How to stockproof a dog

ABOVE: Ours pups want to chase and 'lug up' from the word go. Redirecting that drive to be pig specific is crucial to developing effective working dogs.

STOCKPROOFING pigdogs is one of the most important tasks a catcher can undertake. For a dog to be stockproof it must utterly ignore everything but pigs (and some can even differentiate between wild and domestic pigs).

So how do you get through to a tough dog that you want it to chase somethings but not others? In the past a lot of dogs were belted into submission after they made mistakes. Eventually it worked but it was hard on dogs, stock and the people involved. It is also unnecessary and worse, makes the task of training harder, much harder.

The key to stockproofing is in getting control of the dog's psychology (indeed, understanding dog psychology...) in the yard before you go into the field. In the dog's mind it is in a pack, you and your family and the rest of the dogs in the yard are that pack. Dog's understand pack structure and accept it without question but part of that is that, if there is a perceived lack of leadership of the pack, one of the dogs (or several) will attempt to fill the vacuum. If dog's aren't led, they will make the decision to lead.

Dogs that chase stock are deciding to lead the pack.

We start all stockproofing with basic long lead training (see quick guide or blog archive right for info) to get control of the dog's mind. It's about showing you are the dominant dog and that comes down to a function of your state of mind. For instance, you never ask a dog to do anything.

You tell a dog to do everything. The dog wants clear and firm direction and it's up to you to give it to them. So, do the long lead training and get your timing right. You'll know you've got it because the dog will start anticipating what you want it to do, looking to you to see if it has read your pattern properly. Once this level of control has been achieved and repeated off the lead, you introduce them to stock. Ideally you have an experienced dog who shows the pack minded young dog what is expected.

However, not everyone has that experienced dog (or it's the experienced dog that is the problem) so what do you do from scratch?

Always, long lead training and then...

Take the dog on the long lead around some stock. Be relaxed. If you are tense it can translate as excited to the dog and provoke an attack. Use the same principles as basic long lead training, correct the dog at the moment it moves to look at stock. Jerk the lead (harder for harder dogs...) but make it a bang, not a pull. You are not trying to hurt the dog, just surprise it out of its interest and make it pay attention to you. I just make a sound like 'AH' as I jerk the lead. Keep doing that over a couple of visits and you'll know when the dog is switched on to 'no stock'. The dog will put it's head down or to the side or look at you with a lot of white in its eye whenever it is near stock.

After that, take the dog by itself on the truck for a drive through stock (vary the stock to suit what you are likely to encounter). If the dog appears to look at stock, just repeat your rousing tone from the long lead training. (If you want even more security, tie the dog to a 10 metre rope on the truck, that way if it does decide it wants to chase stock, you can time a rouse to coincide with the moment the dog is about to hit the end of the rope...)

And the final thing...might sound strange but it is important. Be calm. Don't get all activated about whether or not the dog will go for the stock. Believe it won't and that you're the leader of the pack. Dogs can read you like a book so you have to pick which page they get to see. It must always be the chapter marked 'In Control'. Anything else and you risk the dog picking up on that as a weakness in leadership and a reason to start making too many decisions.

The method as described is the longest way you'll need to do it. Most dogs get it about half way through and that's that.

As always, if you have a question, feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it.