Masterclass Library
Preparing A Novice Dog To Meet Livestock

The Novice Dog

Video/Text

Preparing A Novice Dog To Meet Livestock

8 Steps Intermediate

Masterclass Details

The LWDG is incredibly excited to bring to you the first Masterclass of 2021!

Guest Experts Gwen Johnson and Leanne Smith provide detailed training on how you can prepare and begin to introduce your dogs to livestock using positive reinforcement methods.

The 5 in-depth videos and accompanying workbook will help you not only with preparing your dog for meeting livestock but is also worth watching for loads of great games you can play with your working dog.

Editor Note: This is a wonderful masterclass and we hugely appreciate Gwen and Leanne getting together to record. At some points during this filming, a Flail Mower was running close to the building. Unfortunately, this was picked up by the video recorder far louder than it could be heard on the day. We hope these moments of background noise are not too distracting for our members.

Course Structure

Society Members Only

Background Theory

In this video you will learn:

The Predatory Sequence
Four pronged approaches to preparing your dog to work near livestock
The difference between self-control and imposed control

Society Members Only

Foundation Skills

In this video you will learn:

Skills to perfect away from livestock
Loose lead walking
Recall
Play
Choice games

Society Members Only

Training exercises for Foundation Skills

In this video you will learn:

Food Circuits
Mouse down the hole
Feed-in position
Pattern Games

Society Members Only

Training exercises for Foundation Skills (cont)

In this video you will learn:

It’s Yer Choice
Extreme It’s Yer Choice
The ‘Ready’ game

Society Members Only

Putting it all together with Livestock

In this video you will learn:

Calm Approach
The Pattern Game
Settling
The Ready Game near sheep

Society Members Only

Whiteboard Notes

These sheets support the videos above

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Add Masterclass To My LWDG Mobile App

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Feedback Form

Masterclass Provided By

Ladies Working Dog Group

Gwen Johnson runs the dog training company Dogs Matter and works primarily as a sports dog coach, working across many sports helping people achieve the most from their dog human partnership.

Personally she's achieved many titles in many sports with a variety of types of dogs. Representing England at the World Agility Open, winning the final of the British Competitive Obedience Society (with a patterdale terrier no less!)

Attending Olympia and Crufts on multiple occasions, her most valued achievement is and always will be her students successes, from the small wins to the big ones seeing her students achieve what was once deemed impossible is the bee's knees.

Her current dog in training is an Australian Cattle Dog, which has brought her into a new field of Herding training, and with a strong dog and desire to use positive reinforcement training it's been a fantastic learning experience, controlling the dogs strong desires without using force or punishment takes good understanding of the learning process and how to practically apply it.

Pie, the Cattle dog has also turned her paw to Gundog training taking her level 2 in the autumn and recieving a perfect 100% she's now training for level 5 and the Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate.

Leanne Smith runs Dogs R Dogs, based in Silverton Devon, www.dogsrdogs.co.uk. She has been a professional dog trainer for the last 15years, specialising in Positive Gundog Training for the last 10 years. She works her Working Cockers on local shoots in the beating team and recently passed the Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate on Game with her young dog Ragnar. Leanne holds the COAPE Advanced Diploma in Practical Aspects of Companion Animal Behaviour and Training and is an affiliate member of the COAPE Association, a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and a registered Instructor for The Gundog Club.