How to Train Your Dog to Herd
Introduction
Adding a new pup to your small hobby farm and want him to learn how to herd? Maybe this is the first time you have a large herd on your farm and you could use a little extra help? No matter what the reason, teaching your dog to herd can be a great way to give yourself a little extra time, save you from running around the fields after a rogue critter, or to simply stay out of the rain, while he brings in the herd. These are all very good reasons to train your dog to herd.
Of course, there is the other side of the picture. Herding has become a national and international competitive sport. One that can be just as much fun for you as it is for your dog. While some breeds such as Border Collies are more naturally inclined to herd, you can train most breeds to do so. It may take a little longer but is well worth the effort.
Defining Tasks
The act of herding is when a well-trained dog can be commanded using either hand or whistle signals to move a herd or flock of animals from one place to another on your farm or in competition. No matter whether it is a group of animals, or even people, your dog is quite capable of being trained to herd them around. Bear in mind, that this is a difficult series of commands for your pup to master and that some dogs are better suited to this than others.
Your dog will need to have mastered basic commands before he is ready to move on to complex training such as this. You should also be aware that there is a significant risk of injury in this activity, your dog needs to be a young adult, puppies are not suited to this activity. Also, be sure to have your vet give your pup a complete exam to make sure he is healthy enough for this activity.
Getting Started
In order to get started training your dog to herd, he must first readily respond to the most basic commands, including 'come', 'sit', 'stay', and 'lie down'. You will also need to teach him the basic herding commands including 'come bye', which means turn the herd to the right and 'away', which means he should turn the herd to the left. The other command he needs to learn is 'walk up' which indicates he should be behind the herd driving the herd towards you. You are also going to need access to a herd or flock you can practice with, plenty of time, and patience.
The Long Leash Method
The Keeping It Small Method
The Whistle Method
Success Stories and Training Questions
Training Questions and Answers
Hoss
Sometimes when on a leash my dog has been barking at other dogs, how do I stop this?
394 Dog owners recommended
Hello Shyann, How to stop her from barking partially depends on why she is barking. Is she aggressive toward other dogs, fearful of them, or simply excited? If simply excited or even fearful, first, work on teaching the Quiet command. Check out the Quiet method from the article linked below: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Next, work on desensitizing her to other dogs to teach her to be calm around them. Do this by correcting her when she gets worked up to interrupt her, but focus the most on rewarding her when she is calm and quiet or obeys your Quiet command. If she sees another dog and does not bark, calmly praise her and reward her before she has the chance to bark. If she barks before you can reward her quietness, then tell her Quiet. If she does not get quiet, correct to interrupt her barking, then praise and reward when she focuses back on you and is quiet. Pay attention to when she is calm and focused on you - remember to reward that behavior since ultimately that is your goal all the time. When you praise her, keep your tone happy and calm - soft, calm praise tends to be good. It's also important to act calm and confident during walks in general. Practicing heeling in general can help with your own attitude before you run into another dog. Work on her heel, so that she is focused on you and following beside or behind you, with her head no further than your leg. When she walks behind you she is in a following mode and less likely to react to begin with - this can make other training easier to accomplish and help her listen better when you do give her commands or interruptions. Check out the Turns method and the video linked below for Heel; Turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Additional Heel video with a more intense dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTiKVc4ZZWo Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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I don’t really know how to train my puppy to herd sheep, we are getting sheep soon and I don’t really understand it, please help me train my puppy to herd.
394 Dog owners recommended
Hello Nicole, Since herding is so hands on, I suggest googling "herding workshop (your city)", "herding test (your state)", herding evaluation (your state)", "herding event (your state)", and variations of those things to either find a trainer who can give you a couple of lessons to help you understand the concepts, or find a workshop (which is like an all day weekend class) on herding. YouTube is also generally a better resource for learning than articles because the herding is a lot of directional commands, body language, and responding in your time, so it is easier to learn by simply doing and by watching others do it. How to herding series: Part 1: https://youtu.be/0oTBfqmIGLA Part 2 https://youtu.be/gLeP_cScV2w Part 3: https://youtu.be/EwWf-Ej5zgE Part 4: https://youtu.be/Wb4cPRXOpiI Review of video series to purchase: https://youtu.be/ZYODEanyncY Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Well I called places near me and they said they can’t do it because they don’t do herding, can you give me some people to call and there numbers and website, that will be great.
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I go on safari and chrome and I ask everybody but they say that they don’t do herding so if you have any people let me know, and I don’t know how to herd help please
394 Dog owners recommended
Hello Sally, What city are you located in? Check out the following websites to find herding events within driving distance of you. These events can be good ways to connect with others who train and own herding dogs, as well as learn more about herding by watching. http://www.ahba-herding.org/MainPage.php?AreaName=EventsCalendar https://m.facebook.com/groups/125705387027/?ref=group_header&view=group https://webapps.akc.org/event-search/#/search If you cannot find a trainer or group to help you, then I suggest puchasing a good herding video series, then joining a Facebook type group or herding forum with others who herd, where you can ask questions if you feel stuck while learning to train using a video series. you can purchase a herding how to video series at the link below. That website also contains blog articles. I suggest starting with the "first steps in border collie sheepdog training". https://www.sheepdog-training.com/product-pcategory/all-shop-items/ Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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I have read that there are many techniques to teach a dog to herd a flock. I want to know if you have ever seen/heard a technique known as 'learning from experts', where an 'expert' dog performs herding and the newbie dog will learn by observing these demonstrations.
394 Dog owners recommended
Hello Clark, Since herding is an instinctual behavior for most dogs, one dog learning from another can be really helpful in helping a puppy grasp the basics of moving a flock effectively, but generally there will still be further training and involvement from the handler needed to teach the dog responsiveness to the handler's commands and directions (so you can tell pup how to move the animals - left, right, to you, away from you, slowly, stop, ect...) and stop unwanted behavior like biting and grabbing and chasing, that can happen during too much excitement and inexperience. Most collies will naturally attempt to gather a flock and fetch them to the person, other breeds will naturally drive livestock away from the person. What's probably being taught by an older dog is how to effectively move and gather the animals so that they do not get away from the dog. What's not often being taught is not to bite or chase, and to listen to the owner's directions to do something different than what the dog naturally what's to do. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Are the definitive guides, manuals, scientific research which explore these herding techniques? I am interested in the different styles and forms of herding.
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My dog did that one time, and I trained her to heel, maybe you can train him/her, I also got a shorter leash or him/her might just want to protect you. Maybe that will help.