Dog Training

Liberty Puts the Goats Away

by

Liberty is my 10.5 month old English Shepherd male. In this video clip, he helps me put the goats back after they’ve spent the early morning ruminating on orchard grass. Liberty has self-control, a strong presence but a soft touch when working my livestock. When he’s not working stock, Liberty enjoys ball fetch, disc catch, … Read more

Protocol-based Dog Care

by

In the practice of Protocol-based Dog Care, dog activities get organized into repeatable processes. From each process, re-usable protocols get identified to meet an individual dog or a group of dogs specific requirements. Single Dog Protocols Single Dog Protocols include activities such as: Meals Exercise Medication Training Work Weigh-In Vet Visit Other Activities Group Protocols … Read more

Liberty Accelerates

by

If I had to use one word to describe Liberty[1]Biographical and Husbandry Details for Natchez Trace Liberty these past few weeks, it would have to be “acceleration”. If you had asked me in mid-May who my number one goat dog was, I would have said Sugar[2]Biographical and Husbandry Details for Natchez Trace Famous Shoes. And … Read more

Training for a Truck Ramp

by

Liberty started training on the ramp at about 7 weeks old. We started with the ramp flat on the ground. We raised the angle up slowly. We got used to the sound of the diesel engine. During the whole process, we used marker training to reinforce behavior. Now at about 11 weeks, he enters and … Read more

Willie Rocks the Tunnel

by

Through the course of our puppy enrichment program, we used Mad Agility’s puppy agility equipment, including the puppy barrel (mini tunnel). Here’s Willie (Josie x Rusty Fall 2020) confidently shooting a full size tunnel like a pro. Willie’s mom tells me there was no practice at all. He just knocked it out. Willie is in … Read more

Manding 501: Increase the Difficulty Level

by

Focus and attention are core precepts of my manageable companion dog philosophy. That’s why I’m obsessed with manding. Once your dog or pup has manding down to a science, you’re probably getting asked for a lot of treats. That’s great. But according to Purina Senior Nutritionist Jan Dempsey, 90 percent of daily calories should come … Read more

Invisible Treat Pouch

by

I don’t believe in a visible treat pouch. With some dogs, I’ve seen the pouch become a distraction. For awhile I tried hanging the pouch from my belt on the back of my pants, but I found that location to be inaccessible. So instead, I carry treats in a sandwich bag in my pocket. I’ll … Read more

Focus and Attention Training

by

When stone cold Hawkeye was a pup, he was hard to convince.  We had problems with focus and distraction.  Hawkeye forced me to raise my game and learn training techniques to overcome the issue.  Since then, I’ve proofed these techniques on several dogs and found them to be effective at forming a well-focused, less distractable … Read more