Farm Dog

Have you ever wondered why tee ball and little league and slow pitch softball exist in a world where there’s Major League Baseball? Of course you haven’t. We all know those low-level sports are valuable for players even though they’re not the best of the best, and everybody has to start somewhere. So why would we dismiss dogs and handlers who play in the herding minor leagues? Welcome to Farm Dog.

If you’re listening to this show, you probably know something about working dogs – or at least your kind of working dogs. But the working dog world is surprisingly big and it includes some fascinating subcultures that go on thriving with most people – even dog people – unaware. Of course, it’s easier to go unnoticed when you’re nocturnal. Welcome to Farm Dog.

Isn’t it interesting how some things go through dramatic technological change – like smart phones and space flight – while others don’t (toilets are basically the same as they were in the late 1700’s). We’re experiencing the equivalent of space flight for pastured livestock right now, and yet we’re still going to need farm dogs. Sorry for the toilet comparison, Fido. Welcome to Farm Dog.

Livestock guardian dogs are just built different. Compared to other dog breeds they live differently, work differently, behave differently, and – importantly – learn differently. It’s often said that LGDs can’t really be “trained” in the usual sense, but with such a high failure rate among guardians, maybe we should be thinking about training on their terms instead of ours. Welcome to Farm Dog.

If someone called you a “jack of all trades, master of none,” would you be flattered or insulted? Being a lover of versatility I’ve always viewed it as a compliment. How would you view a working dog that is a jack of all trades? A blessing? A curse? Or – as I see it – the Holy Grail of farm dogs? Welcome to Farm Dog.

Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder, Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com.

Back in Episode 46 I vented about the deceptive labeling practices of dog food companies that make comparing the price of one brand to another nearly impossible. I went on to describe my strategy for finding a good value, but John Howard of Kinetic Performance Dog Food listened to that episode, and he’s here to add some depth to my superficial solution. Welcome to Farm Dog.

In the 60’s and 70’s, the phrase “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” meant average Joes might buy a particular brand of car once they saw it win on the race track – even if the average Joe would never have a need for such high performance. Can the same be said about stockdog trials, or can every farmer and rancher benefit from a high performance herding dog?

Renowned interviewer, Larry King, once said, “I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening.” That’s great advice for people, but I wonder if Larry would agree that it applies to our relationships with our stockdogs, too. Welcome to Farm Dog.

There is an immensely popular outdoor activity happening right under our country dwelling noses at this time of year. It brings its practitioners closer to nature, cures cabin fever, provides exercise and fresh air, and – the best part – it’s done most effectively with well-trained dogs. So why are we working farm dog people mostly unaware of it? Welcome to Farm Dog.

In case you were worried that this podcast might eventually become ad supported and filled up with a bunch of commercials, let me ease your mind, at least for now. Today I rant about how dog food makers label and price their products. This episode shall forever be known as “The one where he kills any chance at a future dog food sponsorship.” Welcome to Farm Dog.

Yes, it can be done. A rancher can start with almost no stockdog experience and in six years have a full crew of high performing ranch dogs and be producing puppies that are in demand from all over the world. It helps to have a ton of drive and passion, like David Dagley, and to start with Annie the Hangin' Tree Cow Dog. Welcome to Farm Dog.

How do we know that thing we saw one of our farm dogs do is a consistent behavior or just a one-off, random event? To be sure, we need more opportunities to observe the dog in the same situation. Having thousands of lambs and dozens of livestock guardian dogs makes for a bigger sample, as does a day-in-day-out threat from black headed buzzards. Welcome to Farm Dog.

Sweets is sweet, she said. She's sweet with sheep and so sweet she sometimes seems soft. So, seek some solid suggestions in search of solutions. Stockdogs sound so simple, sometimes sneakily so. Show Sweets some sensitivity so she'll see success. Welcome to Farm Dog.

Most of us assume that livestock guardian dogs are a good investment for an operation with small livestock, but how many of us have actually run the numbers? Just like every other part of our production systems, guardian dogs are not free. Do they really produce more than they cost? Does it matter? What if predation is less costly than our dog packs? Welcome to Farm Dog.

"What we've got here is failure to communicate." That quote from Cool Hand Luke may apply to the stockdog world. Do stockdog trainers and new stockdog owners really understand each other? Is a tight knit, tight lipped community good or bad for the future of our stockdog breeds? And, what can we learn about communication by training with other types of working dogs? Welcome to Farm Dog.

To bond or not to bond with your livestock guardian dog? Conventional wisdom suggests that an LGD can only truly bond to its stock or to its people. Take your pick. But the Armenian Gampr may cause you to doubt  that way of thinking. Could the Gampr really be an effective, people-focused livestock guardian? Welcome to Farm Dog.

When you break it down to its basics, despite all the different ways we use stockdogs on our farms and ranches, we're generally asking them to do the same one thing: move animals. Out, back, left, right, this way and that way. Rebecca Gibson does the same with her Border Collies, except she adds in a third dimension that most of us would never think of -- up. Welcome to Farm Dog.

Take a look at that livestock guardian dog in your pasture. What do you see? Fur, jowls, slobber, giant brown eyes, and thousands of dollars of kibble consumed? Bill Costanzo and I see all that, plus...dozens of orbiting satellites and the technology-enhanced future of animal agriculture. Welcome to Farm Dog.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that stockmanship is only for the human in the handler-to-stockdog relationship. After all, "man" is in the word. But Milt Scott is here to say that it doesn't end with us. Yes, if we want to help our dogs be successful we need to be better stockmen, but we also need to nurture the development of stockmanship in our dogs. Welcome to Farm Dog.

Jordan Reed and his pack of dogs are professional rat hunters. They have drive, talent, expertise, and a game plan shaped by long experience. They are the varsity team. What about the rest of us JV third-stringers? Can working dogs do meaningful pest control on our farms and ranches, even though we're probably a little less intense about it? Welcome to Farm Dog.

Saturday Night Live's fictional music producer, Bruce Dickinson, is famous for saying, "I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cow bell." Returning guest Zeb Gray, after some early bumps on his stockdog journey, has decided the only prescription for his fever is more Border Collies. We'll check in on Zeb's progress in this "novice-to-novice" episode. Welcome to Farm Dog.

Like it or not, if your farm or ranch has livestock it probably has rats and other troublesome pests. In fact, they may outnumber your sheep, goats, chickens, or cattle. You could attack the problem with traps and poisons, but as someone who understands the value of working farm dogs you'll be happy to know "there's a farm dog for that" also. Welcome to Farm Dog.

We use stockdogs to herd cattle at $1.50 per pound and we keep livestock guardian dogs to protect $3.00-per-pound lambs. In both cases we  believe our dogs make us money and add to the experience. But, what if you could switch to a crop that sells for around $1,000 per pound and a good working dog would be more essential than ever? Welcome to Farm Dog.

Sometimes the lessons we learn in farming and ranching can seem devastating in the moment, but they set us on a course toward greater success and better stewardship. Janet McNally had that sort of devastation-to-revelation experience, and changing her livestock guardian dog program was one piece of a management shakeup that led to bigger and better things. Welcome to Farm Dog.

A litter of adorable livestock guardian puppies is at your feet, and you have a serious decision to make. Right. Now. Keep in mind that you'll  be feeding this dog for at least the next decade, your choice will affect your farm's profitability, and if the dog doesn't work out you probably won't be able to find it another home. Wouldn't it be nice to have some more information? Welcome to Farm Dog.

If the question is, "What breed of stockdog should I get?", the Border Collie is virtually never a wrong answer. It might not be the perfect answer for your particular taste, livestock, and situation, but it would be hard to go wrong with a Border Collie. It's been Scott Glen's right answer since 1984 both on the ranch and the trial circuit, and he's here to tell us why. Welcome to Farm Dog.

While you and your stockdogs are fast asleep in your beds, Ben Sheets is likely out in the woods with another kind of working dog. Multipurpose "tree dogs" were once a near necessity for people living close to the land, and while they are no longer as critical as they once were, their partnership can still make our rural lives even richer. Welcome to Farm Dog.

Who would want a "washout" stockdog? Or even a retired one? The first implies failure, the second that its best days are behind it. But if it comes from the field trial world, there's a good chance that dog will have more talent and high level training than any pup we raise and train ourselves for farm and ranch work. A pro is a pro, even if it didn't make it in the big leagues. Welcome to Farm Dog.

True or false?

1. Livestock guardian dogs should weigh at least 100 pounds.
2. LGD's should bark at everything they can't identify.
3. LGD's should be aggressive and predatory.
4. LGD breeds must have names that are difficult to pronounce.

Dr. Phillip Sponenberg, is here to give us some surprising answers based on his breed of choice -- the Karakachan.

Batman -- the superhero -- is tough, but so are all superheros. What makes Batman so cool is the way he brings the bad guys to justice in style, wearing the cape and cowl and driving the Batmobile. Batman the Hangin' Tree Cow Dog and the rest of Jared Lewis Lee's kennel bring a similar mix of toughness and style to the stockdog world. Welcome to Farm Dog.