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Are you “Muggable” in your dog’s eyes? Ever wonder why your herding instructor or clinician can walk in with your dog and make it look easy?  A couple of years ago I was teaching a clinic and a student asked “When did you reach the point where you walked into the pen and didn’t get “mugged” by your dog?” As it would happen, more than one of my students at the clinic were retired teachers.  The question prompted a discussion about how student or substitute teachers with limited teaching experience, were treated which then led to a discussion about HOW …

Often we think we have to use a lot of pressure to force a close working breed out and away from the stock. If done incorrectly, it can cause sensitive, but talented dogs to quit, or even sometimes to bite. Our dogs response to pressure and subtle responses can be shaped very early on and managed through careful awareness of our own body language.

Many Breeds Herd Each developed for a special purpose Like recipes for soup there are as many as there are chefs who created them and the ingredients dependent upon local options, climate, availability and demand. Just as there are many different herding breeds who were developed and utilized in various parts around the world as livestock guardian dogs, boundary style dogs, ranch and cattle hands, far casting hill dogs, yard dogs used for close work and handling, and mountain breeds who were tough, gritty and hardy, all of them, developed for a range of uses. Today most people’s perceptions of …