The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: egglady on July 04, 2010, 09:57:23 pm
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we have sheep, horses, pigs (sometimes), cats, chickens and ducks, and a yorkie.
i'd like to get a sheepdog for herding the sheep (and maybe the pigs/ducks and in the future goats). i'm wondering if anyone has one that needs a new home or knows of anyone in that situation.
or if that isnt an option, how do i go about getting one? or can i buy a young dog and train it myself?
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Hello Egglady.
Your post is an open invitaion to get rid of a dog that is most probably a problem already. There is a huge difference between a working sheepdog and a collie and a working sheepdog is worth it's weight in gold.(even at todays prices).
Forget rescue dogs and sad cases that for whatever reason the person that has it now wants you or anyone else to take it off thier hands.
A working sheepdog is a specialist.
You need a pup of around 8 weeks from PROVEN working stock.You need it that age so it has not been spoilt.
A 'part trained' one will cost you dearly and to be honest the part training bit is idiot proof if the pup has any herding instint.
It has to bond to the one thats working it and you only get that connection with a pup.
Where abouts are you?
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thanks for that - and of course makes good sense.
we're in fife, i'm a bit worried about training it myself and i wouldnt know how to TBH and wouldnt want to 'spoil' the dog
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I have to agree with Castle Farm, you all too often see 6-18month old collies advertised as working dogs, and if they were really working that well, they wouldn't be advertised for sale. You are best to find someone nearby who has working collies who herd sheep, and get one from them. Our 2 year old has a fantastic instinct (we don't work him as we have no sheep, and goats don't like to be herded much!) but he came from a local farm, where the farmer has his mother, father, brother, and now a new little sister, which are all working sheepdogs.
If you are fortunate, you could find someone who would let your dog do a bit practice of on their sheep with his parents etc.
Beth
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Take your time finding one as it's one of the best investments in time yuo will ever have.
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how many sheep do you have egglady? a good working dog needs to be active and less than 150 sheep isn't enough work for a young dog. If you are really interested I can put you in touch with a guy I work with who trains dogs and sells them all over the country. if you only have a few sheep then consider trying a retiree and see if you can bond with it
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If you buy a pup from a local farmer I am sure he will be delighted to help with the training, they take a lot of pride in good working sheepdogs. :dog: :sheep:
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how many sheep do you have egglady? a good working dog needs to be active and less than 150 sheep isn't enough work for a young dog. If you are really interested I can put you in touch with a guy I work with who trains dogs and sells them all over the country. if you only have a few sheep then consider trying a retiree and see if you can bond with it
we only have 12 sheep (though want more over time) which was why i thought an older dog might be a perfect solution. thank you
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why not just get your sheep used to following a bucket of feed and then buy whatever dog you want.
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well they do...mostly, but of course when i will want them to will be the time they dont! and as the flock expands i thought that might end up being a bit tricky
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If you go in every few days with a bucket5 and alittle bit of feed you will soon train them to come to you. Invaluable
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yes that what i do already...alright, alright, i admit it - i dont NEED a sheepdog......but i WANT a sheepdog!!!
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I just use my children (7 and 9)... and the orange bucket... works (with a lot of swearing and shouting), even with the lambs in the field... (15 ewes, 5 hoggets and 25 lambs). Sometimes takes a bit of time, but a sheepdog would just not be an option.
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you want a dog? Or do you want a collie? Collies are very highly strung, can be a bit nippy and need a huge amount of stimulation
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fully trained dog would set you back £800
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fully trained dog would set you back £800
A fully trained collie would cost you more like £2000+ if it was any good and were not talking trial types either.
I have a pup here on training at the moment and at 9 months shes worth £800 and not fully trained yet..another year might do it. ;)
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h117/castlefarmpoultry/Working%20Dogs/100_2581-1.jpg)(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h117/castlefarmpoultry/Working%20Dogs/100_2677.jpg)
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bl00dy hell! ok so maybe i dont need a sheepdog after all.......whistles as she goes off to find the orange bucket......... :wave:
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actually, maybe i could just train the horses to round them up like they do in america with the cattle! now that's a mighty fine idea......whistles as she drops the orange bucket and goes off to find her cowboy hat!!! :wave:
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;D ;D ;D
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You should be able to find a pup around 8-10 weeks old from working stock for between £100-£150.
Make sure you see the mum and dad if possible and buy it from a farm, not some pet shop or puppy dealer
The instint to herd is programmed into a working collie pup. What she/he is doing when she gets around the back of the sheep is bringing them for you to kill.
You need to create that bond as leader and if and when you get one spend quality time and as much 'yard work' as you can without boring the pup.
By 12-15 weeks she should have learned sit/ lie down/come. The most importand thing is being able to stop her (lie down) before she/he is allowed near sheep off the lead.
If you have any sort understanding to how a 'working collie' does what it does and have the patients and time to train pups on there is always a ready market for a part ot fully trained sheepdog. I know of a lady who takes youngsters on and charges £75 per week each and usually has them there about 2 months. The last time I heard she had 8 in on training. Nice little earner if you can build up a reputation for it.
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You could allways train a sheep pig - like babe?? :pig: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep:
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Egglady OH was EXACTLY the same didn't need a sheepdog but wanted one..............after years of nagging we went for the puppy option from a farm with working parents shes red and white recently dissed as rubbish on here if my memory serves me correctly.......however being as we didn't need a trials or show dog it doesn't matter...................she's a hugely intelligent dog with a wonderful working instinct.........something not all of them have despite claims to the contrary..............she does as Castlefarm say sit lie ets and works well with OH tho on a leash at the moment...............she needs some proper training to fine tune but currently does what is needed for the time being...............a worthwhile investment and companion :)
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Another option is a retired sheepdog. I never retire mine as I think it ages them, so they continue working in some shape or form til the day they pass. But I know other people who retire perfectly welltrained dogs which aren't able to manage the larger flocks.
Castlefarm is right - I train dogs and I am sure there would be plenty of people who help you train a young dog and provided you give it plenty of mental and physical stimulation there are no isses with collies. My partner and I started out rescuing collies and had no sheep and then ended up having to buy 200+ ewes to keep them entertained but we do have 7 dogs at the moment plus other dogs in for training.
Look carefully for responsible breeders with good pedigree ISDS dogs and insist on seeing the parents working before selecting a pup.
A good dog is a wonderful companion, work mate and friend!