Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell - Teach Your Herding Breed To Be a Great Companion Dog: From Obsessive To Outstanding

Teach Your Herding Breed to
be a Great Companion Dog

From Obsessive to Outstanding

Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell, Esq., MPA, CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA

Wenatchee, Washington U.S.A.

Teach Your Herding Breed to be a Great Companion Dog
From Obsessive to Outstanding

Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell, Esq., MPA, CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA

Dogwise Publishing

A Division of Direct Book Service, Inc.

403 South Mission Street, Wenatchee, Washington 98801
1-509-663-9115, 1-800-776-2665

www.dogwisepublishing.com / info@dogwisepublishing.com

2015 by Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell, Esq., MPA, CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA

Editor in chief: Larry Woodward

Photos: Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell, Jeff Bream, Patty Mlsna Curry, Gloria Hartshorn, Robert Sanford, Dianne Krantz, Cindy Mendonca, Jeff Mitchell, Melissa Myers, National Media Library under common use license, Carole Sewell, Ami Sheffield, Nate Standish, and Marabeth White.

Graphic design: Lindsay Peternell

Cover design: Jesus Cordero

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty:
The author and publisher shall not be liable in the event of incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing, performance, or use of the instructions and suggestions contained in this book.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Antoniak-Mitchell, Dawn, 1966
Teach your herding breed to be a great companion dog : from obsessive to outstanding / Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell, Esq., MPA, CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-61781-162-3

1. Herding dogs--Training. 2. Herding dogs--Behavior. I. Title.
SF428.6.A58 2015
636.737--dc23

2015015059

ISBN: 978-1617811-62-3

Printed in the U.S.A.

To Gabriel,

who taught me to gather all good things in life together

Contents

For the third time, I would like to start by thanking everyone at Dogwise for giving me the opportunity to bring another training book to completion. Your continued support is truly appreciated.

Thank you to Jeff for his patience with yet another book project. You are the only person who actually understands the method to my madness when I write. And the futility of arguing with it.

Thank you to all my BonaFide Dog Academy students and fellow dog trainers the world over who graciously helped me obtain photographs. Pictures speak far more than a thousand words when those images capture the intelligence, spirit, and determination of herding dogs. And a huge shout-out to Robert Sanford, a cat person at heart, who capably translated my cryptic dog-training instructions into lovely photographs.

The past informs the present, and, as a result, no one ever develops a completely novel approach to dog training. Many of the exercises and games in this book are adaptations of ideas from well-known researchers and trainers such as Jean Donaldson, Karen Pryor, Patricia McConnell, Brenda Aloff, Kay Laurence, Turid Rugaas, and Sylvia Bishop, as well as lesser-known, but equally talented, trainers and herding dog fanciers of the past and present. Thank you for laying the foundation for future generations of trainers to build upon.

The biggest debt of gratitude I owe is to the generations of herding dog owners everywhere who created, adapted, protected, worked, and passed down these wonderful herding dog breeds to us. Without the development of herding dogs to help move livestock effectively and efficiently, it is possible that life for people could have developed very differently, and the opportunity to write this book might never have existed.

You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when youre finished, youll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird.So lets look at the bird and see what its doingthats what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.

Richard Feynman, American physicist

The notion that different dog breeds behave differently is not a new one. This is why so many different dog breeds exist in the first place. If people wanted or needed all dogs to look and behave exactly the same, countless thousands of people over the centuries would not have spent their time and resources to create the diversity of dog breeds alive today. But the obvious physical and behavioral differences that exist between breeds are often lost in the one-size-fits-all training approach applied in far too many traditional training classes. Little or no time is spent helping owners understand how their dogs behaviors may be related, at least in part, to their breed instincts. As a result, many owners never truly understand the dogs looking back at them from the other end of the leash. This lack of understanding can lead to unrealistic behavioral expectations, ineffective training efforts, and unnecessary frustration. Helping owners understand and appreciate the breed they own will empower them to become better trainers and problem solvers. Ultimately, this should keep more herding dogs out of shelters and rescue groups and with families where they are loved and appreciated for what they are at heart.

While the breed-centric premise of this book is not new, the combination of exercises and their applications to life with a herding dog will provide you, a current or prospective herding dog owner, with effective breed-based approaches to changing your dogs unacceptable behaviors into more acceptable ones. This is not a book about teaching your dog basic obedience skills, such as sitting on cue. There are already many excellent books available that cover the mechanics of teaching these skills to any breed of dog. The Resources section at the end of this book lists several you may find helpful. This is not a book about training your dog to herd livestock, either. For dog owners who want to teach their herding dogs to herd, seeking out an experienced herding instructor is the best way to proceed. Training a working herding dog requires you to understand not only your dog, but also the livestock you are working with. Consulting with an instructor is the safest way for you to learn about both. This book gives you training exercises, management techniques, and games designed to address the unique training challenges that often come with opening your heart and home to a herding dog, particularly when you live in an urban environment.

Even though most people think of their dogs as family members, it is important to remember that no matter how much you love your dog, he is still a dog, not a furry little human. He is a beautiful, fascinating, intelligent, funny, irritating, independent, loyal, loving, hard-working, entertaining, unique being, but he is definitely not a human. He is a dog. And he is not just any type of dog, either; he is a herding dog. But he isnt Lassie or Rin Tin Tin reincarnated. Real herding dogs are even more amazing.

Once you understand and appreciate the similarities and differences between humans and dogsand between herding dogs and other types of dogsyou can create a more positive relationship with your dog and you can effectively teach your dog how you expect him to behave in your home. This book will help you develop a loving, positive working relationship with your canine companion by teaching you how to work