Cowdog in Training

We’ve got an awfully good-looking new addition to the farm.
Meet Bullitt, the Australian Cattle Dog.

He’s only 12 weeks old at this point, so he’s not working cattle just yet. Instead he’s spending most of his days chewing on stuff he shouldn’t be, making messes and all those other shenanigans that puppies like to get into.

I can’t wait until next summer when he’s old enough to work cattle and hogs. A stock dog can easily do the work of several people when it comes to moving livestock around. Having a well-trained stock dog ought to be a whole ‘nother thing.

I’ve started his basic obedience training already, and he’s a quick study. By next summer I hope to have him trained on all the basics, plus several herding-specific commands. I’d love to have a dog that understood (and obeyed) “lie down” “away-to-me” and “come-by”.

Now I just have to get a clicker and a jumbo-size bag of dog treats…