PHD Blog 8 - Meet & Greet the Sheep

Dog meets sheep

Harried Handler: Help! I have no idea how to introduce my dog to sheep.

It’s that magic moment when your dog is introduced to stock. Or should I say that it’s that terrifying moment? If your dog doesn’t have the foundational framework in place when going to livestock you may be in for a wild ride.

Note: This blog doesn’t include an excerpt from my book Positive Herding 101. Instead, I have briefly summarized the substantial content from the book that covers the skills your dog needs before being introduced to livestock.

At this crucial time, the two key skills; engagement and cue performance, ensure that this is an optimal experience for both your dog and the stock. For the absolute best experience, allow your dog to check out the entire area, without any stock present, before the big meet and greet. I will refer to sheep, my training livestock of choice, but any livestock in a small pen may be used.

Before getting to the two critical steps, I need to set the stage; the how, where, and when of this important meeting.

How: Dog on long line or leash attached to a flat collar or harness.

Where: Stock in small pen in paddock or pasture. Dog at a significant distance from the stock.

When: Once the dog can enter the field calmly. This means that the dog stops at the gate with the handler, waits while the handler opens the gate, and then enters the paddock when cued by the handler. The dog remains on a leash or long line the entire time in the field to prevent them from rehearsing unwanted behaviors such as lunging at or running around the sheep, if the sheep are in a small pen.

Your dog will usually respond in one of several ways or a combination of ways:

• Dog hooks up (sees and begins to stare at) sheep and freezes, in the stand or down or just looks at the sheep.
• Dog starts to circle or go around sheep.
• Dog lunges at sheep.
• Dog barks at sheep.
• Dog ignores sheep and may sniff, look at handler, etc.
• Dog looks at everything but the sheep.
• Dog moves away from the sheep or cowers.
• Dog trembles.

Take as many sessions over as many days as necessary until your dog can consistently engage with you within sight of the stock. Your goal is to have your dog continue to engage with you when you are within three feet of the penned sheep. When your dog can tug, eat, or play next to the sheep you are ready to move on to step 2.

Step 2 – Cue Performance:

Now your goal is to have your dog take cues while in the same paddock as the sheep. Start as far away from the sheep as necessary for your dog to perform verbal cues. At first, you can relax your criteria but don’t move any closer to the sheep until your dog is meeting all of your criteria for a given behavior.

Once your dog can sit, stand, down, or do a trick to your satisfaction you can then start to move closer to the sheep. If your dog wants to approach the sheep you can use a step or two towards the sheep as a powerful reinforcer for a successfully performed cue. Again, your dog determines how quickly you move closer to the sheep. This takes as long as it takes and you mustn’t proceed with your training around stock until your dog can take verbal cues when next to the penned sheep.

This is a critical step that can take much longer than you anticipate but it cannot be bypassed or neglected. If your dog cannot sit or bow when cued while near sheep, will they be able to perform herding cues in the same situation?

Once your dog can respond to cues within an arm’s length of the stock, then and only then, it is time to introduce herding cues around livestock. See Chapter 13 – Transitioning obedience skills to stock in my book Positive Herding 101.

A final note: If your dog appears to be afraid of the sheep upon entering the field, you need to move farther from the stock or leave the paddock. Do not try to cajole or comfort your dog. Just quietly put distance between your dog and the sheep and if necessary, try again another day. Forcing your dog to advance towards the sheep will only heighten their fear. Dealing with a dog that fears livestock is an issue that will be dealt with at a later time.

Come bye to learn more about herding!

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