Farm Dog

Imagine an early livestock guardian dog, laying out under the stars thousands of years ago, next to a band of sheep and goats somewhere in what is now Turkey. He sniffs the air and peers into the moonlit night searching for threats as his shepherd snores, and he thinks, “If only this bozo had Zoom and Cindy Benson, we might just understand each other.” Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Dog is presented b...

Australia is a large place with a larger than life history, shaped in large part by its dogs. Guy Hull, author of the book, The Dogs that Made Australia , joined us last week for part one of a large interview. Not listening to Episode 69 or part two of the interview in this episode would be a very large mistake. Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Dog is presented by ⁠Goats On The Go®⁠ and hosted by its fo...

Some of the world’s most popular stockdogs would not have come to be without the unique environmental, economic, and social forces at work on the continent of Australia. And Australia would certainly not be what it is today without its dogs. Guy Hull, author of "The Dogs that Made Australia " is here to tell us how this synergy shaped both the dogs and the place. Welcome to Farm Dog . Fa...

If you’re like me, struggling to get your stockdog to perform well doing just the basics on the farm or ranch, you might have mixed emotions when stockdog legend, Juan Reyes, tells us that even he is only scratching the surface of what a border collie can do. But keep listening to his gentle, confidence-inspiring coaching and he’ll make you a believer, too. Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Dog is presen...

When you raise sheep on pasture surrounded by the largest carnivore in North America, mountain lions, and a local pack of wolves, you'd better have your act together when it comes to predator protection. For Steve Skelton of Bynum, Montana, that means his sheep live with a security detail of at least 10 livestock guardian dogs representing four or more different breeds. Welcome to Farm Dog . F...

Most North Americans recognize the German Shepherd Dog and similar breeds as law enforcement, military, and search and rescue dogs. While the German Shepherd never quite caught on here as a farm and ranch worker, the “shepherd” in its name should tell us something about its history, and Ulf Kintzel is here to tell us about its present and future as a working stockdog. Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Do...

It’s a mixed bag for today’s episode. We’ve got good and bad news about livestock guardian dogs, Sweets the Kelpie may have found a new talent, a book about the science of dog behavior for your winter reading, goats for sale, on the lookout for a border collie pup, and can bird dogs and chickens live in harmony? Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its foun...

We’d all like to have a stockdog from a famous line, and most of us understand that the best bet for training a useful working dog is to start with great genetic material. But great genetic material usually comes with an equally great price tag, and it means you’re signing up for the breeder’s goals and not your own. Is it possible to go your own way and save some money in the process? Welcome to...

Suppose there is this group of crossbred working dogs that has developed its own little subculture of fans. It’s not a breed really, but someone clearly put some thought behind the crosses with a purpose in mind. Beyond that, though, the dogs' origin story is murky. Should we research, parse, categorize, and standardize the dogs into a definable breed, or just embrace the mystery? Welcome to F...

The Australian Cattle Dog (ACD), obviously, was bred for cattle work. But today's farmers and ranchers don't often demand much from the breed, and its appeal to pet owners is strong even though some of its cattle dog instincts are undesirable for domestic life. With pressure to change coming from all sides, who's going to bat for the working genetics of the ACD? Welcome to Farm Dog . F...

Oftentimes the most pressing challenges farmers and ranchers have with livestock guardian dogs have nothing to do with breeding, training philosophies, and the intricacies of the canine mind. Sometimes it comes down to the basics…what should I feed them, how do I feed them, and how do I keep track of them? Solve those problems and you’ve got a great start toward success with LGD’s. Welcome to Farm...

What should our expectations be for our livestock guardian dogs? Do they really need two to three years to mature into useful protectors? How can we measure their usefulness? Can the “average Joe” be trusted to raise well-socialized and effective guardians? Wonder no more, because Bill Costanzo is here with the results of his research on these questions. Welcome to ⁠ Farm Dog .⁠ Farm Dog is presen...

You love working dogs. You love working with dogs. You can’t imagine how much more work it would take to get your work done without working dogs. With all this work going on, have you ever thought about putting a working dog to work on some recreation? You might just decide to do a little less work and a little more upland hunting. Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® an...

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 . Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The...

Have you ever met one of those people who seem to be pulling off the impossible every day without a hint of stress or worry in their demeanor? Jared Epp is like that, running thousands of sheep and goats for hire, in urban and suburban places, sometimes without fences. What’s his secret? A lot of expertise and border collies that are ideally suited to the job. Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Dog is pre...

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 . 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 . F...

Philospher, Giannis Delimitsos, (whose books I confess I have not read) wrote, “What is my personal history if not the heroic narrative created by myself in an attempt to inform myself about who myself is, assisted by my tactically biased and fickle memory?” That about sums up my history with dogs and farming. Thanks, Giannis. Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hos...

It herds, it protects, it washes your car and does your taxes. Many people say the English Shepherd can do many farm tasks brilliantly…but not many of us have one. Why? Is the English Shepherd overlooked, over-hyped, or misunderstood? Or, is the English Shepherd’s time about to arrive? Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder, Aaron Steele. Question...

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 Steel...

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 . Farm Dog is presented...

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? Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go®...

As a listener to Farm Dog , you’re probably already sold on the benefits of working dogs for helping us be more effective and profitable in our livestock enterprises. But is every partner in your operation equally enthusiastic about dogs? Have you asked? Today I do exactly that with my business partner, and the answers are surprising. Welcome to Farm Dog . Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go®...

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 . Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder,...

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 . Farm Dog is presented by Goat...