Starting Babies

Starting anything new is always tough! Especially when you are teaching young animals a new process. Tracking is no different. There are a few things you can do to increase your success starting with Patience!

So many times, we want it to be perfect or at least similar to videos you have seen or in person demonstrations. What many do not take into consideration is the newness to the track, being chase by a predator, or that the dog you are trying to work is typically, especially if a new purchase a novice his/herself.

So what things can you do to increase your success.

1. Let animals play in track before tracking-both dog and sheep/goat before putting them together in the track.

2. Dog break your animals with the dog in a small pen using a bell on the collar of the dog. This process allows the border collie to truly work the sheep/goat and teach them to move from them. The end goal with the process is to help the sheep or goat go from wanted to fight the dog to wanting to run (basic Fight or Flight response).

3. Using the bell is critical for several reasons.

a. It helps animals know that there is a predator after them since the sheep or goat cannot see behind them when running fast in a track.

b. The dog and the animals alike get much more excited when running with the bell, increasing the adrenaline your sheep/goat exert.

4. Working with your dog on a basic walk up and line down commands teaches

patience's. It will also pay dividends in the track with young animals. Since most

young animals do not understand the track, using walk up and lie down allows the dog to push the sheep around the track which will help them learn the process.

5. Lastly, utilizing an animal that has been tracked successfully before to encourage the

rookies to run from the newly introduced dog (Predator)

So, take a breath! Following these steps will definitely improve your ability to Track for Success. If you need more information, please give us a call, we will be glad to help.