Top Tips for Sheepdog Training (Part 2) Training a Herding Dog is Completely Different

This is the second of our free Sheepdog Training tutorials about teaching your Border Collie, Kelpie or other sheepdog to herd farm livestock including sheep, cattle, goats and poultry.
These clips are shortened versions of the Sheepdog Training Tutorials on the Working Sheepdog Website.
We'll be posting plenty more in the future, so be sure to subscribe and you'll be informed when they are published.
Many people think that because they're good at training dogs for other disciplines, it'll be easy for them to train their dog to work sheep, cattle or other livestock. This is completely untrue.
Find out why in this video.
Watch a preview of our online sheepdog training tutorials:
workingsheepdog.co.uk/tv/
Our first series (of eight videos) is called Top Tips for Sheepdog Training and covers some essential basics of sheep and cattle dog training that you may not have thought of.
Some of the videos here, include references to the full online versions, that cover the topics in much greater depth, and you'll find links to more information below each video.
We've been producing sheepdog training videos since two thousand and nine.
You might know our DVD, First Steps In Border Collie Sheepdog Training - or the Sheepdog Training Tutorials on the Working Sheepdog Website.
TOP TIPS FOR EASIER SHEEPDOG TRAINING!
Part ONE - Remember the dog's hunting
Part TWO - Training a herding dog is completely different
Part THREE - Are you a suitable trainer?
Part FOUR - Is your dog a "gathering" breed?
Part FIVE - Are your sheep suitable?
Part SIX - Is your training area suitable?
Part SEVEN - Build your dog's confidence
Part EIGHT - Learn your commands

[@davidpsilva]

Thanks for posting these videos about sheepdogs training.. You did a good job.. This is the only one channel that explains it step by step.. Thanks a lot and if I write something wrong in this coment, sorry, my english is poor.. hehehe
Keep up the good work

[@kimkim2454]

Fascinating x

[@gonzalochavez1232]

Do you think its possible to train a golden retriever as a sheepdog

[@grammaticopedanticus9727]

An interesting and evocative question, well deserving of an answer …
Thank you for it.
In the interesting in part is the strong Scottish provenance of both them and Border Collies.
Further interesting is BCs’ standing almost if not entirely in registry based solely on behaviour rather than conformation: either performance in the field (particularly, observable and made evidentiary of record in competitive trials). Unlikely and strain of credulity as it might be, a Shih Tzu or English Bulldog, no matter how it looked otherwise, prevailing in enough competitive sheepdog trials would perforce qualify for registry as a sheepdog, typically one of Border Collies’.
As I recall, part of opprobrium from BC devotees a number of years back against the American Kennel Club’s efforts to muscle into registry of the breed was the nearly exclusive orientation of the AKC registry for breeds toward appearance and confirmation - the risk of beautiful but dumb comes to mind.
The AKC color indications for BCs are all over the place, with as I recall the only ones not included being, ‘seal,’ ‘white & seal,’ and ‘white & gold’ - the last somewhat bemusing as bordering (paranomasia unintentional) on the GR.
So, back to Golden Retrievers - I hardly uniquely hold the breed in great affection and admiration, thinking some of them well might have the intelligence and agility to train with great patience as herders, but from my acquaintance with a few individuals, if so, they might have strong penchant to bring the sheep to the handler one by one.
Given the general temperament of the breed, I think it might well be easy and take a long, long time, kinda like the person who would make an excellent pubic servant but lacks the fire in the belly ever to get elected.