Monthly dog dosing will close measles gap
Requiring that all dogs on sheep farms be treated every four weeks for sheep measles is a significant step in reducing the impact of the parasite, says Dan Lynch.
And I will remind you yet again that consistency in training is the secret to success. Be consistent with the command (don’t change it in any way) and be consistent when you use it.
I probably have more commands than your average person. I think it makes life simpler for dogs when they first go to work if there is a clear command that has a clear meaning and they know and understand it.
The start of working life with all that is involved can really be overwhelming for dogs, and people expect the dog to automatically fit in; and ‘natural ability’ supposedly means understand everything, even though we have taught you nothing beforehand.
In my last column I discussed ‘no’, which means ‘that is wrong’!
Now I will explain my ‘leave it’ which is similar to ‘no’ yet different. You decide if it would be a useful command for your dog to know.
‘Leave it’ means ‘walk away from that’!
I found it a fantastic command at lambing, and when shedding out dry ewes from ewes with their lambs prior to docking. Most of the time we want our dogs to bring everything, but when we are shedding out they need to learn to leave ewes and lambs behind; if they have been taught ‘leave it’ prior, it is less confusing for a young dog.
It is also a very useful command when mustering. Again, we usually want our dogs to bring everything, including the slow animals, so imagine how confusing it is for a dog when we expect him to leave something that is never going to make it. A simple ‘leave it’ and he walks away – easily and without reluctance.
I regularly attach a 6-8m cord, of about 1cm diameter, to a pup’s collar in the early days when letting it off for a run. If it doesn’t come when called, you walk over, pick up the end and give a jerk, saying ‘mate -- behind’; it makes life easy and you are far less likely to lose your temper and do something you shouldn’t. (Mitre 10 has the perfect cord; it is soft and comes in bright colours, so is easy to see in the grass.)
To teach ‘leave it’, take the pup for a walk on a long lead, allowing the pup to potter about exploring things. Allow it to have a good sniff of something interesting and then say its name (to get its attention); ‘mate - leave it!’ and give a jerk on the lead. You want the pup to leave whatever it is and continue on the walk.
You don’t want the pup to come to you, because you won’t when he is mustering miles away; you want him to ‘leave it’ and continue the job in hand.
It usually takes only a few lessons over a couple of days, with a jerk on the collar and ‘mate – leave it!’ for a pup to understand the new command.
Most people will throw something at a pup to teach ‘leave it’ but that can have dire consequences: not only could you injure the pup but it can frighten it and have it running for cover; is it not better to have control, give a jerk on the lead and have the pup still with you unharmed and unafraid and learning without fear?
• Anna Holland is teaching people dog training. For more information www.annaholland.co.nz or Ph 06) 212 4848 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
