Cattle Dogs

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Alan

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Well we just spent the last two days chasing 15 head through the steep forest land behind our place. My wife and I, 21 yr old son and my 65 yr old mother and 71 yr old dad. This was not fun...they found a post that had rotted off and went through the one spot I don't have hot wire (4 strand barb). Wife said mom and dad won't be allowed to do it again.

Who likes what kind of cattle dog do you like and why?

Thanks,
In the dog house

Alan
 
Sorry... I'm tired

Last sentence should have been, who likes what kind of cattle dog and why?

Still in the dog house
Alan
 
Depends on the type cattle plum crazy catohula cure. Real ornery ACD or Kelpies. Ordinary contrary cattle Bordie Collie. Take's a very experienced Border Collie to handle rough cattle they are more a finesse dog. I prefer the Collie very expensive for a good cow dog( well expensive to me).
 
The King of the stock dog breeds, most enduring... stamina is their middle name... CATAHOULA LEOPARD STOCK DOGS outwork and outfight all other breeds of stock dogs when protecting their master, livestock, and property. They are the largest and most aggressive of the cattle dogs, bred to handle wild cattle and hogs in the roughest, most remote country. Catahoulas will also hunt coon, bear, or whatever else they are introduced to. These dogs are not good city dwellers... they need several acres to roam to be happy. A farm or ranch is really their element
 
To each their own, and for our operation I use border collies. However, as previously mentioned, they are not as aggressive as some of the other herding breeds.

The border collie had it's origins as a sheep dog, therefore it needed to be a bit softer than breeds develop to work with cattle, but I've gotten pretty lucky. My bitches have far too much "grip" to be good sheepdogs, but they will take a bull or cow by the nose and turn them if need be. It's a toss-up as to which is the better dog, because the older one is more aggressive but also very "sticky" and therefore needs to be kept on track more frequently (to my agenda - not hers), but the younger one, although somewhat less confident than her aunt looks back more often for direction, which I prefer rather than trying to untrack the sticky dog.

Neither can be trusted loose unsupervised, as they will work whatever stock is handy, be it horses, cattle or chickens (favourite chew toy of collies on my place...must be the fun squeaking sound they make when feathers are pulled out of them.). But if you need to move a unco-operative animal into the sorting corral or onto a liner, they're worth their weight in gold. I've seen them catch an occasional hoof in the chops, and they just get right back in there and work that animal over. Also mighty handy for keeping the cows out of the hay yard gates when it's choring time.

Oh, and they're hell on bears and coyotes. They'll tree a black bear at the drop of a hat. I also haven't seen a wolf close to the house since I got them (not to say they haven't been by, just haven't seen 'em). On the downside, if left to their own devices, border collies and most other herding dogs can develop a fatal attraction to vehicles.

It's kind of interesting to see what kind of dog everyone prefers and why. Basically, do some research on the different breeds and it's really worthwhile if you can get in touch with someone who uses/trains/trials stockdogs. It'll let you get the measure of what you think might work for you in your situation.

Take care.
 
I whish I could find a good ole catahuolla. I had a good one from Louis. They are UN HERD OF UP HERE. So if ya all know of any Please let me know.
 
I've always had the best luck with a "white bucket" dog. The last time I accidentally left the front gate open, I just stood in the driveway and showed them the bucket.. and about got run over.

I think your cattle have to get used to being "worked" with a dog. A few years ago on a lease place a friend offered to collect our cows for us, and it was a nightmare with him, his horse, and a dog. They didn't have a clue what was going on. Feed bag to the rescue! I've been a firm believer ever since then.
 
TheBullLady":19pe4wbp said:
I've always had the best luck with a "white bucket" dog. The last time I accidentally left the front gate open, I just stood in the driveway and showed them the bucket.. and about got run over.

I think your cattle have to get used to being "worked" with a dog. A few years ago on a lease place a friend offered to collect our cows for us, and it was a nightmare with him, his horse, and a dog. They didn't have a clue what was going on. Feed bag to the rescue! I've been a firm believer ever since then.

We use the white stick method. The cows are so used to being rotated from pasture to pasture that when they see me with a white tread in post the will follow me anywhere thinking that they're going some place new.

dun
 
We adopted a German Shepard (mostly) that was about a year old when the city dwellers dumped him out here 3 years ago. He has turned into a good guard dog for the house, and good trail dog when horse riding. This year he has taken to helping me with the cattle. I have been surprised by how he often seems to know which calf I want to separate out, and he is actually helpful. Well sometimes anyway. Other times he makes a real mess of things and I have to send him back to the house. When we took him in he had the car chasing thing bad. I introduced him to the training collar and enrolled him car chasers anonymous. He's much better these days but every few months or so he occasionally falls off the wagon and has to spend a few days wearing the training collar again. I have began wondering if there are any exercises, or drills I could do with him to develop his cattle handling abilities, or at least not encourage bad habits. Any suggestions?
 
Forget the dog. Teach your cattle how to eat Range Cubes. Cubes are like candy to cows. They will follow you anywhere for a handful of cubes.
We got rid of all of our dogs years ago, all we use is a bag of cubes.
 
rgv4":39m0385d said:
Forget the dog. Teach your cattle how to eat Range Cubes. Cubes are like candy to cows. They will follow you anywhere for a handful of cubes.
We got rid of all of our dogs years ago, all we use is a bag of cubes.

we graze oats & rye in the winter for a couple of hours/day. the cows don't want to come out even for cubes. a good dog will get them out. we drive along the edge of the patch with the 4-wheeler to keep from trampling too much down & send the dogs out to the side for the cows that keep wanting to stop to get the last bite.
 
We have a catahuolla red heeler cross. Good dog but Ihave no need for a herd dog. My cattle are horn broke. She did save my butt from a bull once when she was just a pup.

Tod
 
I would just as soon try to herd cows with a hot air balloon as use a dog.
Dogs are fence builders best friend.
 
ollie":1oym17cz said:
I would just as soon try to herd cows with a hot air balloon as use a dog.
Dogs are fence builders best friend.

I would like to see that and have a camera handy. I thought I had seen most methods hot air ballon is a new one on me.
 
Mahoney Pursley Ranch":m2ww8v9k said:
Ollie, What do you mean by "dogs are fence builders best friend" ?

Some dogs are too aggresive and stirr the cattle up so much that they will run thru fences. A good cow dog can work magic. A marginal to poor cow dog is more trouble than they are worth. It can be like trying to work cattle with a John Wayne greenhorn who comes out to 'help' and hoops and hollers and gets all the girls so stirred up that, at the end of the day, you wish they had been drowned at birth.

Craig-TX
 
Every dog I was around was biting the one that was thinking about jumping.
 
ollie":29eb21cl said:
Every dog I was around was biting the one that was thinking about jumping.

1. you need a dog you can control .

2. cull the jumpers .. :lol:
 

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