How important is a good sheepdog on your farm?

Today is the official first day of my 2023 lambing season. With the promise of good weather and some of my fields being boggy, I made a last minute decision to move ewe lambs across my farm and the pregnant ewes into a dry grazing field. This is when I find how important it is to have a good sheepdog on my farm.

Moving pregnant ewes has to be done very calmly, without them running. This is where all the training I’ve done with Skye, my sheepdog, comes into practice. Skye works well with soft calm commands, taking direction from me to walk the ewes calmly around and into their new fields ready for lambing.

Next was the task of moving last year’s ewe lambs through four fields across my farm. So as they are stubborn Skye has to be more direct, using a lot more pressure to push. She has been trained for different scenarios, with different voice tones that have taught her to drive harder.

During last year’s lambing, Skye was butted by a pregnant ewe. It’s made her a little bit nervous and has taken work to educate her that she has to push hard. Her mannerisms and character are one that doesn’t make her nip at the sheep, something some sheepdogs will do. Through training I’ve built up her force and presence without the need to bite. The most important part of training any dog is trust and bond. If you build up a good working relationship, then your dog will follow your commands and believe in what you are asking of them.

Help around the farm from my good sheepdog

During the process of moving the ewe lambs, one got tangled in wire. Skye’s job was to single out the lamb with my commands, allowing me to capture her and release her from the wire, sending her away safely.

Sheepdog training is so important to establish from a young age. Thinking that an older dog will teach doesn’t work, you need to build the bond and commands. I offer sheepdog training across my farm and with my training pen using my training sheep. If you want a friendly chat, feel free to call and discuss how I can help.

Posted: April 2, 2023