excerpt from Preface:
Herding is an Activity that can provide you and your dog with many hours of useful work and enjoyment. You may be considering training a herding dog for farm or ranch work, or as a way to enjoy working at an activity for which your dog was originally bred. For those interested in competitions, there are organized Herding Trials for purebred and mixed-breed dogs.
In this book I will describe and discuss the herding training program I have used with hundreds of handlers and dogs in clinics, lessons and training sessions. Understanding your dog and that dog's reactions is the basis for this program. It is a progressive program to guide you from a dog's first exposure to stock through advanced training for farm or trial work. I will discuss different movements and exercises, the reasons why I do certain things in specific ways and special problems that may arise during each phase of training. I will also present principles of the instinctual basis for herding, and reactions of the dog to stock and to training.
Sections on herding commands and terms, basic obedience for the stock dog and working different types of stock ( ducks, cattle and sheep) are included.
Special chapters on personality types of different stock dogs and training modifications that may be necessary for these personality types should enable you and your dog to progress toward achieving your maximum potential.
In many cases I use the Border Collie as the standard of excellence for a herding dog. This is because the Border Collie is one of the few breeds that has been bred exclusively for herding over hundreds of years. This emphasis on herding performance has resulted in preservation and perpetuation of the herding instinct and natural ability as well as selection for the temperament that is easily trained for herding.
In this book I will also discuss specific characteristics and training techniques for Herding breeds other than Border Collies, based on my years of experience with a variety of breeds in clinics, lessons and training situations.
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