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Training a collie

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  • 30-03-2020 4:10am
    #1
    13Ballymore
    Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭


    Hey everyone, I have a 9 month old collie, I'm trying to train. I'm teaching him his commands. He has all commands away from the sheep such as lie, stay, here etc. I have being walking him through the sheep and trying to get him used to them. But he's demented every time I bring him near the sheep. He's on a lead and no amount of commands will stop him. He's pure mad. Any tips to get him used to sheep.

    Thanks in advance.


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    #2
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,057 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    13Ballymore wrote: »
    Hey everyone, I have a 9 month old collie, I'm trying to train. I'm teaching him his commands. He has all commands away from the sheep such as lie, stay, here etc. I have being walking him through the sheep and trying to get him used to them. But he's demented every time I bring him near the sheep. He's on a lead and no amount of commands will stop him. He's pure mad. Any tips to get him used to sheep.

    Thanks in advance.

    Very difficult to train a dog in a big field where he can get away from you..
    The ideal is a small paddock with about ten sheep and a twenty foot rope clipped into his collar that you can stand on to stop him.
    You're lucky to have such a keen dog.


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    #3
    148multi
    Registered Users Posts: 1,412 ✭✭✭148multi


    wrangler wrote: »
    Very difficult to train a dog in a big field where he can get away from you..
    The ideal is a small paddock with about ten sheep and a twenty foot rope clipped into his collar that you can stand on to stop him.
    You're lucky to have such a keen dog.

    Wrangler is right,, get four field gates and put six sheep into them, train away and come bye with them, get him/her balanced, then six sheep in an acre, short training sessions 10 - 15 minutes. Don't forget if you get excited with the dog it will get excited with the sheep.


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    #4
    tabby aspreme
    Registered Users Posts: 3,850 ✭✭✭tabby aspreme


    Keep the dog with you as much as possible during the day, and make sure you are the only one who feeds it,


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    #5
    13Ballymore
    Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭13Ballymore


    Okay thanks for the tips. I'll start him in a small area with a few hoggets. I'll keep him tight for a while and let him out wider in a few weeks in a bigger field First time training a dog so all new to me.


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    #6
    Buford T. Justice XIX
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,633 ✭✭✭✭Buford T. Justice XIX


    13Ballymore wrote: »
    Okay thanks for the tips. I'll start him in a small area with a few hoggets. I'll keep him tight for a while and let him out wider in a few weeks in a bigger field First time training a dog so all new to me.

    There's some good videos on Youtube on sheepdog training so that might be worth searching as well.

    And the site below gives a good bit of guidance as well.

    https://theworkingsheepdog.com/the-essentials-of-sheepdog-puppy-training/


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    #7
    Gawddawggonnit
    Registered Users Posts: 3,244 ✭✭✭Gawddawggonnit


    13Ballymore wrote: »
    Hey everyone, I have a 9 month old collie, I'm trying to train. I'm teaching him his commands. He has all commands away from the sheep such as lie, stay, here etc. I have being walking him through the sheep and trying to get him used to them. But he's demented every time I bring him near the sheep. He's on a lead and no amount of commands will stop him. He's pure mad. Any tips to get him used to sheep.

    Thanks in advance.

    Repeat your yard training until the dog will drop like you cut the legs from under him. Then repeat it again, and again, and again.
    Yard training is just that, training in the yard until you’re certain that he has the drop, cumbye and away, drilled into his brain. This takes weeks and weeks.

    The biggest mistake people make is they take pup working before the basics are drilled into their brain. Pup is only 9mts old so he’s really juvenile and impulsive.

    When basic commands are properly drilled into pup, he’ll hit the deck on command, inside in the middle of a thousand sheep!

    Time, patience and gentle but firm handling pays off. Reward him verbally or with a rub for doing right, never ever handle him roughly.

    You’re lucky to have such a keen pup. When they’re that keen you’re in a position to really drill the commands into him, because you know that if you overdo yard training, you can take him working sheep to slacken off if he’s becoming robotic to verbal and whistle commands.

    Enjoy the training because if you don’t yourself or pup won’t either.

    You’ll know when yard training is complete, you’ll be able to drop him from 500yds, with a thousand sheep running away from him.

    Most of all yourself and pup must enjoy the training.


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    #8
    13Ballymore
    Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭13Ballymore


    Training didn't go according to plan. Keen is one word to describe Roy, I have another. Anyway he's basically useless, he was too keen for my inexperienced hand and with Covid at the time I couldn't get anyone to train him. So I'm wondering does anyone have experience of animal rescues in rehoming failed sheepdogs. Thanks



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    #9
    Easten
    Registered Users Posts: 849 ✭✭✭Easten


    He could be a super cattle dog, as the cattle aren't as lively as the sheep but can be slow and aggressive when herding. Only a small bit of training will do them for that type of work. It should be easy to get a taker for him, you can always put him up on donedeal at a low price but only for sale to a farmer as there are plenty of the towbars looking for dogs and they'll not want him for herding



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    #10
    satstheway
    Registered Users Posts: 831 ✭✭✭satstheway


    I thought dogs were off donedeal for about a year now?



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    #11
    13Ballymore
    Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭13Ballymore


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118172568#Comment_118172568

    I'd say he wouldn't be suited to cattle, too demented. Farmers want a quiet dog, not a headless gob#####. Anyway I'll ring a few rescues and see if not I'll put him to sleep. Already asked around and nobody wants him.



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    #12
    Bellview
    Registered Users Posts: 2,678 ✭✭✭Bellview


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178088#Comment_118178088

    https://dogs.ie/ might be worth a look. not sure if there are T&C to advertise. hopefully you get a home for him... as he sounds like a character .. but kept well away from a farm



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    #13
    wrangler
    Registered Users Posts: 11,057 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118178088#Comment_118178088

    I'd love to have him ten years ago when I used to be getting in flocks of 500 texel cross sheep, it used to be war when the lambs were young and ewes were challenging the dogs, a dog like that would've been a gift even once or twice in the year, they'd never challenge a dog for the rest of the year



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