would you reccomend a shock collar??

[fraggle 4]

Now ive moved to wales (ish) my dog will be coming with me, i have got some ferreting and lamping permison up in wales through a work colleague but it has cattle all over, the dog is 16 months old now but tbh had no stock training as ive had no stock on my land.

 

What method is best to break her in, i'm leading towards shock collar as i dont want to take a chance but i am open to other ideas.

 

Many thanks

 

Fraggs

Edited December 26, 2009 by fraggle

[Hannah4181 260]

I think a shock collar as the first point of call is a bit extreme and imo lazy . . . . . you could try some good old fashioned 1 on 1 training around the stock? A long line, lots of slow contact with the stock, checking and verbal corrections, judging her reaction and correcting accordingly.

[irishnut 297]

i got to agree with hannah, a shock collar would be my last resort, if the dog has been trained to the level your at now, without the aid of an electric collar then why start, good luck, please dont try the "EASY" option, as this could ruin a good working relationship, as these collars have to be used right to work well.

[Ned Makim 116]

Short answer...no. Try long lead training. Works a treat and no chance of ruining a dog.

Cheers.

[fazza123 517]

yes i would!! If used correctly they learn very quickly so i dont feel that they are cruel!!!

[tsteve9999 456]

I'm in the same situation at the moment, I have a farm to run my pup on but is a sheep farm,

I took him a week or so ago on a long lead but it was not really successful, the problem being he knows he's on a lead and barely looked at them. He was fine on that but when I loosed him in an empty field and sheep in the next field ran he ran to the fence, and would have chased given the chance.

Does anyone have any tips? I found it was impossible to get close enough to them to be able to correct him properly. As we walked the sheep just ran to the opposite end of the field, so he was never close enough for his chase instinct to kick in and let me tell him no while on the lead. It struck me that if I followed them all over the fields it would seem like I was chasing them and give him the wrong impression so I just walked the edges.

I honestly don't think he would put in a bite and if I could get him in a pen with some I think it wouldn't take long, but I'm at a loss as to how I can train him when I can't get close.

 

Tom

[Ned Makim 116]

One of the factors sometimes overlooked on stockproofing dogs is the state of mind of the handler. Dogs read things in us all the time so sometimes issues with dog handling come down to what's in your head rather than the dogs.

For instance in stock training if the handler is anxious about the dog chasing sheep the dog reads this focus as either 'go forward' hunting or indecision by the pack leader requiring a new dog to step up and make the decisions.

You have to feel nothing about the sheep. Definitely walk the dog at them and show him exactly what you dont want him to chase. Just correct on each show of the slightest interest.

We have long range finding dogs that grab boars one out and swing. They will run through sheep, cattle, alpacas, camels, kangaroos and so on and so on...to follow a scent and grab the pig. And there are thousands of dogs in Oz that do the same thing week in and week out.

walk at the sheep, ignore whatever they do and stay calm and blank unless the dog pricks its ears or looks at the sheep. If so, correct with a jerk on the lead and a simultaneous harsh word. If you have to correct 100 times it will be lucky to fill an hour or your time. Persist and believe the dog will be stockproof and that's where you will end up.

Cheers.

[tsteve9999 456]

Thanks for that mate,

I don't think I was anxious and to be honest while he was on the long lead all he did was prick up his ears in interest when he saw them in the distance, which I corrected.

He's 10 months old now and still has puppy moments, so my worry is when I finally do let him off lead he'll take off and ignore me. If the sheep are 200 yards away there will be nothing I can do whereas if I could get him in a pen with some I could reach him easily.

I'm going to take him regularly and will do as you say and get as close as possible, the problem is the farm is a fair way away from me and I don't think local farmers would be too happy to see me walking him among their flocks so I think it will be a while before I can run him.

 

Tom

[blue staffy 145]

speak to a farmer and explain what ur situation is , i got to put my pup in a pen with a tup he taught the pup it was wrong to chase sheep

[fraggle 4]

thanks for the replies, i'm far from lazy, i just want to make sure she will not be chasing his stock i dont want to loose this land, and as i only here for a two year posting i want to make sure i can get the most out of it.

 

I'll give the lead training ago and see how we get on with that.

 

How about a bit of both

 

Do all the lead training but still have the collar so when i do release her properly and if all my training still fails i will have the back up. i dont think she wil bite but as with all dogs you never be 100%

Thanks all

[undisputed 1,664]

Absolutely no excuse for not having a dog broke to stock...no matter where you live your never that far away from a farm with cattle or sheep etc. If your not sure about the dog dont have it near stock until it's 100% steady. I would get it on the lead and start introducing it to cattle as often as possible....cows are great just park your arse in a field full of cows and wait..discourage any interest in the cattle when they wander over....would have been so much easier with a pup....shock collar is a no no in my book

[wuyang 513]

Stock breaking is easy if you have patience. The dog should be well capable of learning this.

 

A lot of people turn to shock collars, but this should only be as a last resort if all else fails and you know what you are doing with one.

 

Sure you will be ok.