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A Guide to the Livestock-working Dog

Summary

Welcome to the fascinating world of the livestock working dog. This publication contains four sections: selecting the working dog, including review of the common working breeds, basic training methods and tips, the International Sheep Dog Rules with course pattern, and a list of resources including breed associations It’s intended as a reference guide, not a training manual “Training a working dog is not child’s play. It is serious business, requiring patience, perseverance, and knowledge of what you want your dog to learn. You must not expect the dog to learn it all in a week or month or any set time. It is a constant learning process.” This excerpt from Pope Robertson’s excellent training manual, Anybody Can Do It, illustrates the realities for 4-H members, or anyone else, considering the challenge of training a working dog. Experienced handlers, highly recommended by their peers, wrote all the resource materials listed in this publication. Each author has his or her own method, each with its own merit.