Herding Games for Urban Dogs - No Sheep Required!

This lecture discusses the types of rewards you will be using to motivate your dog and reward the desired actions.

This lecture shows some training props that can be useful to aid in teaching the dog the exercises

This lecture discusses the different types of balls that might be used as replacements for livestock in the Herding Games

This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog to come and be next to you when called. This is a helpful position for the dog to be, so that they are out of your way, so herding dogs may be called into the side position rather than sitting in front of the handler.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog to Sit and Stay. This is an essential impulse control skill, required for all herding dogs, which helps give you control of your dog when required for manners or safety.

This lecture demonstrates how to start teaching the dog to lie down and stay. Initially, it is helpful to have the dog lie down on an elevated bed. Once the dog understands the exercise, the bed is no longer needed.

This lecture explains the "That'll Do" signal, which is traditionally used in herding to communicate to the dog that their duties are over.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog "rear end awareness" which is to move their hind feet while keeping their front feet anchored on a step stool. This is a helpful exercise for fitness and muscle tone, and also aids your dog in being nimble and athletic and able to turn their body around to face in a particular direction

This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog to swing their back end around so they are facing towards you and from there, can push the ball in a straight line.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog to "Push" using three different methods; pushing a ball that is covering a bowl containing treats, unrolling a rug or mat that is rolled up with treats inside, or pushing a ball or toy that has treats hidden underneath. This is a foundation skill - once the dog understands how to push an object with their nose, this skill can be transferred into pushing a ball towards the handler. The lecture includes a demonstration of how and when to add a verbal cue such as "Push", and also how to fade out the treats under/in the item and start to reward with treats from the hand.

This lecture explains that you can teach your dog to push the ball towards you, away from you, or alongside you. The training techniques for how to do this will be demonstrated in the following lectures.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog to be comfortable with the training equipment (a channel made from timber or plastic rails) which is used as a guide while initially teaching the dog to push the ball.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach the dog to push the ball along the channel.

This lecture demonstrates how to begin teaching the dog to push a ball towards the handler without using a channel to contain the ball.

This lecture gives some suggestions of how to gently discourage your dog from biting at the ball.

This lecture discusses how each individual dog may have a preference as to how they like to participate in the ball push activity.

This lecture discusses the meaning of the term "balance point" as it pertains to livestock herding.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog to go to a Target Mat and then sit, stand or lie down. The Target Mat will be used when working at a distance, to show the dog where to go (eg to go to the other side of the ball)

This lecture demonstrates how you can use a target mat to help the dog understand to go to the back side of the ball when you are wanting the dog to push the ball towards you.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog to come to a "Stop" and to stay still until signalled to continue moving forwards.

This lecture demonstrates some techniques you can use to teach your dog the herding commands of moving in a clockwise or anti-clockwise circle, often called "Come By" and "Away To Me". This action is used to send the dog to the far side of the livestock, or to circle around the livestock to keep them in a group.

This lecture demonstrates how we can use the clockwise and anti-clockwise circling skills to teach the dog to move in a figure-8 pattern as a fun game.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach the dog to walk backwards. Herding dogs may be directed to move further back away from the livestock if they are getting too close and making the animals unsettled.

This lecture demonstrates how to apply the Back Up signal and get the dog to move further back away from the ball so they can push from a better position.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach the dog to move around to the opposite side of the ball, so as to be able to push the ball towards the handler.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach the dog to turn around and go further away. The method uses a target mat to send the dog to.

This lecture explains the meaning of "Boundary Style Herding" which is when the dog acts as a living fence to contain the livestock in a grazing area. Some ways to teach the dog the concept of staying behind a boundary are demonstrated.

This lecture demonstrates how you can use boundary training in everyday life, for example to keep your dog out of the kitchen or stop your dog going out of an opened gate.

Teach your dog to jump up onto rocks, platforms, or low walls. This skill is used to train your dog to jump into a vehicle. It is an excellent confidence-building exercise for all dogs. For puppies and young dogs, only jump on and off very low objects to prevent injuries. Herding dogs may be required to jump onto the back of a ute or truck, or onto a quad bike, to be transported to another location for work. Australian working kelpies are trained to "back" the sheep, which is to jump onto the backs of the sheep when they are tightly packed in a raceway or pen, in order for the dog to move the sheep.

This lecture explains the usefulness of teaching your dog to be comfortable having a training lead (long line or drag line) attached to their collar or harness so that they can be gradually and safely be given more freedom as they develop off lead control. Herding dogs are frequently trained on a long line at first, so that the handler can use the line to control or guide the dog as necessary.

Herding dogs may need to jump over a fence or gate or into a pen in order to get to the livestock. This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog Over or Jump.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach "shedding", which is splitting up or separating a group of sheep by running between them through a small gap. It is an excellent recall training game, as it teaches the dog to run to the handler and ignore distractions.

This lecture demonstrates how to teach your dog to come when called even when they are interested in something else, such as food, toys or wildlife. Herding dogs must have excellent recall and must leave the livestock and return to the handler when required.

This lecture demonstrates how you can use the circle clockwise or anticlockwise skills to play some fun games by circling around different objects.

This lecture discusses official Herding Trials (Tests), and describes the elements of the Test, and demonstrates how you can replicate the "Test" by getting your dog to perform the skills they have already learned in a replica of a Herding Test, using a ball as a replacement for livestock.

This lecture demonstrates how you can use your dog's ball pushing skills to play a game of soccer!

This lecture demonstrates how you can use the herding skills that your dog knows to make a fun obstacle course for your dog to work through, that replicates the sorts of things a working herding dog may have to perform.

This lecture concludes the Course.