Stockdog Terminology – An Observation
The use of the word, “draw” to describe flocking instinct or herd behavior – the naturally occurring behavior of livestock (when a single animal or small group is separated from a herd or flock that they are attracted or “drawn” to the remaining animals) is a recent introduction into the stockdog lexicon. While the useage is not incorrect I never heard it used in that way in the livestock world. The “draw” was always the random group of stock selected for the run order (as in luck of the draw) at a trial.
As working livestock in trial competition continues to grow as an increasingly popular sport it attracts a wide variety of people….many of which are not from livestock backgrounds. Consequently, the intrinsic nature of livestock in relation to dog training has to be taught or learned and defined, so new terminology evolves.
The term, square flank(s, ing) is a modern addition as well. It wasn’t used until Glyn Jones used it to describe a correct flank (the way a dog moves around livestock) in his book, A Way of Life (©1987) on pages 45-47: “When we are teaching a dog to circle his sheep in the manner described above we are not only teaching him the verbal commands for left and right; we are also teaching him to go left and right in a square movement. I happen to believe that the flanking movement should be square in order to ensure that the dog turns off his sheep correctly. . . . Good, square flanking is very important in so many movements made on the trials field, and many trials are lost on the cross-drive because the handler cannot get the dog to flank properly.”
Stockdog Savvy by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor and Ty Taylor is a practical and useful handbook for ranchers as well as the hobbyist. If you want to learn to train stockdogs for farm and ranch work in the real world or for competition, this is the book for you. Almost 300 pages illustrated with diagrams and how-to photographs galore!
Stockdog Savvy also gives trainers, clinicians and judges an overview of many different herding dogs and types of livestock. It is the quintessential guide to owning, training, trialing, working or caring for your stockdog.
Additionally, people who don’t have access to livestock can teach all the basic herding commands through play training. Herding skills taught in a game format are fun activities to keep dogs in the city mentally and physically fit.
The Table of Contents:
Frontispiece: Just a Stockdog Story
Preface
Foreword by Ernie Hartnagle
Introduction
1 – HERDING DOGS
2 – WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A HERDING DOG
3 – PREPARING YOUR PUPPY
4 – LAYING THE FOUNDATION
5 – GETTING STARTED
6 – INTRODUCING A DOG TO STOCK
7 – MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR DOG’S TALENT
8 – DEVELOPING A USEFUL DOG
9 – THE OUTRUN
10 – DRIVING SKILLS
11 – BALANCE AND PENNING
12 – FOCUS ON SORTING
13 – BOUNDARY TRAINING FOR TENDING DOGS
14 – BASIC STOCKMANSHIP
15 – WORKING LARGE FLOCKS AND HERDS
16 – THE RANCH DOG
17– TRAINING ANIMALS
18 – POULTRY
19 – SHEEP
20 – GOATS
21 – CATTLE
22 – KEEPING LIVESTOCK
23 – THE TRIAL DOG
24 – TRIAL PROGRAMS
25 – WHAT JUDGES LOOK FOR
26 – OTHER ELEMENTS OF WORKING STOCKDOGS
Appendix -– BREED PROFILES
For more information please visit:
http://www.lasrocosa.com/education.html
Copyright © 2009 – 2010 by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor and Ty Taylor.
All Rights Reserved.
