Alter your attitude about what you can and can’t do and haul that anchor up! My belief system in what I could achieve with working dogs altered the day I met farm dog trainer, Bridget McShane. I was a young rural journalist in

This concept was to be introduced to me later when I met Gippsland Working Dog Educator Paul Macphail.

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Introduction

my first year at the Tasmanian Country newspaper and my mission was to write a report on her dog training business. My experience with working dogs so far had been watching men work them — often with little success and a whole tonne of stress and sometimes cruelty. I’ll never forget watching Bridget in the yard with her very young children and very young pups, starting sheepdogs for men — in a gentle, kind, positive way. From that moment I knew I could do the same thing. Bridget showed me you didn’t have to be a boof-headed yelling bloke to be around dogs and stock. Now with my own babes at foot I have realised the challenges of finding time to get out to the yards and the farm with my dogs. But it is possible — busy mums can make a difference to the working dogs on their property and the spin-offs will be far-reaching for your family and your farm business. John and I were both lucky enough to grow up with hands-on farm women as wonderful role models. But for those of you who aren’t so involved in the outside operations of the farm, I want you to see how you can make a huge difference to the productivity of your farm simply by taking a proactive role

in training pups — even if you never venture outside the garden gate. You don’t even need to set foot inside a yard or a paddock to have a profound effect on your livestock business and your family. It all starts with your attitude. If you are willing to get out of your comfort zone and into the learning zone then you’ll be in for some fun. By becoming involved in the training of pups, women can shape the future of their farm business in more powerful ways than you thought possible. You can even train your old house dog to be nicer to be around. It’s worked for me. It can work for you. And remember, techniques in dog education works with children too! The more effective you are with pups, the more effective you’ll be as a parent to your children too!

It makes cents

conomic gains are to be had by exploring better ways of handling dogs and livestock. If every person in Australia who works with livestock completed and took on the principals of a Low Stress Stockhandling Course, a Working Dog Education program and the Landmark Forum, our industry would be miles in front in terms of

In the words of an old dogman down our way, Wally McGuiness, ‘We’re all given the same amount of time every day. It’s what we choose to do with it that counts.’

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Introduction

increased productivity and profit and positivity. The whole culture of our industry would change for the better. I strongly urge you to take an adventure and take part in these fantastic, life-changing courses. Convincing government funding authorities in Australia of the value of these educational programs will be the next step. With with increased pressure from meat-eaters in the city demanding higher standards of animal welfare and with production costs forever on the rise for farmers, it’s only a matter of time until this newly rekindled level of excellence in stockmanship with the added bonus of ‘new-age’ creative forms of thinking will be a must in our livestock industry. So if you’re up for a big positive shift in your life and business, consider taking part in the above programs.

On with the Show!

o far, I’ve barely mentioned dog training basics like how to make a dog ‘sit, stay, come behind and go back’, but trust me — we’ll cover this. There are a host of comprehensive training books on the market and I’ll mention my pick of them as we go. In this book,

like my novels, I want to focus on the human side of dog training. Who you are as a person is the cornerstone of good dog training because everything you do in life, and how you are — especially your attitude — is interlinked. The concept of ‘training a dog’ has everything to do with you and your attitude to life. So, read on …

The first step

here’s a three way equation to consider when you decide to get a dog, or to decide to do something about the working dog you’ve got. 1. You. 2. The dog. 3. The stock. The synergy between these three factors will influence the outcome. If you don’t already work well with dogs or livestock, the outcome won’t be that great unless you are prepared to change — no matter how well-bred the dog is, or how much you paid for it. If you, the clever human, decides to gain a greater understanding of how both livestock and dogs think, and most importantly, how you get about in life in general, you’ll all be on a winning team

Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right. — Laurens van der Post, explorer and writer (19061996)

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Introduction

… and your farm finances and family will be better for it.

You

ou need to understand yourself firstly. Ask yourself, am I a softie who lets animals (and even people) walk all over me? Am I a boof-headed bloke who does his nut in the yard when stock won’t run? Do I blame the dog, the livestock, the Missus for the stuff ups and not myself? Am I lacking in confidence with my animals, but despite 40 years of farming, am too ashamed to admit it? Will my family work happily in the yards with me? How am I being when in the presence of stock? Am I uptight? Am I angry and controlling? Do I yell a lot? Do I like or loath my dog and livestock? Do I invest a lot of my emotional hangups into my dog? Do I have good days and bad days when it comes to stock handling? Take a good look at yourself (not a hard look — just a good look) — and be honest. Your way with animals and how they are in your presence reflects who you are as a person. It’s all about energy exchange between you and the animal. Think about it. When a person walks

into a room, without even speaking, you can generally get a sense from the energy they’re omitting if they are angry, happy, disinterested, or nervous, etc. You can sense their energy. It’s the same for animals. If we’re prepared to, humans can learn to read an animal’s energy almost as well as they read ours. For me, I learned through my first Kelpie that I was a wussy pushover. It reflected how I was in life in general. A wimp with no self-confidence. Gippy, my red-headed, red-natured Kelpie, taught me to get a bit of guts and grunt about myself, otherwise, she’d walk all over me. I owe a lot to that little dog — she taught me the toughest lessons about myself. She was (and still can be) a total feral — and I had no one to blame but myself. I had to change how I was being and my attitude before I became a better boss for her. Even now, when self-doubt plagues me, she reminds me to get on with life with a better attitude. If you don’t know where to start in finding out about you, I’d highly recommend taking three and a half days out of your life to do The Landmark Forum

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Introduction

(for more information see the Credits at the end of this eBook).

The dog

o create the right energy in this three way interaction, you need a dog that firstly obeys you; secondly, steadies stock, not terrifies them; and a dog that will force when you require, not when it thinks it should. Make an informed choice when it comes to getting a working dog and select the right ‘tool for the job’. For example, don’t get a rev-headed full-on backing, barking Kelpie if you have only a handful of lightweight Merinos and very little stock work. The type of country you run dogs on is also a consideration. Dogs in Tassie that gather bushruns need to have different traits than dogs that muster open plains country in Western New South Wales. The best way of finding a dog to suit you is to get to know the parents of the dogs and to see the breeders and how the dogs interact with them — not just in the yards, but within the framework of the human family too. If you’ve already got a dog, assess its strengths and weaknesses and work out why it is like it is. Don’t blame it

for its behaviour. You’re the one who has shaped that dog. If it has faults, be prepared to realise you own the faults too. Don’t beat yourself (or the dog) up about the mistakes. Simply learn from them and don’t make the same errors next time you get a dog. I very much believe in the age old saying, ‘You reap what you sow’ in life. It’s the Universal Law of Attraction that we mere humans can’t alter. It’s a law that deems that what we put out to the world, we get back. This, believe it or not, determines what sort of dog you select for yourself. Some people simply ‘know’ which pup should come home with them. It’s a gut reaction. What people don’t realise is that often we’ve attracted a pup into our lives for a reason. I believe when I got my first Kelpie I inadvertently selected the hardest-headed pup because it was the life lesson I needed to discover at the time. This, for some of you will sound really ‘out there’, but the further I move through life, the more I read and handle different animals, the clearer these concepts have become. Also, I’ve been in situations where I have happened to have met the dogs before I’ve met their owners. By see-

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Introduction

ing how that dog is in life, I can sum up what the owner is like and often, what troubles them in life. When I’ve finally met the dog’s owner, my spin on who they are as humans in this world is generally pretty spot on. (That’ll make a few blokes nervy about introducing me to their dogs!) For a comprehensive book on selecting a Kelpie, I’d recommend Kelpie Basics and beyond by Stephen and Mary Bilson from Noonbarra Kelpie stud. The best way of learning is doing, so go to the Working Kelpie Council website to find the nearest dog school and go to one. We’ll deal with breeds, bloodlines later and pup selection later.

The livestock

ecently I attended a Low Stress Stock handling course. It was a life changing, inspiring, amazing experience. The price tag had put a lot of farming friends off in my district, but those who have done it say it’s worth every cent and more. I’d agree. It’s a course everyone who lives with livestock needs to do. If you have a dog that you want to use around stock you need to understand how your livestock think, act and

move. Ask yourself what jobs do you need the dog for? What frame of mind are your animals in? Do your sheep or cows run to the corner of the paddock when you go near them, or do they stand and watch you? Each animal or mob has a flight zone, some more sensitive than others. Some blokes like to ‘bore it up’ stock and rev about on a motorbike. The whole process is more about them and their masculinity than the animals. For other stockmen who work on large farms, the faster their Kelpie backs up a race and ‘punches’ stock through a yard, the better, so knock-off time rolls round quicker or the boss isn’t on your case. The LSS handling course teaches a few Universal Laws of Animals — one that stresses that animals have no concept of time. LSS also teaches that activity and achievement are two very different things and not to confuse them. Fast-paced, noisy, high-energy yards where cattle are tearing through races and the men are ‘ha-ing’ are high in activity but not necessarily achieving as much as a yard where the energy of the people and the stock are low-key and things are done steadily and quietly. Practice noticing how your mood and

Recently I attended a Low Stress Stock handling course. It was a life-changing, inspiring, amazing experience.

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Introduction

movement impacts on the animals you are near. The LSS course also shows, very clearly, the Universal Law of Attraction … that your attitude to life means everything. When you get a new dog, give your livestock time to adjust to them too. The way the stock are reacting to the dog will give you an indication of the dog’s energy and it’s impact on their flight zone. We use dogs to ‘guide’ our livestock, rather than to ‘hunt’ them so our dogs need to be very respectful of stock flight zones. If you think livestock are things to be ‘chased’ and ‘pushed’ then you’re attitude needs to shift. The fastest way to achieve this is a LSS handling course. Remember, training a working dog is not just about the dog. You need to foster synergy between you, the dog and the livestock.

synergy noun … the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects: the synergy between artist and record company. Origin mid 19th century.: from Greek sunergos ‘working together,’ from sun- ‘together’ + ergon ‘work.’

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SECTION ONE: Pup to Teenager

How I started with working dogs

From pup to teenager

ears ago I had an exceptionally good-looking boyfriend who was trying tactfully to end our long distance relationship. The last time he flew down to Tassie to see me, I met him at the airport and when collecting his bags, he pulled from the trolley a large blue airline crate. In it was the tiniest little tricolour pup. ‘Surprise!’ he said. It was a moment that changed my entire life. I wasn’t prepared for a dog. I’d never owned one, let alone trained one, but I’d always longed for my own working dog. That tiny pup, Dougall, was a giveaway out of the paper from a rural/ residential block between Orange and Molong, in New South Wales. His mum was a red and tan Kelpie who’d ‘been got to’ by a good border collie down the road. He was the only pup in the litter. He was a giveaway. He was a nutcase. But he also turned out to be a star. And, even though he died years ago, like a

guardian angel, I can still feel him sitting by my legs when ever I’m alone, writing. Looking back, it was probably the worst way to come by a working dog. Giveaways aren’t guaranteed to work, generally they’ve not been wormed or vaccinated and the new owner has no idea what they are getting. Dougall had some natural ability at stock work and through heaps of oneon-one training and an extremely close bond with me, he turned out to be a legendary working dog and all round good guy. He was so loopy and willing to please I could cast him out around sheep, yell out ‘Dougie, roll over!’ and he’d do a commando-style flip mid-cast, then continue on his herding way. It was Dougall who put me on the path that has led me here today …

had no idea how to start Dougall’s training, but luckily my wise mum gave me The Black & White Dog Book and a video by Scott Hunt. This gave me a good foundation of the concept of being a ‘good boss’ for your dog. I would recommend it for anyone with any kind of dog. I still had no knowledge of my own ‘energy’ that I

He was the only pup in the litter. He was a giveaway. He was a nutcase. But he also turned out to be a star.

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referred to earlier. This concept was to be introduced to me later when I met Gippsland Working Dog Educator Paul Macphail. It was another meeting that would change my life — and later my family’s life — for the better. Paul taught me a vast amount — and I stress, taught me, not the dog. It had very little to do with the dog. Many of the techniques in this book I have learned from Paul. Some I’ve adapted along the way to suit me as a mother. Nowadays, with some experience with dogs behind us, many people ask us if John and I can ‘break a dog in’ for them. We always refuse… because it is the handler that needs educating, not the dog. The people who ask that question are the ones most in need of learning for themselves and about themselves. It’s up to you to find the information yourself and this book and the links provided is a good place to start. Now it’s time for you to meet Rousie, the black and tan Kelpie who is the star of this book. I documented his journey from puppyhood to started dog to not only help get as much useful information into this book, but to also make it more interesting. One of my readers, Bob from New

Zealand, named him after a competition on my website. I got him when my children were aged two and three, so my time in training was limited, but I have a few fast-track tips that even the busiest mum can manage. In the words of an old dogman down our way, Wally McGuiness, ‘We’re all given the same amount of time every day. It’s what we choose to do with it that counts.’ Instead of ironing tea towels or sitting down to watch Oprah, I chose to use my time, when children were asleep to spend ten minutes with Rousie. Or I’d get up early and take him for walks for training. So if you’re a mum, the following training can be done even with little ‘uns under your roof and hanging off your leg or breast!

Selecting a pup

tep One: Find a reputable breeder. If you get a pup that’s well bred and has a good temperament, 80 per cent of your work is done as a pup with nice natural work in their genetics lifts you to a different level of stockmanship straight away. That’s not to say giveaways like my first dog, Dougall don’t make good

In the words of an old dogman down our way, Wally McGuiness, ‘We’re all given the same amount of time every day. It’s what we choose to do with it that counts.’

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working dogs, but if you start with a reputable breeder who has knowledge of the bloodline traits, much of the guesswork is taken out of the scenario. We were looking for a pup that we could sell at the Casterton Kelpie Auction. We needed a dog that would back, bark and be fairly early maturing. We chose Rousie based on his breeding and on the reputation of his breeder. Use the web to locate breeders and word of mouth to find out who is reliable. Integrity and honesty flows through in all things — it is the same with dog breeders.

tep Two: Pay good money. We never hesitate to pay good money for a pup — the investment is well worth it. You can bet a pup that costs fifty bucks out of the paper wouldn’t be vaccinated, nor would have had calcium supplements and a proper puppy diet. Nor would it come with a guarantee to work. Many farmers rely on dogs that they get for nothing that have been bred about in the district … many of these are probably okay, but often these are the people who ‘go through’ several dogs to find one that’s ‘any good’. What a waste of time, energy and emotion! I

would recommend you buy one that’s guaranteed to be good straight-up, no questions. But be aware, if you get a well-bred pup, sometimes you’ll need to improve your handling skills to accommodate the increased instinct that a well-bred dog exhibits. If you’re the sort of person who shoots dogs when your temper flares, you’ll be less likely to shoot a dog you’ve paid good money for and you’ll be more likely to consider your own actions in how the pup has turned out. We had one bloke come along to one of Paul Macphail’s Working Dog Education courses who said he needed ‘steel dogs’ — meaning tough and bullet proof. By day two the bloke was nearly in tears, because he had the realisation that he had been the problem — not the dogs. He said he finally realised ‘so many dead dogs in the gully couldn’t all have been wrong.’ In other words, it was his approach to life, livestock and dogs that meant he could never find a dog tough enough or good enough — it was easier to shoot a dog and make it wrong, than to look at himself and how he was being with his animals and possibly his family. By paying for a pup and paying for a Working Dog Education course, you

“With a need to achieve economical sustainability in hard times, the worth of good dogs is being re-discovered.” — Paul Macphail, Working Dog and Human educator.

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are instilling value in that dog and the knowledge you are gaining. You are saying to the world, I’m brave enough — no matter what my age or status — to learn. Considering our dogs work for us for over 10 years, a one-off outlay of $500 or so is nothing when spread over that time. A two day working dog course could set you back a few hundred dollars for a weekend, but again, it’s worth every cent.

tep Three: Check out the parents. At home on our farm, we have a variety of different style dogs in our working kennels. We have paddock types, yard types and an all-rounder. We use different dogs for different jobs, so consider what kind of work you’re doing — then find a line of dogs that suits. Also consider the type of person you are … if you’re a hard, rough bugger — go for a dog who can handle your personality. If you’re a softie, find yourself a gentle border collie. As mentioned earlier, I had big trouble with my first dog, Gippy, as she’s as hard-headed as a rugby league player and I’m a softie. On days when I have the kids with me,

I take the easier, softer, more biddable dogs as I know I won’t be able to give the stock nor the dogs my full attention. So pick a pup that suits you and your situation. Softer dogs, for busy mums who have very little energy reserves are a must for the childrearing stage in life. When my kids have flown the nest, I’ll be ready for more of a challenge with a more forceful Kelpie, but for now, I’m sticking with my princess, Diamond, who is as gentle as a lamb (and gentle with lambs and children — which is perfect for frazzled mothers!)

Naming a pup

e deliberate when you select a name. A name with only one syllable is not as good as one with two. For example Bob is not as effective as Bob-bee. If you have more than one dog, name them with very different sounding names so they can easily distinguish their names — especially if you are working them all at once around stock like we do. At one stage we had Gipp-ee, Con-ee and Blun-ee. This was not a good situation when each dog is waiting to hear his or her name and a command. We knew we were going to sell Rouse-ee so

Definition; Biddable; (adjective) … meekly ready to accept and follow instructions; docile and obedient

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had no problems naming him that. Be careful of ‘S’ names. Our neighbours called one of the pups we bred ‘Star’. It can be tricky for the dog to hear the command… eg ‘Sit Star’ or ‘Stop Star’. It’s also tricky to say. The latest pup we sold was called Jack. Each time the other dogs heard, “Jack” they heard the sound as “Back” and would cast when we didn’t want them to. So sleep on a name and try it out in your head before you decide. Once I named a dog ‘Things’. This was so when people called to say ‘How’s things?’ I could say, ‘On the chain at the moment.’ It was a really lame joke but I never tired of it.

Getting Rousie home

irst half hour; I wormed Rousie and gave him a flea bath the moment he arrived. Bathing him also gave me a chance to feel him all over for any abnormalities and for him to get to know me. Then I put a collar on him with a tag in case he went walkabout … A word on collars while we’re here — we choose collars with metal buckles, not plastic ones. And we use nylon webbing collars instead of leather — again

because they are stronger and last longer. (Although my dad’s dog developed an allergy to the dye in the webbing collars — so it’s an individual thing.) If things are busy at your place and things like collars, leads and worm tablets are always in short supply, consider making it a regular gift for a member of your family at Christmas. That way, you’ve always got spares on hand. Although be selective on who you give the presents to, in case they think you’re implying they’re a real bitch! If the collar is distressing the pup, I ignore the behaviour and distract the pup with a positive diversion, such as a game or a bone. Put a collar on sooner than later. It’s the first tool to start training. You need to teach that pup to tie up as soon as possible, because you should never leave your pups alone if they are loose. Our pups are supervised at all times or they are confined or tied up. The reason is, well bred dogs have strong instincts to work. If you aren’t there to command them, they will look for work without you and learn all sorts of nasty habits that will be hard to break. To prevent Rousie from learning bad habits, like working the chooks or pet sheep, digging the garden, chew-

Our pups are supervised at all times or they are confined or tied up

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ing boots or hanging from the washing when we’re not about, we confined him in a pen over night and settled him in with a blanket and a bone to chew. Even as a little tacker, this rule applied to Rousie.

irst day and night; During the day, we gave Rousie a spot at the back door on a chain with a very comfy bed. (Make sure a chained pup can’t hang itself.) At first I only chained him for a short time, giving him a bone to chew. An alternative to a chain is a dog crate. Make sure your dog has water. I liked having Rousie nearby so he got any little food scraps I had from the kitchen. If I was busy with the kids, I could still have input into his training because he was near. Each time I went out my laundry door I would take him a treat and make him sit before he got the treats. He also learnt he was part of our family by being near the house. If the children toddled near him I could also show him that they weren’t objects to jump all over and lick. Exposing dogs to your life and family is the best way to train them. Locking them in a pen is not! So even if it’s a hassle — make sure you have them confined near where you are.

It won’t be for ever — just for the first few months of their life. Barking and reassurance: If Rousie was near the house, I could also teach him that barking is very rude round these parts! No barking unless I say. To stop him barking I used the word “Quiet!” and also a low, long whistle. It’s better than saying ‘Sit Down!’ as that can be confusing. “Quiet!” also has a higher pitch to it. Like his mother did, I would grab him by the jowls and growl at him, then I’d say “No! Quiet”. Later on, in the kennels or at the yards when an older dog is barking (and there isn’t a drought on) we use a hose or a bucket of water to cure naughty dogs of barking. Since they’ve been taught the whistle as pups, sometimes I don’t even need to call out “Quiet!” I simply whistle and the dogs know to be quiet.

Vet checks

f you’re buying a pup and paying good money for it, make sure it’s been wormed, vaccinated and vet checked. Most pups should have a 6-week vaccination against the nasty diseases of Parvo and Distemper (vaccinating

Exposing dogs to your life and family is the best way to train them. Locking them in a pen is not!

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against Kennel Cough is optional — depending if you will be travelling with your dog or not.) The pup will need a second vaccination at 12 weeks of age and then a booster each year after that. The vet will also check your dogs heart, hips and mouth to see if it’s undershot or overshot in the jaw and check out it’s coat and general health. Intestinal worms can kill pups. Pups from as young as 14 days old can be wormed with syrup. My dog health bible, Everydog by Eric Allan and Rowan Blogg says a good worm program for pups is 14, 28, 42 and 60 days of age. A dull coat and swollen belly is a sure sign of worms. If you haven’t already done it, get onto worming your pups right away — and do yourself, your husband and your kids while you’re at it! In the Kelpie breed there’s a nasty genetic disorder called Cerebellah Abiotrohpy or Ataxia, which attacks the nervous system and dogs end up with anything from a mild tremor to severe unco-ordination of limbs. Thankfully scientists are developing a test that can screen for carriers in a litter. If you are getting a Kelpie, it may pay to ask the breeder if their breeding stock has been tested. At this stage, very

few dogs would, however, I see in the future most breeders will opt for this testing so we can fast-track eliminating this nasty disorder from the wonderful Kelpie breed. We have experienced it first hand and it is devastating to have to destroy pups. If you have no luck with your breeder you can send blood samples to Dr Alan Wilton at the School of Biotechnology and Bimolecular Science at the University of New South Wales. You can find more information on Cerebellah Abiotrophy (CA) at the Working Kelpie Council website.

Alpha bitch language

ll training that we do from 0-6 months is based on the language dogs use to discipline or to communicate displeasure to each other. When Rousie was giving me the ‘irrits’ I’d mimic what his mum used to do to him when she was annoyed by him. She would sharply roll him over, grab him by the jowls and growl. When you watch a bitch do this to her pups, it can be amazing how severe it looks, and by the yelp of the puppy, how sharply the pup has got the message. This physical action of rolling a pup

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over is only needed a few times as soon the word ‘Quiet’ ‘Agghhht!’ or ‘No!’ becomes enforced. When Rousie was quiet I rewarded him by giving him good pats or I’d take him a bone.

Importance of timing

here are some training philosophies that label the roll-over growl approach as being someway cruel or negative for the dog. It can be if people get the timing and intensity wrong. Any form of training or education for any animal, be it dogs horses or children, relies on timing and intensity. Positive education is about applying pressure and then rewarding with a release from that pressure. Rollover discipline needs to be short, sharp, then all is forgiven, followed by some positive action once the dog is still. Some dog trainers don’t agree with the dominance of dogs in this way. Some say it’s unnecessary. Perhaps for some domestic breeds you may get away with not doing it, but I’ve found when training working dog breeds with high energy and a very strong work instinct I need to use the ‘alpha bitch’ language to gain their trust in my leadership.

If dog trainers don’t agree with this method I would invite them to come round to our place and see what waggy tailed, confident, well-mannered and gloriously happy dogs we have based on this foundation. And see how our children and our livestock are much safer around them.

Dogs and Children

ather than instilling fear in my children by telling them to keep away from my dogs, I encouraged my children to be safely near the dogs, with me supervising as the ‘alpha-bitch’. This is what happens in the wild with wolf packs. In my experience, the use of dog-language to discipline young pups results in happy, well mannered dogs who are safe to be around. My kids are used to dogs, but I never, ever leave them unsupervised with dogs — no matter how much we trust the dog. I’ve never had any problems with dogs I’ve imprinted with this rollover method from the puppy stage. I have had problems with dogs that have come to live with us and haven’t been imprinted in this way. I never let those ‘unimprinted’ dogs out when the children are around. Little faces are at teeth

In my experience, the use of dog-language to discipline young pups results in happy, well mannered dogs who are safe to be around.

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height, so it’s up to you to be constantly aware of where both the kids and dogs are at all times. It’s also important to explain dog language to children very early on. I’ve taught my children to recognise happy dogs and growly eating dogs and taught them not to squeal around dogs — because I’ve explained they sound like very edible baby rabbits.

Silly wiggly pups

ome people allow their pups to be silly and wiggly and rude because they don’t realise they can train them out of that behaviour from as young as six weeks. People say, ‘aww how cute! They are just pups’ and they’ll grow out of it.’ Plus there’s a belief that they are a working dog breed full of energy so they expect them to be like that. Crap! Even the most hyperactive of dogs can be trained to not be silly, wiggly, all over you and downright rude. I learned very early on with my own children not to say, ‘Aww they’re just a little baby.’ Babies are the best in manipulating their parents from the day they are born! I didn’t have to be harsh with my

babies to get them to sleep, but I did need to learn to set boundaries and to recognise when they were trying to cross them. It’s the same with pups. Gentle firmness and a whole lot of praise and love go hand in hand when instilling manners in both children and dogs and stopping silly wiggly behaviour! We also use a lead in training silly wiggly pups. A sharp check and a voice command get the dogs attention and then once we have eye contact, we load on the praise with very high soppy voices! If a dog falls and grovels at your feet, we ignore it and only pat it when it is sitting still and being sensible. We also teach the ‘Steady’ command. This helps if kids and pups are belting about and the dogs are likely to knock a child down. ‘Steady’ also applies to stock handling later on in the dogs’ life.

Get into their headspace

t’s a case of using gentle alpha bitch/ dog language, such as growling and using your fingers gently like teeth around the pup’s muzzle. The more extreme the pup’s behaviour, the more extreme the delivery of

Empathy (noun) the ability to understand and share the feelings of others

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your message to the dog needs to be. Some dogs understand after a few times, but sometimes more knuckleheaded dogs ask for discipline over and over again, just to test out who is going to be boss. If a pup is being a wiggley-fidget head, I would grab him by the jowls and say, ‘Arrrgght! Steady!’ If on a lead, I’d check the lead with a sharp tug and a voice command of ‘Arrrght! Steady!’ If all that is failing to make an impact, I roll them over and shortly and sharply really growl at them, not letting them up until they have settled. If they get up and still are showing no respect I repeat the roll-over and let them feel the energy of my anger. Once at a dog training course, I heard legendary collie dog handler, Greg Prince, say that young pups get so excited it’s like their heads are full of marbles and the marbles are all shook up and rattling round. You can see, once you’ve applied alpha bitch or dog language to a pup, you can almost see the marbles drop back into the slots as it settles down. You’ll still have a young pup that is bursting out of its skin with energy, but it’s a dog has been taught to be safe and

respectful from a very young age.

Express yourself

lot of this stage of the training is about self-expression and many people are too inhibited to do this. You need to use differing voice tones and body language. This is the time when you need to get over your own fears about expressing yourself in public. To train a pup you need to project lots of your internal energy towards the pup and be expressive — that’s a hard thing for some, particularly men, but once you forget about what others may be thinking, the faster your pup will connect and learn with you.

Don’t jump up!

umping up is also very rude here. (And dangerous for children) When Rousie jumps up, I again grab him by the jowls, growled like a big old alpha bitch and put him on the ground saying ‘Down’. I then talk to him about how rude it is to jump. I talk to my dogs not for the words that I’m saying but so they get the meaning, tone and energy of what I’m

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saying. We humans think we are so superior we don’t give animals enough credit for their intelligence. Dogs may not understand the actual words but they do understand the energy you are projecting. The moment Rousie’s sitting I give him loads of love and praise. By being near the back door Rousie quickly learnt that jumping on the children was a big no-no! Also, if Rousie wants to get off the chain for a run, he learns that you don’t jump up, roll over or wiggle or even widdle. He’ll have to be sitting still and be polite for the clip to be released by me.

Politically correct!

s our society moves away from the land to be mostly urban-based and people in western society have never known hunger, or what it’s like to create your own food and shelter using animals to help, we’ve invested much time and energy in humanising how we treat animals. So here’s my word on anthropomorphism. Big word, yeah? Anthropomorphism basically means putting human traits into animals … and it’s a very important concept we

as farmers need to understand. Many people in our society have been brought up with Lassie, Skippy, Black Beauty, Babe. These are all examples of animal characters, created by humans, who think and act like humans. It’s in our egotistical human nature to project our thoughts and feelings onto the creatures we share the earth with. In my view, anthropomorphism stuffs up a lot of things. Many city kids’ first contact with animals is through cartoon characters on TV that have human traits. It’s really created a society where farmers and their animal husbandry practices are completely misunderstood and misjudged by the masses. The dogs I see who are the worst behaved are the ones where the owner has projected human traits into them. When handling animals, you need to be direct and intentional with your communication with them. Never cruel — but very clear — and if clear means tough at times to get a message through that your dog is being dangerous — or endangering itself, then be very firm. A spoilt dog is as dangerous as a spoilt horse. You don’t need to be tough … but you do need to be firm and clear in your message to them. As I said

Anthropomorphism; (noun) the attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to god, animals or objects.

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before, clear communication, using ‘dog language’ has been labelled harsh or cruel. I believe this is good old anthropomorphism at play. Our society has moved so far away from mother nature and living and working with animals that we’ve humanised animals and how to communicate with them. I’d rather be very clear to my dogs using their kind of communication than to risk offending those in society who think animals share human sentiments. I’d rather have a dog know it’s place amidst humans than have to put them down because they’ve ripped the face off my child. I use the basis of the pack mentality that is the Universal Law of dog communication to make sure my dogs understand their place. It doesn’t mean I am cruel to them, nor they have less of a life. In fact if dogs know their place in human society, they have more of a life as they can be taken more places. My first dog Dougall had such a reputation for his manners that he was invited to the ABC Christmas party at the Southbank Studios in Melbourne. He rode up in a glass lift and met cricket commentating legend, Tim Lane. That dog could go anywhere with

me because I had been a good boss to him.

Natural dogmanship

t’s been the natural horsemanship movement that’s blown anthropomorphism out of the water in the horse world. People like Monty Roberts have educated thousands of people that if we are to fully connect to horses and other animals, we need to learn how they think and they communicate. It’s the same with dogs and working with stock. When people let puppies run amok, jumping all over them and biting because they are ‘just cute little puppies,’ they are failing to see how dogs communicate. Next time you get the chance watch a bitch with her pups and see how severe her discipline is … it’s short and sharp, but it has a clear message, then all is forgiven. Dogs don’t hold grudges. Pups need that same guidance from humans — they’ll have happier lives in the long run. They love to have a good strong boss and clear boundaries. When training dogs we also need to let go of the notion that it’s the dog’s

Many people watch, but few see. — Monty Robert’s Ideas to Live By “Horse Sense for People”

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fault or that the sheep are stupid. Often it’s humans who are failing to read the animals’ behaviour and judging them with our (falsley) superior human eyes. Humility and empathy are wonderful traits for all humans but they are essential for good animal communication and education.

Building Obedience 0 — 6 months 1. Using food as a training tool Rousie was so full of himself as a pup. To take his giant ego down a notch or two, I use food. I’m teaching him to take food gently and politely out of my hands. The first time I offered it he nearly took my fingers off, so the alpha bitch came out in me again. Now he waits until he is invited to eat the food. These manners are key in later training when using food reward. Because dogs are descended from wolves, it’s a universal law of survival that the leader of the pack eats first. Many farmers never use food as a training tool. It’s your best device to get through to a dog that you are a good boss. It’s also a very quick way of getting results from a dog with obedience. For a busy mum, I can give a dog a lesson in

a matter of seconds, simply by feeding the pup a treat as I walk past where he’s tied up. Later on, we use food as a way of teaching the ‘speak’ command. We get the dogs so excited that their dinner is there, when they bark, we praise them and label the bark as ‘speak’. Later on in the yards, you’ll have a dog that will bark on command. 2. Insisting on eye contact Getting eye contact from your pup means that the pup is ‘with’ you mentally. I put the pup on a lead, hold food in my hand and raise my hand up to my eyes. The pup’s eyes will follow the food — thereby teaching the dog to look at you. It’s kind of like Kath and Kim and the whole ‘look at moi!’ scenario. Eye contact is very important later when your dog is working stock. If a dog looks at you when you give it a command around stock, it means it is working for you — the boss — and it doesn’t have its own agenda. The moment the pup gives eye contact, praise it with your voice tone, your body and your energy! Praise is an important way of fast-tracking training in every situation.

Make it easy for him to do right and difficult for him to do wrong. —Monty Robert’s Ideas to Live By: Horse Sense For People

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3. Learning to wait When I open the door of Rousie’s pen, or unclip his chain, I teach him to wait until I invite him out of the pen or let him run from the spot he was chained. I’m also teaching him to wait for me going through gates. And wait before he eats. I use the command ‘stay’ instead of wait — but essentially the action is waiting — rather than a sit and stay. We’ll deal with sit/stay later. Remember, this is all foundation for when he’s older and working so it’s important it’s taught early. A dog taught to wait will not leap off the back of the ute into an oncoming truck. A dog taught to wait will not fly through the gate to head the lead sheep, leaving the tail of the mob to scatter. Everything I’m doing with Rousie today is foundation for tomorrow when he his out working in the yard or paddock. 4. Excuses, excuses A lot of people say they don’t have time to train a pup. Bull. It only takes five minutes a day when you feed them. When I had my kids, I admit I didn’t

train my dogs as thoroughly as my first dogs prior to children, but a foundation of obedience from 0-6 months ensures the dog will be at a good starting point when it is taken out and about on the farm. If I’m doing jobs like feeding the chooks, ducks and horses, I take Rousie with me. That way he learns how to be around these animals. If I’m driving down the road to the mail box I chain him to the back of the ute. If he barks on my way to the mail, I’m in no hurry, I can pull up and tell him off — so he never learns to bark from the ute. I fit his training in around what I’m doing with the children anyway. If you don’t have time, make time. It’s worth the effort. In dog trainer Scott Hunt’s words, the moment you sacrifice taking your dog with you for convenience, you’ve lost a chance to train it. So take your dog with you even if you’ve got the kids with you too.

Teaching a pup to come

dog with no recall, meaning it won’t come when it’s called is never going to make a safe, steady working dog until you train it to come

“Good relationships take time and work: and anyone who tells you differently is lying,” — Steve & Shaaron Biddulph, The Making of Love

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to you every single time. Not just when it chooses to come to you. A dog that has no recall will have less of a life — so it’s up to you, the owner, to do the best job on your pooch when it’s young so you have a dog for life, that’s polite, friendly and safe to have off lead. The trick in training a pup to come when it’s called is not to call it. I’m serious. Calling a pup when you can’t make it come only teaches the dog to ignore you. We only ever call a pup if we know we can make it come to us 100 percent of the time. We start our tiny pups on leads. We have a pocket full of treats and when we call them, we say the pups name and then the word ‘come’. Eg, ‘Rousie, come’. We ask twice, then on the third time, we enforce the command with a tug of the lead. When the pups come, they not only get a food reward but we let them know in our voice and with our energy that they are the best dog in the world. We squat down and sweet talk them, rub their bellies, scruff and chest and boost their confidence. If they don’t come or are distracted,

and we have to check them with the lead, it is a firm, sharp tug to send a message. Not to harm. The moment, and I mean the moment, that the dog responds, you load the praise on. Dog training is mostly about timing. When to praise. When to put pressure on and take it off. Much like horse training. It takes time to learn this art, so be very self-aware of your timing. After a few short ‘come to me’ sessions we build up the difficulty. We’ll let the pup scoot about with a really long light rope dragging about. A good few metres in length. We’ll have the treats in our pockets and when we call we know we can enforce the command by stepping on the rope and/or giving it a check. The pup soon learns that no matter what it’s up to, bum sniffing, chook checking … anything, it has no choice but to come to you. We also don’t allow our dogs to be out and about unsupervised — especially with the rope on. This can be dangerous for the pup, should it become tangled. We also only let our pups run loose if we are with them. If we’re not with them, they are confined. We have a chain at the back door so if we dash inside for any reason, the dog we have loose can be quickly tied up there.

Dog training is mostly about timing. When to praise. When to put pressure on and when to take it off.

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Bad habits like car chasing and stock-bothering start because pups are allowed to run loose. If you are always out with your pup and you have a long rope on it, you have a chance to correct a bad habit like car chasing before it even begins. Don’t think you’ll have to have the long rope on forever. By the time our pups are a few months old they are fully reliable on the recall. If they slip up, they lose privileges and are put back on the rope again. If you do have an older dog with bad habits, the method I’ve described will take longer to come into effect because the dog has already learnt to ignore you and not respect you. But if you persist with the method above, you can stop the dog from car chasing and make it choose that coming to you is the best possible option. After all, you are the alpha dog with the food and you have the right to be the boss of the pack. Don’t you? If you doubt it, your dog will soon take over. Here’s Lumpy, top left, our border collie pup, on a horse lunge rope. It’s the best way to teach a dog to come to you when you call it every time. We never call a dog unless we know it will come to us, otherwise you are

training the dog to ignore you. Letting a dog run in a high excitement environment like a beach is a great place to start to teach your dogs to come when they are called every single time by using the long lead. Treats in the pocket help, but Lumpy loves a pat and praise just as much.

Sit! Stay!

ousie, left, learning to sit and stay. I usually use a longer rope to get a further distance away, but I think you’ll get the picture. Loop the lead around a post. Sit the dog down. Reassure him. Hold your hand out in front of him saying stay, move back slowly. If he gets up, and runs to you don’t go crook at him. Just give the lead a little tug and I say ‘Agght’ (like a warning growl). Just re sit him and try again, saying the command and using the hand signal. He’ll soon learn he can’t run to you when he wants because of the pressure of the lead. Slap your thighs with your hands and call him with a “Come, Rousie,” and loads of praise. Slowly increase the amount of time and distance he must sit and stay. Soon you’ll be able to do it without the lead or the post. Also, it’s important to keep the lessons short.

We never call a dog unless we know it will come to us, otherwise you are training the dog to ignore you.

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Don’t keep teaching him for more than five minutes. Give him a rest and then go again. Young dogs can only handle short sharp lessons. And always finish the lesson on a positive note where both you and the dog have had a win.

Sit/stay is important

love this command. Even a shocker of a dog can be handy if you have a sit/stay on him. My first dog, Dougall wasn’t terribly well bred so had no natural instinct to stay off his stock. He could be ballistic. But I turned him into a handy dog by teaching him to sit/stay. I could position him in a paddock to hold a mob, while I went to open a gate. I’ve read about other methods in training sit/stay, like putting the dog up on a narrow saw horse and making it stay there until you say, but I find this method with the rope the fastest way to teach the command.

Come behind!

ou can tell in an instant what the relationship between a dog and its owner is simply by looking at how each

of them are connected with the lead. I’ve seen people hauled along by their dogs, the rope wrapped several times around the owner’s fist, the dog straining so hard its eyes are popping out of its head. The harder a dog pulls on a lead, the harder and more closed its mind is to training and to respecting its owner. No matter what breed of dog, lead pulling is completely avoidable through good education. That’s why we started on Rousie from day one. I began by carrying a light stick, left, to teach him to ‘come behind’ (Walk at my heels) He can choose to walk in front of me — but that choice results in a light, unpleasant flick on the nose and the command, ‘come behind’. It becomes his own choice — either to walk behind me or beside me — or to walk in front and be annoyed by the stick. I’ve never hurt or threatened Rousie with the stick. Light willow sticks are ideal — (not like the big clunker I’ve used in the photo). Rousie can simply choose to walk into it as I swing it, or he can walk behind me. He soon worked out that it was more comfortable to walk behind. We’ve got to the stage where he knows the ‘come behind’ command

The harder a dog pulls on a lead, the harder and more closed its mind is to training and to respecting its owner.

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and needs neither lead nor stick. But in saying that, there are high excitement times, when there’s wallaby or sheep about, when we need to go back to basics. Later on this ‘come behind’ command will be crucial in his next phase of working sheep which I’ll explain later. Each time a dog pulls on the lead, I know that dog’s not with me psycologically. You need to remember, the lead is not what you use to control your dog. You control your dog through connecting with its mind, using your voice and your body language. So be present to how you hold your lead. Can you hold it lightly … is it loose?

Where is your dog?

he Golden Rule is to always know where your dog is. You need to be responsible for your dog every minute of the day. You need to know where your dog is and what it is doing. Working dogs — even pups — should be tied up or enclosed when you’re not with them. I can’t express that enough! If you have a bitch whelping, build an

enclosure so you know where your dog and the pups are. People tend to project human emotions into dogs and think that it’s cruel to confine or tie a dog up. It is only cruel if they aren’t let out for a run at least once a day, or taken on a trip somewhere by you. If dogs are given exercise and time with the boss, they are happy to spend time in the pen or on the chain. Dogs sleep the majority of the day anyway. Also be mindful of wildlife. Dogs will learn to chase and kill wild animals if they are allowed — and this is simply not on. Many a good sheepdog has been rendered almost useless as once it sees wildlife, it’ll leave the stock and chase the wildlife instead. If a dog is with you all the time it can never learn this habit. Also, pups that have been raised as if they are on ‘permanent holiday’ (ie, running around doing what they please) will not come to work for you as readily when you ask them. Why should they work when they can do their own thing all day long? Once our dogs are let out of their pens, they are with us mentally as well as physically and are therefore revved and ready to roll with work when we

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say — not when they choose to be.

Tying up

ever ever tie a pup up where it can hang itself. Many good dogs have died this way and it’s very distressing for the owner. We’ve never had a pup hang itself because we always, and I mean always, tie them short or in a place they can’t hang themselves. It’s crucial to tie a dog short. Otherwise you could have a dead dog. We never leave dogs loose on the back of the ute. When I was a vet nurse I saw too many smashed up dogs who had fallen from utes. Our dogs are too valuable and vet bills are too big for us to take chances. We always have our dogs clipped up on the ute when they’re not working. Always make sure the chains aren’t too long so the dog can hang itself over the side of the ute. I’ve got Rousie tied up safely in between Diamond and Connie on very short chains so everyone is safe and they can’t get tangled. Never tie a dog up to a fence on a long lead. An excited dog can jump the fence and hang itself. It’s surprising the

number of people who don’t know that basic rule. If travelling with pups in crates — double check the security of the crate! We’ve had the experience of losing a pup on the roadside out of a faulty crate! Thankfully a kind person picked him up and we had him back the next day but the experience was awful. Always have your dog tagged and registered — that way if you do lose them when travelling about you’ve got a better chance of finding your dog!

Big Day Out

henever possible, take your dog with you. Many sheepdogs spend most of their lives at home on the farm. If they do have to get out of their comfort zone and take a trip to a vet or go inside a house, they can get very distressed. When I have young pups, I take them with me to get them used to different situations, different smells and different scenarios. It is very important in building the confidence in your dog — and that will make them a better worker in the long run on the farm. We are lucky enough to be asked to

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do dog training demos at agricultural shows. This was a chance for Rousie to strut his stuff in front of a couple of thousand people. Despite the distraction and the noise he worked really well on his sheep. He also went in the grand parade and handled the bagpipe band, steam engines, goats, gyrocopter and bush whacker band. It’s all part of his training for his life ahead. If there’s a few events on, sacrifice convenience and take your pup with you. It’s all foundation training for later on in life. Dogs learn nothing being left at home on the chain. A golden rule in the early life of your pups is … take it with you.

Good Food

nother golden rule is, feed your dog well. You wouldn’t expect to work a full day on an empty stomach. So no scrimping on feeding your working dogs! We feed our dogs a mix of commercial pellets and fresh meat — roo, possum or sheep — even chicken carcasses if we can scavenge some from the butcher. None of that canned stuff!

Also, because of the kids, we tend to have quite a few tasty kitchen scraps. I keep a chook bucket and a dog bucket on my sink and anytime we have a roast, the dogs enjoy the water from the soaked pan and any left over meat, bread, rice, pasta or vegies. I also have ducks and we give the dogs an occasional egg — maybe once a week but we don’t overdo the eggs. We never feed our dogs cooked bones as they can splinter in their gut and cause all sorts of problems. I still have vivid memories when I was a young vet nurse, giving an enema to a Cocker Spaniel and seeing shards of bone, sharper than knives being flushed out of the poor dog. Nearly put me off my lunch! Our dogs are athletes and we feed them accordingly. Good food equals good work. So no scrimping! We’ve found a good brand of dog food is CopRice because it is made from all-Australian rice product and the reason we want to support it, is it’s owned by an Australian farmer co-operative. Our dogs also do really well on it and they love it. It has less colouring and preservatives in it than other brands. Another good Australian product is Bonnie Dog food. It’s made from kan-

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garoo meat. We alternate between the two to give the dogs some variety.

Feeding puppies

hen our pups are just over three weeks, I help the bitch to feed them by offering them food. We give them anything soft enough for them to lap at, eg; milk, watered down gravy, CopRice puppy pellets soaked with a hot water to soften them, soggy bread and Weetbix. Soon on the menu will be rice, eggs, mashed vegies (I just cook extra when I cook for my own little human pups.) We vary what we offer the pups depending on what’s here. No special trips to town. When I do, I’ll grab some mince and start them on that too. It’s important pups get calcium supplements too — so their bones grow strong. We bought a tub of it in powdered form and we sprinkle it on their food. Raising a litter of pups properly is a lot of work — that’s why we find it frustrating when people flinch at paying a decent price for a working dog. When it’s done properly, a lot of time, energy and cost goes into raising healthy, well-balanced working dogs.

That’s why giveaways out of the paper can be a false start in finding a working dog … not only do you not know the genetics, but also, you can bet your bottom dollar not much attention, or money has been put towards diet. When I do, finally venture into the shops I’ll grab some mince or chicken frames and start them on that too. It’s important pups get calcium supplements too — so their bones grow strong.

Food as a training tool

have to stress again, food is a major training tool in motivating dogs to learn. Always use meal times to train your dogs. Never simply just chuck them their meal. Take the opportunity and the time to use food as a lesson each and every time! These lessons are key in giving your dogs the signal of where they exist within your pack. Mealtimes are the chance to reinforce that you are boss and you are a good boss.

No scrimping on feeding your working dogs!

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The basics of natural instinct

The Teenage Years

was wondering how I could best convey to you the basics of how dogs work using natural instinct. While packing up the kid’s toys I had a brainwave Enter Ballet Barbie, my trusty assistant (who is so attractive she can’t stand up and needs tape to help her stand in our demo yard.) With all the foundation training she’s done as shown in the first part of this book, Barbie has asserted herself as the Alpha bitch with her dog — which is what I have done with our dog, Rousie. From his upbringing, he knows I am higher in the pack than him. When we work sheepdogs we are tapping into a dogs natural instinct which has evolved from wolves who hunt in packs. Herding sheep is simply refined hunting without the kill at the end. Your dog’s natural instinct is to herd the sheep (prey) to you (Alpha wolf) as Barbie kindly demonstrates. A lot of farmers don’t know this basic

rule. It’s what all good dogs have in them — to work on what’s called ‘balance’ with the owner. Have a look at the second photograph and imagine it’s a clock. Say Barbie is at 9 o’clock with the sheep in the middle. A good dog will work at 3 o’clock opposite her. If Barbie moves to 6 o’clock the dog will moved to 12 o’clock and so on. The dog will naturally move to be opposite her so he is always bringing the prey to the alpha wolf. I’ve heard many people say, ‘the bloody dog keeps going round the front of the mob and standing in the gateway.’ That’s because thousands of years of genetics have deemed that dogs do that — they naturally work on balance to bring sheep to you. If we foster that natural ability in the training yard and encourage out dogs to work on balance and pull stock to us we are tapping into their natural instinct. Other people say they can’t stop a dog running completely around a mob. If you have a training set up like Barbie has, she’s in the perfect position to stop the dog running in circles around the stock. Barbie wants her dog to move in nice wide arcs to keep the sheep to her. It is only after we’ve honed the skills

Herding sheep is simply refined hunting without the kill at the end.

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of working them on-balance (shown again by Barbie) that we then go on to train them to work off-balance. Because we have taught them the ‘come behind’ command earlier, we can encourage the dogs to go against their instinct and stay in their unnatural position. It’s unnatural because it’s pushing the sheep (prey) away from Barbie (Alpha wolf.) If dogs did this in the wild they would starve! So you can see from Barbie’s lesson, she’s demonstrated there’s two ways of working stock, pulling them to you using natural instinct. And pushing them away from you by pulling the dog offbalance to the unnatural position. Many farmers make life hard for themselves and their dogs by not understanding this basic, natural instinct which is the universal law of good working dogs.

Introducing sheep

nce you have begun a foundation of obedience which includes all of the commands discussed in the first part of the book, you can introduce your pup to livestock. (Already, by taking your pup with you from a young age, it will be familiar with the smell and sight of sheep, horses, cattle, ducks

and chooks.) But now the pup is older, we can begin to introduce it to stock work. We begin in a round yard with a handful of quiet sheep. (If you don’t have a round yard you can block the corners off with panels to help create one.) To get quiet sheep, you need to either work them around with a steady older dog, getting the dog to bring the sheep to you at all times or if you don’t have an older dog to ‘break sheep in’, select runty, small young sheep that are less likely to hurt a pup. The initial aim is to get your pup pushing around the sheep and bringing them to you. We like our dogs to hover opposite us on balance — as Rousie is doing with John in the yards, see overleaf, and as Barbie has demonstrated earlier. At first, Rousie didn’t have the confidence to push between the sheep and the fence, but after his second attempt his confidence built enough for him to push through. We are not putting commands on Rousie at this stage — ie, John isn’t talking at all to him. Just gentle praise and reassurance. All we are doing is letting him get a

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.” — Henry Ford 1863-1947

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feel for the sheep’s flight zone in a calm, safe environment. John has a broom, left, as a visual aid to helping Rousie steady up if he get’s too excited and too close to his stock. John has his arm in the air as this is the signal to stop or sit or steady — which we’ve trained on lead. We give short sharp lessons — no more than five minutes at a time. Rousie is six months of age, but could’ve started this type of training two months ago — it all depends on how busy you are. Rousie will have good work style in him because of his breeding, so for the first six months of his life, we are concentrating getting his mind right and building obedience. Transforming a young dog into a worker takes years, so there’s no need to rush them or make the process intense and a chore. Most importantly, his natural instincts are bred into him and will come out no matter what age and stage he’s at. We plan on giving him two to three five minute sessions each night this week to bring him up to schedule. Because he is well bred he’s showing huge potential and is settled, smart and calm with his stock. For dogs that aren’t settled round

stock, you may need to step into their space and use lots of lively body language and vocal cues to let them know that razzing round stock is unacceptable. A high energy pup can be steadied, but ask yourself, do you want that kind of bloodline? Is there a steadier pup to join your team of three; you, the livestock and the dog. Here’s John, in red shirt, with Rousie about to start a lesson. We couldn’t find our plastic leaf rakes, so we had to make do with our real garden rake! But a plastic one is ideal or a broom does the job too. Later on, you can graduate to a bit of polypipe — but the early stages of training are aided by a rake. John is the position of control. He has sat Rousie down, unclipped the lead and put himself between Rouise and the sheep. This is the best position to start or finish a training session as you can more easily get the dogs’ attention away from the stock and get him to sit. After a few sessions, Rousie is now confident to push between the yard and the sheep to bring the mob to John. It’s this kind of brave yard dog that people look for at Casterton Kelpie Auction. Notice John’s body language. It’s pas-

Transforming a young dog into a worker takes years, so there’s no need to rush them or make the process intense and a chore.

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sive. And he’s not uttering a word other than praise. He is encouraging Rousie to steadily hold the sheep to him without coming in too close. When Rousie does get too revved, and too close to his stock, John uses the rake to indicate to him to keep off and settle down and also the growl that he’s come to learn as a pup. Remember, the rake is a visual tool. It is not for hitting a dog! Our dogs aren’t scared of the rakes — in fact they love a good scratch with them, but they have learned to move away from a rake, either left, right or backing off from stock. It’s all about having calm sheep, so teaching a dog to steady in this small yard will pay off for your stock later on. At this stage of training, John isn’t using any commands at all — we simply use body language … if we move into the dog’s space, it naturally moves opposite us. I’ve found when I’ve worked with participants at Paul Macphail’s dog schools that they find it hard to remain silent when working their dogs. It’s your position, not your voice that influences a working dog in the early stages of training. When working your dog and stock your position is

all important. If the wheels are falling off when you are moving a mob, check your position and then change it. See if that works better.

Directional commands

ogs don’t understand words, so we must build language into our training slowly. We use our body language to steer the dogs anti-clockwise around the sheep, then we change our body language and encourage our dogs to change direction and go clockwise around the mob. We do this a few times, using the rake to convey ‘steady’ if the dog is too revved. Like horses, dogs are sensitive to body language so your footwork in a training yard is very important. You need to get on your toes and move, move, move! You can’t teach a young pup unless you are prepared to put both physical and emotional energy into the training session. Once the dog is travelling freely and nicely to the left and right around the mob, based on your body language cues, you can then add commands. Make sure your voice tone is nice and light. Check if you have any tension — as this will be conveyed to both the dog

A calm energy in the handler is ideal when training a dog. Remember to breathe.

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and the stock. If you are feeling tense or nervous, breathe, and focus on enjoying the session! You can choose any words you like as commands for left and right. We use, back and over as I used to look at my watch and think ‘time is wound back’ (meaning the dog travels left) and ‘time ticks over’ (meaning the dog travels to the right). I’ve never been much good with lefts and rights, so my watch was the best tool when I first had to ingrain the commands in my mind. Also John and I chose to use the same commands as we share our dogs and it’s easier to have the commands the same as each other to avoid confusing the dog.

Dog’s Big Day Out

f you get the chance, take your teenage dog to a friend’s place for a social ‘dog training day.’ Different breeds and ages of sheep will present different challenges for your dog. When we took Rousie to a friend’s place, they had particularly ’sticky’ sheep which was a change from our ‘runny’ hoggets. For Rousie, there was also different smells, noises and dogs. It’s all a great way of ensuring your dog will work

with you no matter what the situation. We like to make our training social for both us and the dogs. It’s a chance to have a catch-up and a motivator to get training!

Beer O’Clock

s I said first up in this book, I’ve been known to train dogs on a hot summer’s night with a beer in my hand. My friend and dog training mentor, Ian O’Connell, once told me that you don’t have to be actively training a dog all the time in the yards. He said pups need to discover from themselves the behaviour of livestock and understand flight zones and mob leaders. After I’ve done a bit of balance work, I’ll move to the rail and sit down, have a beer or a yarn to John and simply let the pup hold the mob to me on the rail of the yard. This gives time for the pup to learn the effects of eye contact on leaders and to get a feel for stock. I don’t command the pup, I simply sit and let it hold the stock to me. If the pup begins to razz the stock, I steady it down and allow it to merely ‘hold’ the mob but not to influence or move it. Drinking is thinking time for both dog and handler! It’s also a chance to check your atti-

Drinking is thinking time for both dog and handler!

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tude. Are you enjoying the training? Do you feel relaxed. If you are, the dog will be and the stock will be comfortable with the scenario.

Help! Teenagers!

ousie’s up there at the six month mark — and is growing all gangly and goofy. He’s hit the teenage stage of puppyhood and as of today is out of his puppy collar. He’s into the real thing! The teenage stage of the pup is a challenging time and it’s where training can go horribly but temporarily pearshaped despite your good start from 0-6 months. Even with a good foundation of obedience, the pup can very easily begin to challenge you. Today when I said, ‘come’ to call Rousie to get into his kennel, he came a little way but then said ’stuff you’ and bounded away again. The moment he started exhibiting this kind of behaviour, he was back on the long lead again. If I can correct this kind of disobedience now in the adolescent years it won’t become a habit later in life. With Rousie at this stage in life, I always carry a lead with me in case he chooses to be disobedient. (Which he has done lately in our walks in the bush

where there’s flighty off-shears wethers and wallaby crashing about.) Because of his breeding, he’s one of the most willing pups we have had, so I reckon the teenage stage won’t be as trying as it can be! Phew! Always remember, the rules set in early training can be challenged by a teenage dog. This is when you need to be a firm, good, consistent and persistent boss. It’s also the time you need to watch your dogs around your kids. A puppy brain that is driving a big dog’s body is not all that safe when belting and tearing about near toddlers. Allow your teenage dogs to make mistakes at this stage and don’t put too much training or work pressure on them. You can ruin a dog at this point. It may be showing nice size and great work ability, but mentally it’s still not mature and if you work it for a full day, it will not handle the pressure and learn bad habits through shortcuts like biting, ignoring you or cutting stock out.

Stop dogs crossing

e use our body language and a broom to encourage Rousie to push opposite us between the fence and the sheep, left, thereby bringing the mob to us. The broom or rake is used to

The teenage stage of the pup is a challenging time and it’s where training can go horribly but temporarily pearshaped

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stop him ‘crossing’ between me and the sheep. The reason we make this a no-go zone for the dog as we want the dog to work the stock towards us at all times in the initial stage of training. If he crosses between me and the sheep, he will push them away from me, which is not what I want at this stage. If your dog goes to cross, simply gently block him with the broom. There is no need to use voice to reprimand. He is learning at this stage so our aim is to build confidence. Remember, the yard is just a representation of what goes on out in the paddock, it’s just it’s on a smaller scale. By teaching your dog not to cross in the yard from the start, you will eliminate this behaviour in the paddock. It’s important to have quiet sheep when training a young dog. Pet sheep are not always ideal as they can get cunning and learn to split or run in the middle of a mob of horses to avoid the dogs. But on the whole pets can be good if they are quiet. Here’s John putting Rousie round his sister Kate’s pet sheep (Sorry Kate!). You can see the advantage of the pets. They feel safe sticking to John and he is in a position of control should Rousie

get too wound up, but they don’t mob too well and the dogs can get excited and confused should a pet sheep break away. This is when the advantage of having a good ’stop’ on your dog comes to the fore. When things did get too fast, we could stop it all by making Rousie sit. Notice John’s body language and eye contact he has with Rousie. This foundation was all put in place months ago, away from stock on a lead.

Playtime!

ousie is a late maturing dog. He’s still got a tonne of pup in him, despite his big dog size. It’s important we let him have ‘playtime’. But it always must be under supervision and under control. Here he is, see next page, hassling our old Gippy. The turfy dry ploughed paddock on John’s Dad’s place was ideal to get the rev out of this young dog. Never let your dog off and let it roam too far away from you. Your dog should have a natural ‘zone’ — in that it shouldn’t stray beyond a certain distance from you. Call it back when it does. If it doesn’t come, go and get it and take away the

“It is knowledge that keeps me calm and free of any desire to dominate through fear” — Monty Roberts, Horse Sense for People

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playtime privilege away by tying it up or putting it back on a training rope. Make training a game! As humans we get so serious about things we are trying to achieve! That’s why it’s important when training dogs to make it fun! I want Rousie to learn to hop up on anything I ask him to. Whether it’s a bike, a sheep, a horse, a ute, a log or a bar stool. The great game we played this morning with all the dogs was hop up on the stump, sit, wait and then hop off. Some times I’ll call each dog down individually and make the others wait until they are called. It’s a fun game you can do anywhere and it teaches dogs that you’re great to be around and that training can be a game. Note Rousie has that rope on him. He’s still challenging me when I call him. This way, I’m always in control.

Ute dog

ere is Rousie learning to hop up on the back of the ute. I’m not hanging him! I’ve just got a constant pressure on the lead and I’m making it fun and exciting with my voice tone.

The moment he tries to hop up, like his is in the photo, I help him up onto the tray. Then he gets loads of praise and even a food treat. Also I always help young pups get down off the ute. Their bones aren’t as strong as adult dogs so I tend to help them down to start with. Soon, after a short time, ‘hop up’ will become second nature to the dog and you don’t need the treat or the lead. Some people train their dogs to only get on and off the ute at the back so they never risk falling under the wheels. It’s up to you how far you want to take training.

Barking on Command

eaching a dog to bark on command is also a game. We teach our dogs to bark on the ‘speak’ command by putting them in a high excitement situation and making a hissing noise. The moment they bark, we praise them and say ‘Speak’ again, so that soon the dog learns the voice command. Dinner time is a good time as the dogs are excited to receive food. Hold the bowl near them and really rev up your energy and your voice tones, hissing and carrying on. The very moment the dog barks, praise it and

It’s important when training dogs to make it fun!

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give it its food. Soon, each night you’ll be able to make your dog sit, stay, speak and then lie down for their dinner. We have a ‘that’ll do’ command too, to end all activity, whether it’s in the yard or after a game of ‘speak’.

Teaching Rousie to back

ome dogs are natural at backing and will pick up race work naturally. Others need more training. I’ve seen Greg Prince teach the most softest natured collies to back. It’s about what you want in your dog. Some young dogs don’t enjoy backing one day, then a few weeks later, they click and they’re off and backing. The important thing is to make it safe and fun for you and the dog and not traumatic for the sheep. We find our ‘practice’ sheep eventually become as quiet as pets. They get used to the training session and get their heads down grazing as soon as we are done. We’ve got a great set of porta-yards outside the house so it was easy to duck out after tea, with the kids tucked up in bed, to give Rousie a 10 minute session. I got the yards three years ago as a Mother’s Day present and they are the best things! Tas-Ag at Campbell Town stock them

and they’re made by Highfield-Arrow. I’ve put that little plug in there, because I think they’re great and they’re the best thing for a busy mum! You don’t have to have anything as flash as these near your house. You can rig up something temporary nearby if you don’t have a set of yards, or do a baby sitting swap with your friend so you can get your dog over to some yards. But these wonderful yards have meant I’ve been able to keep playing with dogs and yet still look after my tiny wee babies in the house. Now back to the backing lesson … To start Rousie backing, we let him work on balance for a time out in the round yard, then we put our five quiet sheep up the race. We put Rousie on a lead and led him through the gate into the race behind the sheep. Here we make a game of hopping up onto the back of the first sheep only, then calling him back down. Remember we’ve already taught hopping up games on the ute and logs previously so the foundations are already there for the command. He’s used to me half lifting him onto things too — so the handling as a pup is paying off at this training stage.

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Once Rousie is up on the sheep we give him lots of praise. In the first session, the reason we let him straight back down from the first sheep is to teach the dog he has an escape route and is safe in the confined space of the race. At no point do we let him jump out of the race — we can control this using the lead and voice command. We make the lessons so fun and safe that the dog won’t want to be anywhere but in amongst the sheep. After about three goes, once he had a handle on hopping up and down, we encouraged him along to the end of the race. We got a tail wag at this point and I let him sit there for a while sniffing the sheep and getting used to the sensation of the wool under his paws. After a time, I called him back along the race where he must hop down and stop. It was his first lesson, so we kept is short and fun. Our Connie was a natural backer so barely needed any lessons. Rousie isn’t as confident in his nature, but there’s signs there that once it clicks, he’ll be a fly-along-the-race kind of dog. A couple more sessions should do the trick. When teaching dogs to back always keep the welfare of your sheep in mind. I keep lessons short for their sake, just

as much as the dogs. The sheep also know they get an extra ration of hay ahead of anyone else on nights they’ve worked.

Diverse and interesting

e’ve been showing you lots of images of drills for Rousie. At this point it’s important to stress that dogs get stale and bored if you do the same training over and over. To avoid this, we take our young dogs and horses out on real jobs too. This gives them a burst of excitement and activity. We were drenching about 300 wethers on the weekend. It was a chance to give Rousie a taste of working a real race and the change to go round a big mob. We only let him work when the mob was in a small paddock so everything was calm and controlled. Expecting a six month old dog to work all day is too much — you blow their brains and they learn bad habits. We simply gave Rousie short controlled bursts of work. I didn’t have my camera with me, so instead I’ve posted a shot of pregnant Connie on the job and young Marigold, our green Australian Stockhorse

When teaching dogs to back always keep the welfare of your sheep in mind.

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filly who is not yet three. She loved the chance to learn on the job out in the bush. If we encounter any problems doing real jobs with our young dogs and horses, we take them back to basics in the yards.

Another training aid

ur Jack Russell is used as a training aid sometimes. We let her scoot about on the beach to raise the excitement for pups. Then, when the pup is fully focused on the little dog, we call the pup and use the long horse lung lead to ensure he gives us his attention and comes away from his Jack Russell chasing activity. This teaches your dog to come to you every single time, no matter how exciting some situations are. Many people say their dog only comes to them when they call it when there are no distractions. Setting up a training opportunity such as this will lay the foundations of a dog who comes when it called 100 percent of the time so they are socially acceptable and safe around stock. We use a lead very early on to teach our dogs to come away from the excitement of stock, then they are to remain on a loose lead matter how exciting the

world is out in the paddock or the yard. You want your dog really listening and connecting with you â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not through dragging him about on the lead â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but through his gorgeous little mind. (The more a dog pulls on a lead, the harder its mind will become. I see city dogs dragging their owners about on leads and I can tell in an instant the dog is hard and arrogant in the mind because the handler has allowed it to become that way.) Create situations of high excitement to get your dog focusing on you and remember loose lead at all times! As mentioned earlier, the more a dog pulls on a lead, the harder its mind will become. I see dogs dragging their owners about on leads and I can tell in an instant the dog is hard and arrogant in the mind because the handler has allowed it to become that way.

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Do you want to put up with crap behaviour?

Oh, Uh! Problems

y dog training friend, Paul Macphail, once posed this question to me after my Kelpie Gippy put it all over me in the yards. It’s a question I think all dog owners should ask themselves each day in regards to the dogs they share their lives with. Do you want to put up with crap behaviour from your dog towards you? If you don’t — then do something about it. We’ve had Ellie, pictured left, staying for the past few days. She’s an example of what good training can do for a dog. She’s a joy to have around. Ellie is a border collie we bred and selected for our friends, Lib and Bruce, who lived in Melbourne at the time. Shock! Horror! A working dog in the city!? Well — not so at all in Ellie’s case. We picked out Ellie especially as a city dog because of her temperament. But not only that, we knew Bruce and Lib would be fantastic dog trainers. They had never had a dog before in their lives, but they took in all the information we supplied and worked very

hard with Ellie’s training. Now, thanks to Bruce and Lib’s dedication, Ellie is now five and she can handle any social situation because of her training — plus she has a great life as she can be taken anywhere with her family, which now includes two little baby boys. I’ve held Ellie up as an example that you can teach a dog to fit into your life on your terms. Recently, Jess wrote to me regarding her labrador who has a very bad habit of pushing past her through the gate when she feeds the horses and, in her own words, ‘running rampant wherever he feels like it’. Basically, Jess, it’s up to you to ask yourself, ‘Do you want to put up with that crap?’ If not, lay down the law. Take away his privileges. Don’t let him run free out in the paddock, until he learns that when you call him he must come to you. Put him on a long rope in the paddock and don’t call him unless you know you can make him come to you. Calling a dog and not making them come only trains them to ignore you. If he ignores you give him a sharp check with the rope. The moment he gives you a look, praise him and when he comes, have your food reward ready

‘You create your own universe as you go along.’ — Winston Churchill

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and your over the top ‘mummy-lovesyou’ voice! The good thing about Jess is that labs love food. At the gate, I would put him on the lead, like I’m doing with star pupil Rousie, carry a plastic garden rake and teach him the come behind command. You can get quite tough on a rude dog with attitude with a rake and not hurt them. I’m not suggesting hit him with it. Just use it as a visual block and keep checking the lead and say, ‘Wait’. If he chooses to run into the rake — as some exicited and rude dogs do, he’ll soon learn that it’s easier to wait and offer you some manners before he’s allowed through the gate. Being firm with your dog doesn’t mean you love him any less … it just means you are being a better boss for him.

Barking on Utes

ometimes a ute drives past our place and on the back is a barking, yapping, annoying dog! It usually sets our dogs off barking too. One whistle and our dogs stop, but I can’t help but feel for the fella driving the ute who is listening to it the whole way! Here’s Rousie and I demonstrating

how you can correct a dog’s habit of ute-barking. I’ve got a horse lung lead attached to Rousie and everytime he barks, I give him a sharp tug and growl at him through the open window. I wouldn’t suggest this driving on a public road, but certainly driving round the paddocks is a good place to train your dog. Remember, your dog needs to already be responsive to your verbal ‘growl’. If you haven’t enforced that ‘No’ or ‘Agght’ really means ’stop it’ for your dog, you’ll have to go back to basics and enforce the ‘No’ or “Agght’ command by rolling your dog over. For some reason, when I’m really cross with a dog, I’ll add, “By Jingos!” to my command. I’ve no idea why or where it came from, but another friend of mine says the same thing! “By Jingos!” It’s pretty dorky, but my dogs know I really mean it when John or I say it. (The F word is reserved for Gippy and she knows to obey once I’ve uttered that!) So if you have a ute-barker, give this a try. Or better still, don’t let your dog start barking in the first place — unless it’s on command.

“By Jingos, By crikey!”

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Gippy the Chook Looker

ere’s Gippy. Mmm. She’s chook obsessed. It was my fault. I created this monster! I had her as a pup in Central Queensland. She was too young to start on the Brahman cattle, and there were no sheep in the district, so I began training her on my chooks. Since that time, she’s been a chook looker and will look at them all day. Given the chance, she will teach the younger Kelpies the same habit. The beauty is we have enforced the ‘No’ or ‘Agght’ command so if she heads over to the chooks we simply growl at her and call her away. Breeds such as Kelpies and Collies will always have obsessions. The trick is to train them enough so that your command overrides the obsession and to confine them when you are not with them, so they aren’t free to practice their obsession all day. It’s the same with ball-obsessed dogs … use a finished signal and remove them from the place they were playing. And never ever throw a ball to a dog that has just dropped it at your feet when you haven’t invited it to play. When you do, you are obeying the command of the dog! You are also

rewarding it for commanding you by throwing the ball. You are the boss. You get to say when the games are played. It’s all about respect. If Gippy goes back to chook looking or the ball obsessed dog goes back to the ball, we remove the privilege of being loose by putting her back in the pen, or taking away the ball. It’s handy to teach a dog a ‘finish’ command using a hand signal. With our sheepdogs, once we’ve completed a job with the sheep, I’ll say to them ‘That’ll do.’ and even thank them! Then I’ll call them in behind my heels or get them to jump on the ute. It’s a verbal signal that the job’s over. They always get pats and praise too.

Barking in adult dogs

t seems Rousie is the perfect pup for a Casterton Auction dog … he’s bold and tenacious. But that means he can be a hard little bugger to crack — as some young Kelpies can be. His barking has been driving me nuts, particularly while I’m trying to edit my novel! He’s now out in the other pens with the big dogs, so while he knows not to bark at the back door, he’s yet to learn that barking from the kennels is also a no, no!

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How do I deal with it? If I ignore it — he learns that it’s okay to bark. So I resign myself to the fact that it’s going to take a week of my time to stop the habit — but one week is nothing in the lifetime of the dog. Especially with a habit as annoying as barking. If he barks I stop what I’m doing and call out to him, ‘Quiet’. I do that twice, to give him a chance of chosing the right behaviour. If on the third time he doesn’t stop, John or I trudge outside (blood boiling) and he gets a bucket of water or hose in the face, while we say the command. ‘Quiet’. We leave the bucket outside his pen as a visual reminder and have it filled so we can correct the behaviour in an instant. We find this method the kindest way of making discipline contact with the dog without physically hurting them or roughing them up — (especially when you’re really furious in the middle of the night!) It’s taken about a week of splashing water about and now Rousie is respectful, yet still happy and confident. And he knows not to bark unless we say he can. (This method really let me down this year during the drought as we had no water.) Another method when there are droughts on is a collar that emits a

warning for the dog if it barks. The dog has the choice to keep barking and get a static electric shock or to be silent. (We’ve tested them on ourselves and the zap isn’t painful, just irritating.) The collars allow the dog to correct its own behaviour and readjust to low voltage automatically if the dog is behaving. While I’ve never chosen to use electric collars on dogs, sometimes having a barking collar is handy if you are travelling with your dog and need to make sure you don’t disturb other people. But the best way is to train your dog from the outset that barking is not on unless you say. Our dogs know they are allowed to bark to tell us someone is coming onto the property, but one whistle and their job is finished and they must remain quiet.

All in a day’s work

t may be a hassle — but wherever you can, take the pup with you when you’re working. Little lessons can be slotted in and around your work. We had crutching to get done and the last thing I needed along with the kids was Rousie the pup in the shed. But to outsmart myself, I always tell myself, ‘a pup won’t learn anything on the chain

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or in the pen.’ I say it over to myself when I get slack. It worked this weekend. As we were getting the ewes and lambs in Rousie started to bark from the back of the ute. Because we were travelling slowly I was able to stop the vehicle and inform him that his behaviour was undesirable. I used the jowl grabbing and growl technique with the command ‘Quiet!’ Next, we tied Rousie on the board near where we were working. It exposed him to the sights, sounds and smells of the shearing shed in action. It’s surprising the number of people who don’t do this to very little pups and then expect them as older dogs to instantly start working in a shed. Again we could work on the ‘quiet’ command if he barked at all. The kids got to play with him too which all helps in his confidence with humans. The other exercise he learned that day was on lead. As I walked behind the mob I kept him on lead and with a sharp check on the lead called him to my heels with ‘Rousie, come behind’. The moment he came to me and gave me eye contact I loaded on the praise. This basic command of having recall on

your dog around stock is key. Having him on lead also means I can keep a lid on his excitement. He learns to listen to me in the yard, no matter how thrilling it can be. If he saw the older dogs cantering past his instinct is to bound after them. By checking him on the lead, he soon learned that his job was to listen to, and stay with me the whole time. The second last lesson for the day was jumping up on the back of the ute. I put the tailgate down and climbed up myself with his lead in hand. I made it a fun game and asked him to ‘hop up’ with a high excitement tone in my voice. The moment he tried and put his paws up, I helped him up and made a friendly fuss of him! The final lesson for the day was, that after being a good working dog and being with me all day, Rousie had an extra special meal and loads of pats. Feeding time is a lesson in itself. Please note that at no stage was Rousie on the loose throughout the day. That way he has no chance of learning bad habits. There was plenty of time for him to yee-ha round the place later that day at feeding time. But during work times he’s with me or tied up.

Before enlightenment you chop wood and carry water; after enlightenment you chop wood and carry water. — Proverb

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So to recap; If I hadn’t taken Rousie to work with me that day he wouldn’t have started lessons in the following areas: To ride quietly on the back of the ute To come when he’s called in a high excitement environment (ie when stock and other dogs are present.) To be calm and settled around stock To feel comfortable around the noisy shearing shed To learn to jump on the ute To learn that working with us is fun and safe and friendly We are the boss — but we are the best bosses in the world A day out working means extra special dinners Now that’s better than leaving him at home in the pen!

Horsing around

ome people complain their dogs try to chase their horses and they can’t have them both together at the same time. This is a real shame and so unnecessary as there’s nothing better than riding along with your dog at your horses’ heels — and all dogs can be trained to be sensible around horses.

Firstly, we ensure we have quiet horses to start with. We select our horses on temperament, and not looks. That’s a big start in knowing you have a horse that won’t react if a pup runs underneath or behind it dragging a lead. Steps we use to introduce pups to horses: Let a young pup sniff the horse and even sit it up on their backs, reassuring both horse and dog. If the pup barks or tries to herd the horses, I scruff them, roll them over and let them know clearly (but gently and kindly) that the behaviour is undesirable. When they are quiet and sensible I give them lots of praise and long strokes down the back. We allow our horses to graze around the kennels. If the pups bark at the horses, again, we make it clear the behaviour is undesirable. We expose the pups at a very early stage and each of them know the ‘aggght!’ (you’re being naughty) sound. If they get too close to hooves, etc, we can quickly let them know they’re not doing the right thing by checking them on the lead. Soon, after a time, it becomes natural

It is a teacher’s duty to create an environment in which the student can learn. — Monty Robert’s Ideas to Live By: Horse Sense for People

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for your horse and young pup to be together and each are safe and respectful of each other and you. All training on the ground gradually transfers to when a rider is on a horse. I hadn’t worked Connie much from a horse so we went backwards for a day as she stopped chosing to obey me. After a few trips out with the horse, Connie is now in the swing of things.

Pack feeding

ake sure your ‘top dog’ is always fed first and fed the best bits. This will keep your pack of dogs stable if you have more than one. This is using pack language where we, the head ‘wolves’, are giving the next dog down in the pecking order, the cue that they are higher in the pack than other dog. If you get a new dog, or a pup, always feed it last to show your pack that you still give the older dogs a higher status. Pack leadership changes, so if you’re dogs are suddenly fighting, it’s natural, so don’t stress. Male dogs left in a dog run together unsupervised can challenge a pack

leader and cause a lot of physical damage and even death, so if you notice a challenge for the leadership, make sure you keep the dogs apart unless you are there to supervise. In our pack, we, as the ‘head wolves’ deem there is ‘no fighting.’ If our bitches have a ‘scrap’ we let them know they are in disgrace and are taken back to their pens or tied up. To help a dog maintain it’s pack authority, give it privileges like extra attention so they know are still top dog above the other … but they are never top dog over you.

Choosing company

his is Indi, left, our Jack Russell terrier. She’s called Indi because she come “indi” house and rides ‘indi’ car. She’s great with the children, but a pain in the arse when it comes to training pups! Indi has raised a very good training point that I want to share with you … When training a sheep dog, be very selective about the company you allow it to keep. Letting our kelpie pup, Rousie, run with Indi the other day — even for a short time — turned him into a gang-land boofheaded thug! And I’m

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still trying to get his mind right! To explain how this happens to pups. It starts when they run with other dogs with hyped-up natures. Terriers are a classic example! Earlier this week, I went walking in the bush. I had Rousie on a rope, but I was letting him run free. He’d scoot up the track ahead of me, then look back to me and if I called, he’d come straight to me. His focus was completely on me and the training was going well. Then Indi blasted in! (She must’ve got out of the house and she can find me anywhere on the farm, no matter how far out in the bush I am!) The high energy of that dog and her instinct to hunt and flush out wallaby revved Rousie up to the point that he was intent on following Indi into the bush and ignoring me. If left unchecked, that kind of behaviour would soon turn into a habit — I would have a working dog that is revved and ready to chase wildlife — instead of one that is there for me.

Old girls to the rescue

oday when I took Rousie for a training walk up the bush, I made sure Indi was tied up at home. I also took my older sheep dog girls

who know the drill. They are focused on me and don’t stray from the track. They are allowed time to run ahead for some relaxation but at other times they must walk at my heels when I say. (Very important at this time as Gunn’s Timber company has been poisoning and dead wildlife carcasses are scattered everywhere.) The energy of my sheep dogs had a calming influence on young Rousie, compared to the revved-up Russell! So in short — limit the time and influence revved up breeds have around your working dog. Choose their company wisely. Often training is more about your own discipline too, than that of the dog. It was my slackness that caused Rousie’s training glitch. I should’ve tied Indi up in the first place and known that even though she comes ‘indi house’ she can also open doors and get ‘outta da house’!

Manners please!

here are certain manners we expect from every dog who joins our family. We’ve had a visiting border collie, Tammy, who went home with this report card. I thought I’d share it with you to give you a guideline as to some of the

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boundaries we set for our dogs. ‘Manners’ include: Not pulling on the lead Waiting to go through doors and gates behind the person Allowing herself to be handled all over (should she ever need a vet to do the same) Not jumping up on visitors Coming when called — every single time. Tammy had a habit of only coming to within a foot of me and used the bluff — being a nervy dog — by setting the rules for herself. I have been asking her to come right to me and to give up her ‘nervy’ front. She responds so well to food during training sessions that this has hastened the process. (We’ve used small bits of Devon) During training I’ve allowed her to run ‘free’ in the garden — but with a long lead attached and then called her over. Should she ignore me she gets a quick tug on the lead as a reminder, then the moment she arrives at my feet we have a party with lots of love and a food reward. Here’s some advice I gave her owner;

Two of the biggest tools you have in educating Tammy are — food and voice tone. At home, make Tammy sit, stay and look you in the eye before having dinner. This will assert you as the boss. Dogs love a good boss and a good boss always says when a dog can eat. (As in a pack situation in the wild). I use a very growly ‘no’ or even just a growl to indicate displeasure. I might even put my hands over the dogs’ muzzle as if using my fingers to ‘snap’. There’s no need to physically hurt a dog ever, this ‘snap’ is a very clear message to say I am boss. My discipline is short, sharp and then all is forgiven. My praise is in a light fun-filled energetic voice. Timing in both praise and disapproval are key! We also roll our pups over and ask them to lie still until we say they can move. This is asking the dog to submit. Once up, again we have a big party and tell them they are the best dog in the world. Once they’ve learned to submit, they’ll be much more willing to take lessons from you for life.

Revved up stock work

f your young dog is hassling and revving around stock and not listening

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to you in the paddock, it means it is too soon for it to be working on a real job. Take the dog back to the yards and start over again with settled steady training sheep, then try the paddock again. If you’re getting nowhere in the yards, remove stock from the equation and go back to basic obedience with your, sit, stop and steady commands. If things are still not working, it’s you that needs help more than the dog. Find the nearest working dog trainer in your state — the Working Kelpie Council is a great place to start — and book yourself into a dog training school.

Give it time

t takes years for a dog to fully mature and even then, like humans, they will have their good days and their bad and their strengths and weaknesses in their working ability. It’s up to you to not only be in touch with your dog and livestock’s needs, but also in touch with your own needs. By working dogs and stock more gently you are being kinder on your self, kinder to your family and influencing your farm finances in a positive way. If you are a woman on the farm imprinting the first six months of a pups life

are invaluable. Make dog training your business because dogs offer us wonderful life lessons. Aim to leave the world a better place than how you found it.

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ne of the best things for me in learning about livestock and working dogs has been meeting other like-minded women. It’s also been the joy of seeing these women, some who had never worked a dog before, blossom and grow and find a new innerconfidence. They’ve also altered their farm businesses and made life more enjoyable for their entire family. Below are some encounters I’ve had along the way of women who have discovered the joys of learning about dogs and livestock … they are women I’d like to thank for their inspiration. So gratitude to the following women who prove it is never too late to learn …

Penny

first met Penny at Paul’s Working Dog Education school. She had spent the past 30 years in the farm house raising kids. When the children had flown the nest she had rescued and mothered a tiny runt pup. She loved the dog so much she thought she’d take it to a twoday course with Paul. That decision changed her life and gave her a freedom she’d never known. She and that runt pup went on to become a very handy team. She became

the main stockworker for her family and now, with her husband retired from farming, Penny continues to work as a part time contract stockwoman with her dogs.

Sandra

andra first attended one of Paul’s schools because she was worried one of the tear-away pups would be shot if she didn’t do something about it. Years on, and her family and farm business has benefitted greatly from that decision. The initial training of pups in general obedience is now done by Sandra and her children. ‘As a rule male farmers don’t have the time and patience for a pup that age,’ she says. She said by completing a school she got a better understanding from the dogs’ point of view about what’s natural and normal to them. It’s also given the children the life lesson of empathy and responsibility for animals. “I’m a big believer in lots of love and affection for dogs. I came into a culture where the old school belief was don’t pat a working dog. ‘Now, our 15 year old sheepdog sleeps inside. I’ve managed to change that culture.” Her husband now receives

Wise women and their working dogs

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the started dogs from Sandra and they are are not only obedient but are very much a part of the whole family.

Jeanie

eanie came to farming later in life after a career as a top secretary in Sydney. Because she had an active, open mind and wonderful empathy skills, she soon adjusted to being one of the best animal handlers and thorough farmers I know. Even though Jeanie had never worked a dog, we sold her a gentle border collie pup, Jemma, who was quite biddable. Because Jemma had a good foundation of training and Jeanie had the willingness to observe and learn from her animals, Jemma and Jeanie became quite a team on her sheep and cattle farm. I now enjoy Jeanie’s company every winter when we take our sniffer dogs out to search for Tasmanian truffles in the beautiful trufferies. Jeanie and I share a friendship, joy and connection to dogs that I am eternally grateful for.

y wonderful friend Em, sadly lost her dad to illness and was left to run the farm with her mum. She was

confronted with what to do with her dad’s working dogs and couldn’t see a future for them as she’d never handled a working dog before. A course with Paul Macphail was the turning point, as she gained the confidence to take on the care of her dad’s dogs. They now share a special bond and are incredibly loyal and obedient to her. Her dad would be so proud of her!

Steph

teph is a friend who I rarely see but she’s often in my thoughts. Her whole life has been linked to animals and her love and ability with working dogs has been an inspiration. Her dogs, like her, are wonderful characters and their connection between woman and beast is something other-worldy.

Danielle

anielle and her Kelpie had never worked sheep before. Danielle is one of Australia’s most gifted writers who was lucky enough to marry a farm boy. On her travels she bought a kelpie in WA that had good breeding and was superbly trained by Danielle It was a joy to see her and the dog

In the words of an old dogman down our way, Wally McGuiness, ‘We’re all given the same amount of time every day. It’s what we choose to do with it that counts.’

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come to a training school where the dog revealed the most brilliant natural instincts and the most wonderful bond between dog and owner. Seeing her city-based Kelpie blossom in the yards with stock was a great life lesson for me, that you can teach an old dogs new tricks.

Kath

ath and I shared the constraints of motherhood and the frustrations of having limited time with our dogs and horses. She was the one who made me get out of the house and off the farm when my first baby was very young, and we would take our Kelpies to town for ‘obedience’ classes. Again it was a great life lesson and an affirming experience that the dogs we share our farming lives with are the happiest, most grounded and obedient dogs. I can sometimes be a bit apologetic about my humble country life, and my dog training ability, but seeing the neurotic, out of control city dogs gave me the confidence that the relationship I have with my dogs is truly special and is worth sharing with others. Thanks Kathy!

Jackie

ackie is another brave woman I know who has had her life transformed through her Kelpies. Through her connection with Paul Macphail, Jac is now taking a giant leap out of her comfort zone and training a Kelpie to sell at Casterton’s Kelpie Auction. The money raised from “Red’s” sale will be donated to Beyond Blue. The amazing thing is Jackie is a graphic designer and has never done this before. With Paul’s guidance (and a gentle push) she’s learning life’s wonderful lessons that dogs can teach us. These are just a select few of the wise women I know who have hot dogs. I owe gratitude to many more not mentioned here, but I don’t want to run your printer out of ink, so will thank you now. You know who you are.

Trish

first met Trish at a dog school and we instantly clicked as we chatted round a campfire. I remember, beside her chair lay the most loyal little Kelpie that had worked so well around the sheep that day. I remember saying, “If you ever breed

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from Jess let me know.” Seven years later, when I’d heard Jess had a litter of pups and I was ready to start filming our dogs in our family life so as to help others, it seemed like getting a pup from Trish was meant to be. Enter Rousie 2. He’s the star of the next stage of this e-book. You’ll see his progress from puppyhood to fully fledged working dog. Thanks to Trish, she’s provided us all with the lesson of the value of handling and caring for pups as best you can. Rousie and his sisters are an absolute credit to her dedication and commitment to giving animals the best start in life. Thanks Trish! This book wouldn’t have evolved without the prompting from Caroline Brown and the financial assistance from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporations Rural Women’s Bursary. Thank you.

Dog blokes …

nd finally to a couple of blokes, Paul Macphail and my husband John Treasure, I hope you see it as an honour and privilege for you to be

listed amidst these fine working dog women. I want to thank you for your teachings, your patience and your natural ability with animals and people. You have both taught me so much about myself and given me the best mateship along this journey of discovery with dogs and livestock … which I’m sure is a long way from over. I hope we can go on to inspire other blokes to treat their dogs and livestock with kindness and understanding. Also, to my website creator Allan Moult. Thanks for your brilliant mind and inspirational ideas that have set me on this wonderful writing journey on the Mac in publishing books I never thought I had in me! Lastly thanks to the dogs I’ve shared my life with, from Dougall to Connie and all the others in between and those to come … thank you for your lessons!