cattle dog training in Tennessee

[out to pasture]

Sorry if this should be posted somewhere else.
my daughter and her man moved roughly 1 yr ago to western tenn. to work a cattle operation .long story short they have a pup they need trained , but dont know anyone in that area that does it and well the only people we know that could help they are not on good speaking terms with .
so any help would be deeply appreciated .

 

[76 Bar]

What breed and age is the dog? There's numerous stock dog training resources around the USA including Tennessee. Google the topic. What are the expectations for their youngster? Is your daughter savvy using stock dogs? If not its likely she'll need education as well. "Pups" often as not are a crap shoot. If she needs a reliable stock dog in the immediate future she should consider purchasing a reliable trained dog. Good ones won't be cheap and for a reason.

 

[out to pasture]

76 bar it is full blood Australian Shepherd 7 mo old she has limited experience he has more than limited
they dont have time to do this themselves he mainly take care of over 100 head registered herd everything from breeding moving feeding harvest and planting 7 days a week him an 1 other hand when she not working or keeping kids in line she and the kids helps him so the hired hand has time off.
but thank you very much for the advice.i will check into it.
just trying to help the kids from a distance all i can.

 

[76 Bar]

Glad you responded. No doubt gonna step on die hard Aussie Sheppard aficionado toes here with my comments. Prior to being usurped by the American Kennel Club Australian Shepard's were regarded in various USA regions as very useful stock dogs. Unfortunately such is not the case today as the AKC parameters value physical traits at the expense of working ability.
If your daughters dog is from exemplary proven working lines & with proper training & handling it'll likely prove an asset.

 

[Bigfoot]

Not saying Australian shepherds won't work, but I have noticed of the working dogs I see AS are a small percentage. Check out ranch world adds. The breeders near there, will very likely know.

 

[Katpau]

We got a border collie pup out of working parents from a friend 7 years ago. He has been the best help we've ever had. Up until then we did most herding and sorting on ATVs or foot, but ATV's are limited in maneuverability and we are getting pretty old to be chasing cows on foot over bumpy ground. Our cows were not dog broke, so we sent the pup to a professional to start him and he worked with us also, training us how to handle the dog. That training was invaluable to us. It helped us to see mistakes we were making in our interactions with the dog. I will note that the trainer mentioned he will no longer accept Australian Shepherds for training. He claimed the registry had changed the breed and had destroyed most of their livestock handling abilities. FWIW

 

[76 Bar]

I will note that the trainer mentioned he will no longer accept Australian Shepherds for training.

Not surprising. Apples & oranges.

He claimed the registry had changed the breed and had destroyed most of their livestock handling abilities.

That was the point in my previous post. Make no mistake, while not my cup of tea historically the breed has proven useful amongst many a sheep and cattle man. The road to ruin commenced when the parent organization ASCA sold out to the AKC i.e. relinquished their stud books and control. Same applies to all breeds who did likewise including the Border Collie. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0983484503/?tag=cattletoday00-20
FWIW there exists a small number of Aussie breeders who are determined to preserve the exemplary working qualities of the breed. Admittedly they are few and far between.

 

[Dave]

I had an Aussie for a lot of years. He was a great dog but not a bit of cow in him. I live in an area where the cows by far out number the people and the kind of country where cow dogs are really important. I see all breeds of working dogs but I just don't see any Aussies.

 

[76 Bar]

I had an Aussie for a lot of years. He was a great dog but not a bit of cow in him.

Bred from generations of proven cow working lines?

 

[Dave]

I had an Aussie for a lot of years. He was a great dog but not a bit of cow in him.

Bred from generations of proven cow working lines?

Nope. As I said he was a great dog. Intelligent, well mannered, but herding a cow in any way shape or form was not his thing. I got him in 1976 which was the last year I was going hard to the rodeos. I lost him in 1991. He traveled to more states than lots of people. Flew in Alaskan bush planes. Was a great coyote trapping dog. But he sure wasn't interested in cows.

 

[Silver]

My Aussie is a retired pot licker now, but she came from a great working family and had all the instincts. As a trainer I can teach them to sic and I can teach them to come back the first time I call no matter the situation. After that I am no dog cattle dog trainer, but she made up for that with her natural abilities. I'd like to find another like her someday, but I won't replace her until she passes on.

 

[76 Bar]

Nope. As I said he was a great dog. Intelligent, well mannered, but herding a cow in any way shape or form was not his thing.

You can't put into them what wasn't innately there to begin with. Sounds to me what he lacked in working ability he more than made for it as a very special, memorable companion. :nod:

 

[76 Bar]

Silver...Considering what I consider the Australian Shepherd's road to ruin in the last ~ 20 years its fortuitous that your now retired pot licker came from a working linage. Sadly as rare as hen's teeth today. I had the good fortune of meeting long time breeder (now deceased) Bob Vest and watching him work a number of his dogs years ago. It was an eye opener. Because of their immense talent and stylish working behavior there was a major brouhaha amongst Aussie breeders that he'd "stooped" to injecting a bit of BC blood. I could be wrong but I don't think that was the case. He admired talented workers and selected accordingly. The Vest dogs as well as other astute breeder lines typically show up in the lineage of exemplary working lines today.