THE CHICKEN GOD HAS SPOKEN

As some may know I am trying to train two pups to work cattle. I have never worked a trained dog myself, heck I have never seen with my own eyes a dog work cattle. But I raised 5 children to work cattle, even though don't work cattle. Hey it looks fun.

To reach my goal is to work them on chickens daily. I don't have access to cattle everyday. So with the breed of dog that I have picked has one small trait that is common but would be better if I could shove it back into the closet. They are known for grabbing the chicken around the neck and dragging it over to you. Now what chicken farmer wouldn't love that. He brings you dinner. And all this with no death, no blood. They can do it without hurting the chicken at all. I will admit it is looks funny. So with my older pup (Gideon, named after a warrior of God). I have been working on getting it across to him that I don't want it. He is coming along.

I now have a younger pup (Vaquera, cow girl in Spanish) who came with a whole lot of grit. I spoke to the breeder and told her I need a very strong willed pup. I got a really really strong willed pup. She is in the middle of learning that the chickens can run around the back yard until I say, not her. She has tried to let this trait out and she has shown me that she won't be a gentle as the other. So I am working on that harder with her. I love the grit because our cattle don't like dogs and they show it all the time. I need one that looks like she will do all she can to get it done.

Now with the both of them I have chained them up if I found them putting them away. With Gideon I only had to do this twice. Vaquera had been up to four times now and didn't get the hint. I have read three really good books on training your own stock dog and everything I can google. In one of my books the trainer says if there is something going down and you can't control it with voice, can't reach the dog to discipline then throw a dirt clot at them and let them believe that the "god of you should do that" has spoken. So as I yelled in a very low growly voice NOT YET and threw a stick at her. It hit her in the side of the head. Oh my goodness the cry she put out. I went to her and checked her over, reminded her not yet and sent her to the back porch.
Where I loved her up for being obedient.

Done, the chicken god has spoken. She now lays in the yard and lets the chicken have all the room they need. Soon as I put the leads on the dogs and say walk up, they are doing their things. Gathering and pinning them in the coop.

Thank heaven she doesn't know it was me that threw it. That is one thing he pointed out. We don't want them afraid of us, just the command. So now when or if I have to say not yet, she will look around for the not yet god.