Phase One of Round Pen Training: Introducing a Puppy to Livestock

In my observation there are three phases of round pen training when starting a herding dog’s training. In this video of the first phase I introduce my nine week old Border Collie Jay to sheep and follow his progress through twelve weeks old.

[@fetahmehinovic8770]

Hello from Bosnia! I owne some cattle and dogs that we use are hungarian Pulin small dogs!!! Well our teaching method is different,yours is better more efficient!! Next dog that I would like to have it will be Border Collie .In the Balkans it is almost impossible to found working line Collie .Thank you for this video ,you are generous people.God bless you and your family and your dogs 🐶 🐶🐶 I love you people !!!

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Was so nice to hear from you! Thank you for your comments and blessings. I wasn’t familiar with the Pulin dogs. It was fun watching videos of them working. Best wishes to you and your herding adventures!

[@homesteadingeurope]

I a in Hungary! Work ad breed the workingline border collie... now started wit my first Pumi's. I have a program with a farmer to breed both lines together to get a Mudi-border adapted on the Hungarian Puszta. I LOVE this movie, I can learn a lot from this!

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

@@homesteadingeurope Hello there! So happy to hear from you. I hope your breeding program works well for you. I looked up the Pumi and the Mudi. They sound like good dogs. I have a Border Collie that looks very similar to a picture of a Mudi I saw. Beautiful. Happy to hear my video was helpful! Best wishes to you.

[@harrycooker2037]

Very nice.Best Regards

[@kdseiwert7360]

Hello there howvmany Border Collie do you need?

[@noelmatthew8686]

My older dogs teach the little ones I’m so proud of him all I have to do is put little work so they know the commands

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Awesome!

[@egfasfeaafs3103]

This was such an interesting video, you can really see the difference in JUST A WEEK how interested he was from 9 weeks to 10! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

It really was so much fun to see how rapidly he advanced each week. Nice to hear from you. Thank you!

[@mehdikalanaki2904]

Thank you for making this useful interesting video 🌹🌹🌹

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Thank you for your comment!

[@bleumotel]

these are very informative and helpful. Thank You.

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Glad you like them. Nice to hear from you. Thank you.

[@VEN2oo]

I loved this video, I was watching videos on dogs and got really interested in herding livestock, something I’m wanting to learn

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

It’s nice to hear from you. Thank you. You will enjoy herding with a nice stockdog. Best wishes!

[@quisutdeus2952]

Love it! Very nice!

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

I appreciate your comment. Thank y!

[@marcmenard9121]

👆

[@avero578]

This was fascinating to watch! I have a border collie/lab

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Nice to hear from you. I had a border collie/lab years ago. He looked all lab but he would help me move cows. Wonderful sweet dog! We loved him.

[@Mike-vn3lt]

Man by the third week you just cant turn that little dude off! 😂 He's gonna be a hard freaking worker thats for sure! 😂😂❤

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

He turned out great. Don’t know what I’d do without him. Good to hear from you! Thanks!

[@mohameddoccali7872]

It's interesting thank you 🇲🇦👍🏻

[@jannisar548]

Good Work

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Thank you

[@bbaff8622]

My Border Collie/ACD has never seen sheep or cattle, but she will definitely herd the dog park. She has never seen herding but she will do the typical lay down, then head down creep walk up to other dogs. If they start to run she is after them and brings them back to where they started.

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

They are definitely born with it! Sounds like she has fun!

[@bbaff8622]

@@bwrstockdogtraining2723 She has too much fun. There are days when we have to stop her, her pads start to get red from the hard cornering. The dog park is mostly hard dirt with some cement paths. We all know the cornering ability of herding dogs, on some surfaces maybe they do it a bit too well.

[@Kate98755]

my border collie/GSP slow walks to her fetch ball, i noticed very early her displaying this behavior so i trained her to get close, i slow her pace with whoa…and i make her wait over the ball, and now i’m asking her to point and she does a pretty point, she loves this game…she’ll drop the ball away from me in a fetch return so she can play that game…then she brings it back…usually she returns with the ball, but sometimes she reverts to that game. Wish I could see her with livestock, she’s just one…i think she’d love doing this all day.

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

@@Kate98755 I love playing with my border collies. It also comes in handy with some livestock training techniques like “back up “.

[@Kate98755]

@@bwrstockdogtraining2723 i’ve started back up, and i’m ready to teach her come by and away, my golden retriever knew how to do that, really handy. i’m looking forward to working through your videos…this my first dog of this breed, guess breeds since she’s a hybrid, she’s a gem

[@Shiloh_Nauvoo]

I showed my 7 week old put this video, he was instantly mesmerized and started yelping. so wonderful was his reaction. thank you

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Haha I love it!! Thank you for sharing. Best wishes to you.

[@josemanolobenavidescaro1045]

Bendiciones...thanks...

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Blessings to you. Thank you for watching

[@MyskiaGSD]

Hi, just wanted to say your videos are very helpful. I love watching herding dogs work. I also want to say that you are a dog trainer 😊 certified or not, you are a trainer. A certificate is not needed in this profession. Knowledge and experience is needed. ❤️

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Your comment is so thoughtful and kind. Lifted my day. Thank you! ❤️

[@psdeas7530]

What if my border collies did not meet sheep until maturity? Both very talented!!

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

A lot of trainers don’t start their pups until a year old. If your dogs have the instinct they should be ok to train. I trained Kaya, the puppy trainer dog in this video, when she was 7 years old. She was given to me when she was 6 years old. I needed her help and she had really good working bloodlines and instincts. She turned out great except hard headed haha. Best wishes to you.

[@scottbrennan4809]

This is great! How would one do this without an already trained dog to keep the sheep in their spot?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Watch my video called “Kit, my border collie puppy begins training on sheep”. It will show you. You need to have dog broke sheep. My hair Sheep are dog broke but they’re a bit stubborn. I have nicer more responsive sheep for my new puppy. I am documenting Kit’s training and will be coming out with videos of her progress. Hopefully they’ll help with your questions. Good luck

[@scottbrennan4008]

@@bwrstockdogtraining2723 thanks so much for the kind and informative response

[@romerobinson8279]

I don’t have any sheep but we have cattle. Would you recommend waiting a few more weeks to start my puppy on cattle like 12-14 weeks?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

I’ve always had sheep available so I never tried starting a puppy on cattle first. Doesn’t mean anything is wrong doing it that way. But I haven’t had that experience to see what it would be like. Get your ground training done first. Meaning your lead training. With the lead training your puppy should know to come when called, hold or stand (that’s your stop) and a call off. Most of my neighbors start their pups directly on cattle at six months but I have seen it done on pups around 12 weeks or so.

[@NatashasReality]

We had a pure bred Aussie rehomed to us when he was 9 months old. We did send him off to boarding training but no herding training was done. Just basic obedience training. I have noticed his incredible herding instincts and his unreal agility and athleticism. He is now 13 months old. Is it too late to train him to herd? We actually have a lot of farms around where I live and I think he would love to volunteer his time and energy helping local farmers.

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

It’s not too late to train him on livestock. It is normal for many to start training for herding at about a year old. He sounds like a good prospect for herding. Best wishes to you and your pup.

[@mary-kate393]

Loving your videos! I have a 15 month old australian shepherd who i would love to train herd, i know he has the instinct as hes getting very excited around my ducks and pigs, i would train him on the ducks, as pigs dont herd well lol. My biggest fear is him nipping them, what would be the best way to teach him not to nip?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Hi! So happy you like my videos. Thank you. Since your pup is older, make sure your foundational training is done first. That is that he walks on a loose lead, and on command he “lies down”, “stands or holds”, “walks up” and comes when you call him. Use lots of praise when he does well. Once you have good control on him then try him on the ducks. Tell him easy if he goes too fast. I have a good video out called “Gaining better control in the round pen” that may be helpful to you. You may want to start out with a lead on him. Once you feel confident you have control of him try without the lead. Hope this helps. Good luck to you.

[@mary-kate393]

@@bwrstockdogtraining2723 very helpful, thank you!!

[@alexduellman2124]

Hello, I was wondering if you could give me some lessons on how to do the herding techniques

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Where are you located? We’re pretty isolated.

[@TimberCreekRanch]

How big of round pen do you start them in? Do you just use 1 size round pen for the entire training process?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

I have two Round pens. The one in this video is 60’ across. My other one is 20’ across. I use the smaller one when I have a hard time keeping up with the puppy. It’s easier to keep control. Once I get better control of the pup I graduate them to the larger pen.

[@missysmessage722]

Hello! What is that white stick? Is it pvc? Where can I get one?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Hi there! I use 3/4” pvc pipe. I glue caps on the ends. They’re very helpful. I have two of them one is 5’ and the other about 7’. Depends on the dog. I generally use the 5’ one.

[@amberemma6136]

So- Do you only teach them on the lead before you introduce them to livestock? I have abborder collie rescue that i would like to give a job to of herding our poultry. Hes at least two yrs old and i have him on a lose lead already and he shows interest in the chickensbbut he has killed one that got into his enclosure. I would like to teach stop before i introduce them. Can I teach him herding commands with yhe chickens in a round enclosure and the dog on the outside? Like a very small enclosure for them?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Hi. It would be good to have a “stop” and a “call off” before you put him on the chickens. I tried an experiment with Rip the puppy and Gina by putting the sheep inside an 8’ pen and working Rip on the outside. I felt it was good for Gina, a new handler, but frustrating for the puppy so we only did it a couple times. Try to get a good handle on your dog, then try working him on the chickens with a lead doing control exercises. A good video to watch on my channel is “Gaining better control of your puppy in the round pen “. It explains what I mean. Hope it helps. I also explain foundational training if I remember right. Nice talking to you today. I hope the videos help.

[@thatrancher12]

Hi! So we have cows, and my border collie loves to herd them, but its hit or miss whether she will come back to me when i call her, so i dont let her herd them. I was wanting to train her to herd them, but i dont know how. Do you have any tips?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

I’d start with ground work away from the livestock. This is called “Foundational Training”. Basically it’s obedience training for herding dogs. Teach her on a lead, “hold”, “lie down”, “here” and “walk-up”. You need a good stop and a recall. When you’re confident she’ll hold and come when call her try working on your cows with those same commands in a pen where you can maintain some control. I have a good video that might help you even though it’s on sheep. Same principle applies to cattle. It’s called “Gina and Rip: Gaining better control of your herding puppy in the round pen on sheep”. I explain the ground work and show a training exercise before going back into the round pen. Once you gain the control then you can start training directional commands. Hope this helps. Best wishes and good luck.

[@jessam4875]

7:58 is it common for the dogs to bite the herd like this?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Yes it is common. I’m not concerned about it when they are young. I tell them bite or push when they bite. As we get further along in training they will learn to control it.

[@5inisterftw]

Can you train any breed to do this?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

It needs to be a herding breed with strong herding instincts to circle and gather.

[@mardibabu333]

Name of the breeds of dogs 🐕???

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Border collies. The red and white puppy named Rip is half Kelpie and half Border Collie

[@vhecorina_g2371]

My friend just got a puppy collie and he scared around cattle anyway to get him comfortable

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

I don’t bring my puppies around cattle until they are older. 6 months - 1 year old. To teach them confidence I speak softly with encouraging words and sounds and let them know what a good puppy they are. If they try to hide behind my legs I don’t make a big deal out of it but I casually step behind them and then tell them what a good puppy they are while petting them. When they’re ready they’ll find their courage and become comfortable.

[@kayleighr6466]

Is this stressing out the sheep?

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

No.

[@Max-ye9xg]

Of course it stresses them out torturing them and being attacked by three different dogs it is a world of torture

[@justjason7662]

@@Max-ye9xgspend some time on a farm getting to experience it. The animals live happy, healthy lives. My animals get excited to see me. Bringing order and structure and routine into animal lives is a good thing. They’re well cared for.

[@az6877]

maybe tie these two dogs together and the puppy might follow

[@mosesb8027]

Goodwork but the thumbnail looks like she’s about to clobber the dog

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Lol yikes. I didn’t see it that way. I’ll have to be careful in my future thumbnails. Thanks

[@Ezinma88]

That is a lot of running on your part

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Haha yes it was.

[@wellerceci]

Poor sheep.

[@edzejandehaan9265]

In my opinion that puppy is way (WAY) too young to be introduced to livestock. It's a "nothing to gain, a lot to loose" kind of gamble.

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Thanks for your opinion. I like to imprint my puppies when they are little. I never force a puppy to work. I let them decide when they are ready. This puppy really wanted to work. He turned out great and is now my greatest asset on the farm.

[@edzejandehaan9265]

@BWR Stockdog Training Thanks for your reply. Yeah, to each his own, I have friends who are fine trainers who won't hesitate to introduce pups thàt young. I don't believe at all in the necessity or even gain of "imprint"; a well bred dog comes with an inate genetic blueprint. I prefer to start my dogs on stock at the very earliest eight months old preferably even older. I have never seen advantages of early exposure, but I did see the sad results of the risks taken. To the point of damaging dogs into uselessness. Patience is a virtue...

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

I can totally understand your viewpoint. So far I’ve been successful. Good talking to you. Take care.

[@ChurchmountSheepdogs]

We start them as soon as they start. We like to use sheep that are abit more reactive. I often hear people talking about ruining a pup but I think that it is hard to ruin a good one. I think it does more harm not to expose them to stock early on. Edze mentioned the virtue of patience but I think its nicer to find out earlier and to be able to move them on sooner if they show weakness or undesirable traits

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Sounds like we share the same training philosophy. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I do need to get different sheep that are better suited for training pups. I have some in mind but it’ll be early summer before they’ll be available. Take care

[@PMOGHE369]

Why sounds poor . Take mic 🎤 with traner .

[@bwrstockdogtraining2723]

Hi. Sorry about the audio. I wasn’t planning on making KZbin videos when my daughter-in-law filmed me training my puppy. I was teaching my kids in these videos. I started KZbin videos about a year later. 😉