Teaching the Pups

Chesney's Lilly Teaching the Pups

One of the great things about farmcollies is that they do not need extensive formal training, they do however need to bond to the livestock on the farm and learn the routines and rules. This is best done on a daily basis.

Here is a picture of Dan Hischke of Dad's Farms with Shooter as a pup.

Having a pup tagging along can really be a nuisance, but later when the dog is grown -the investment of a little extra time pays off in big dividends in a farm hand that can quickly navigate the muddiest pen or field to fetch the errant stock for whatever chore is at hand.

Good Shepherds Holly and Ellie being introduced to a new poult

As illustrated in the photo at the top of the page, one important advantage of raising your own replacement farm dogs is that the parents teach the youngsters what the rules are. It is imperative to understand that whatever the dog's perception of the rules, this perception is what the pups will learn, so do take time to make sure that they understand YOUR rules, and not just the parent's version!

Good Shepherds Judah teaching Holly about protecting the kids

This teaching behavior applies very well to how to react and interact with the livestock that are considered pack, however this will not necessarily apply to visitors to the farm- the older dog will not tell the younger ones not to bite the visitors, their presence may very well actually encourage the younger dog to be more bold and aggressive, adequate socialization MUST occur with each pup.

What if your pup does not turn out?

Sheryl Chesney says:

Some of the dogs just seems to "turn on" so easily and quickly.

What I would take a look at would be how quickly the parents started working (or catch on to the mentality of work). A pup being taught by another dog how to read livestock and how to react to them helps tremendously in the pups confidence and being able to get "it" right.

Pups seems to go through fazes of trial and error before they can consistantly do things in a way that suits us. The bond with their human and an attitude of trying to please is a great plus. If they do something wrong and do not get a correction quickly they will assume that this is the thing to do.

I have no idea as to percentages of pups that do not turn out the way we expect, but when they are young and around the livestock daily you can see them "trying" in a puppy way to help. Some do take a lot longer to grow up enough to work. I have found that if a pup is given a specific job that it can do well it will boost his confidence. I have had several pups that "try" but never get the hang of actually helping (but I let them do no damage either). Jack (Kala/Banjo) is a case in point. He just never seems to get it, would try and would mess up royally. Great dog and never hurt anything but I would watch him closely for mistakes.

He went to a pet home and is wonderful with the children and the other dog and assists in taking care of their rabbits. He deters hawks and protects the rabbits from other dogs. It is a job he can do well. He lacked herding skill. He was one of 2 in this litter of 11 that went to a pet home.

I keep track of my pups as much as people will let me and I try not to be aggravating about it to the new owners. Keeping track of them gives me some insight into how well this mating worked. You can never be 100% sure of how a pup will turn out as there are a lot of variables.

Sometimes there is a "hump" in their training that has to be gotten over before they can go on to learn other things. Almost like they get stuck on one thing and keep going back to what they were doing wrong until they figure out exactly what you want.

Consistancy is a big help in getting over the hump. It is so surprising to watch them get it right one time and start making progress from there on out. "The light has come on for them".

Amy was talking about positive attitudes toward a dog when you are teaching and this is very true. If you are thinking the dog won't do something, you have killed 50% of his ability right there. They read this in you. If the training session can't be happy and positive, wait until it can be.

Serena's Scarlett (Lilly/Banjo) is also one to look at. I would have thought that she would have been doing it all at a very young age from the way she was here as a pup. Serena had to work long and hard to get her to have a reliable recall. this was Scarlett's "hump" to get over. Now at nearly 2 she is coming into her own and comes reliably (using a bell, LOL) and doing well with the livestock. You are right too about sometimes things just don't work out with the dog but most often they will surprise you as they mature. Don't fault yourself and keep backtracking. Use each new day as an opportunity to help him learn!

More training advice can be found at:

More information on how the pups develop in the different aspects of their working character can be found at: