Developing a Thinking Dog… A homesteader / farmer / small rancher came with his Aussie the other day. The dog was nice and talented. We talked about his goals and…
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The 2024 Working Aussie Futurity is in the books! The event went out without much of a hitch. Ten amazing trainers and dogs met up in Frost, Texas to share…
March 29-31: Spring Cattle Extravaganza (3-day cattle camp) We will be working cattle all weekend long. April 5-7: AHBA & MSSA trials. We had a blast last time and we…
Do we ditch the judges? That is the question many of us have been pondering for the last few years. I have been trialing actively for the last 7 years…
Big Announcement: This fall is going to be so EXCITING here at the Ranch! I am soooooo thrilled to share our plans with you today! I have been planning this…
There is no such thing as perfect, that’s for sure. Several people have recently asked me about my set up. So it forced me to create some content. I like…
Due to popular demand, we are having a futurity! It’s an Australian Shepherd only futurity. Futurities used to be a common occurrence in our breed, however the last futurity anyone…
INTERVIEW WITH GARY ERICSSON FROM SALMON, IDAHO This interview took place in 1988. At the time of the CenTex Futurity in Richmond, Texas. Gary, with his two blue merle dogs,…
5 Chores a Working Aussie Does on the Farm or Ranch, Plus 1 Thing They Excel at Other than Working A working bred Australian Shepherd can be one of the…
by Andrea Scott I conducted this interview in the spring of 2019. It is done in an oral history format. As is often the case of oral history, subjects weave…
We all know that photos and videos can be edited or made to look like something is there that’s not. The only way to tell if something is the way…
Sarah has been a wonderful new voice for the working Aussie for a few years. A protege of Elvin Kopp, she has a systematic take, a great way of explaining…
By Kristin Tara Horowitz Full disclosure: I have edit credits for the book in this review. I was sent a previous version for review and offered to do final edits while writing this review. It is truly an honor to be involved with a book of this…
Terry Martin, home of HOF Slash V Aussies. KH: Can you tell me about your foundation dogs? Who do you consider had the most influence on your program? TM: My…
Reprinted with Permission from Stockdog Trainer, Dec 90/Jan 91 by John C. Rossy, Lecoma MO I’ve been raising sheep and training my own dogs for a number of years, including…
Author Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor had a little package waiting for me after a particularly tough day . . . I opened it up and was super pleased to see something…
Whether you’re new to livestock, or just new to working livestock with dogs – there is a lot to learn! While the working Australian Shepherd is instinctive, a handler with…
By Kristin Tara Horowitz This particular subject is near and dear to my heart because as I write this, I have a litter on the ground with this issue —…
[Originally printed in the 2010 ASCA Nationals catalog, it is reprinted here with permission of the author in honor of the passing of Roger and Audrey Klarer.] With Far More…
A Stockdog Trialer’s Prayer By Sal Manna Dear Lord, I truly understand why this is called a trial, For a team of stockdog and man requires power and guile….
Susan Boyd is a Working Aussie Souce member with amazing photos and a recent video clip that led to this article. WAS:Can you tell us about your operation? My husband…
Ed note: I asked Joe some questions because of late he has been doing an amazing job of educating not only the Aussie folk, but the stockdog folk in general…
K9 Flu and Communicable Disease – Tips from a Pro by: Amy Bradley Last week I had the chance to speak to Dr. Cynda Crawford, DVM PhD (link: http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/about-us/meet-the-team/cynda-crawford-dvm-phd/ )…
Sarah Martin, of G-S Ranch, runs purebred red Angus with her husband and his family in northern Alberta, Canada. She is available for clinics. WAS: How did you get…
A simple text listing really doesn’t work for people looking at the internet. To get the most out of your presence here, we suggest the following: Photos: Select high quality…
I think this is true for most Aussie people, but Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor is my first Aussie mentor. It started because her book (All About Aussies) was the first one…
This time the Stockdog Corner is going to be written for the pet owner, the breeder, large and small, the competitor in conformation or agility or any other doggy event….
STOCKDOG CORNER By Terry Martin in the Aussie Times (date unknown) After I found out on a phone call that my dear old friend Shiree Christiansen (Brushwood Aussies) had kept some…
STOCKDOG CORNER By Terry Martin in the Aussie Times (date unknown) In my last column I told you about some very interesting historical material I had received regarding the beginning of…
STOCKDOG CORNER by Terry Martin in the Aussie Times (date unknown) I had an interesting discussion the other day with someone in another working breed. Like myself, she had been in…
STOCKDOG CORNER By Terry Martin as published in the Aussie Times (date unknown) I badly missed my deadline with company here and got a reprieve so decided to do something I…
STOCKDOG CORNER By Terry Martin, as published in the Aussie Times (date unknown) I thought I would write about the past this time. If no one does that, it becomes…
You may see listings here and on breeders’ sites with a lot of alphabet soup. A number of genetic tests have been developed to better predict inherited health problems in…
We've brought together articles from many sources here; besides those commissioned by us, there are re-publications from websites, magazines, and online discussion boards. All are copyrighted to the authors unless...
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STOCKDOG TRIAL AND HERDING TITLES All Titles are Suffix titles unless indicated otherwise! ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America) STD — Started Trial Dog, beginning level OTD — Open Trial…
THE VIEW FROM EUROPE: AN INTERVIEW WITH SANDRA ZILCH (S BAR L, Germany) interview by Kay Spencer How long have you been breeding Aussies? What is your history with the…
THE WORKING DESCRIPTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD Adopted by the Stockdog Committee of the Australian Shepherd Club of America on March 12, 2006 Introduction The Australian Shepherd was developed in…
A RANCH DOG by Roy Wilson I let you know in the other article the type of dogs I use gathering wild cattle, spoiled cattle, cows and calves, or whatever…
RANCH DOGS by Bud Williams I hate to see so much emphasis being put on trying to prove that trial dogs are better than ranch dogs, or that ranch dogs…
TRAINING THE RANCH DOG by Bud Williams I was born on a farm in Oregon in 1932. My Dad’s insistence that we kids be “Good Neighbors” has led me through…
HISTORY OF THE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD by Phillip C. Wildhagen, ASCA Historian (Working Aussie Source editor’s note: this article, published in the 1977 ASCA Yearbook, is a summary of what was…
MOVING STOCK by Bud Williams How do you teach your dog to continue moving stock in the same direction? This ability is especially useful if you need to leave your…
WORKING STYLE: AUSSIES VS BORDER COLLIES by Jeanne Weaver I have been asked to explain the difference in working style between the Aussie and the Border Collie. I will attempt…
ALLOWING A DOG TO LEARN by Michelle Weese, Lock-Eye Border Collies What we as stock dog trainers like to do most is COMMAND. “Go bye, way to me, down, walk…
TRAINING THE OUTRUN ON THE AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG by Steve Waltenburg, Trails End Kennel Training the outrun actually starts with the introduction of the dog to stock. From this point…
ROUNDPENS, WALKABOUTS, AND CHORES by Maarten Walter Question: I’ve got a 9 month old girl that I’ve been letting work sheep about once a week or so. She’s worked ducks…
Question and Answers: How to Start a Cowdog (Working Aussie Source editor note: this Ranch Dog Trainer magazine format poses one reader question to several experienced stockmen, in this case,…
THE COW/CALF DOG by Boe Suhr, Lone Rider Stockdogs All the time I hear people talk about letting their dogs fetch cattle to them as they ride in the front….
TEACHING THE “STUBBORN” STOCKDOG TO LIE DOWN Mary Taggart Morrison Many beginning trainers have difficulty getting their stockdog to lie down when they tell him to on the stock. Teaching…
THE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD’S ORIGIN AND HISTORY: Photo Gallery, Part One of Four by Gwen Stevenson Working Aussie Source editor’s note: Gwen Stevenson was a founding member of ASCA, who lived…
BOOK REVIEW: SHEEPDOG TRAINING, AN ALL-BREED APPROACH BY MARI TAGGART reviewed by Kay Spencer first published in 1986, second printing 1991, Alpine Publications 1986 edition: hardback, sewn binding; paper quality…
THE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD’S ORIGIN AND HISTORY by Gwen Stevenson (Working Aussie Source editor’s note: Gwen Stevenson was a founding member of ASCA, who lived in Oak Run, California. This is…
REAL WORLD WORKING AUSSIES by Kay Spencer Almost any homestead, farm, or ranch can use a good dog. Used to be, every farm had an Old Shep who brought in…
STUB, THE BEST COWDOG IN THE WEST by Kay Spencer If you’ve ever watched any Lassie movies or were a fan of the tv series, you might remember a few…
INHERITED PROBLEMS IN AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS Aussies are generally a healthy breed, but any dog, whether purebred, “designer dog”, or mutt, can have genetic problems. In most breeds, certain kinds of…
FIRST SUPREME VERSATILITY CHAMPION: NICK DAVIS AND APACHE TRAILS interview by Kay Spencer Nick Davis is a person who should need no introduction to Australian Shepherd lovers, but whose name…
THE GENESIS OF THE WORKING AUSSIE SOURCE WEBSITE by Kay Spencer “Truth is never pure, and rarely simple.” –Oscar Wilde “God wants everything to be known.” –Umberto Eco, The Name…
CONSIDERATIONS AND CAVEATS ON FINDING A HERDING INSTRUCTOR With Apologies to Everyone From Whom I Have Stolen Ideas and Advice by Kay Spencer So, you have an Australian Shepherd and…
PRE-HERDING TRAINING by Anne Shope Many people we’ve come across do some puppy preparation for herding; the normal sits, downs, stays, and walk up. Specifically, working on the down away…
SLEEPING DRAGONS: HERIDITARY DISEASE AND BREEDER ETHICS by C.A.Sharp The world of purebred dogs rests on the shoulders of two sleeping dragons. The stockman in his pasture, the exhibitor in…
SHEEPWAGON DOGS These photos are of dogs used to herd sheep in the Western US from the 19th century onward to the present. Most are from Wyoming and Montana. It…
THE PRICE OF POPULARITY: POPULAR SIRES AND POPULATION GENETICS by C.A. Sharp Consider the hypothetical case of Old Blue, Malthound extraordinaire. Blue was perfect: Sound, healthy and smart. On week…
THE RISING STORM: What Breeders Need to Know about the Immune System Winner of 2002 AKC/CHF Golden Paw Award by C.A. Sharp A complex and threatening storm is gathering on…
CAN YOU SEE? Inherited Eye Disease in Aussies by C.A. Sharp (ed. note: C.A.Sharp is the president of the Australian Shepherd Genetics Institute, an organization ‘dedicated to the increase and…
SPEAKING HERESY: A DISPASSIONATE VIEW OF CROSS-BREEDING by C.A. Sharp Several years ago the working Australian Shepherd community was rocked by a scandal. One breeder was alleged to have produced…
BINGO! Understanding Polygenetic Inheritance by C.A.Sharp Everyone knows this old game: You place beans or other markers on numbered squares arranged in a grid as someone announces numbers pulled at…
INHERITED EPILEPSY AND WORKING AUSSIES: MYTHS, FACTS, AND QUESTIONS An interview with C.A. Sharp by Kay Spencer C.A.Sharp is the president of the Australian Shepherd Genetics Institute, an organization ‘dedicated…
JAY SISLER, THE MAN BEHIND THOSE FAMOUS BLUE DOGS An interview with his wife Joy and daughter Maggie by Andrea Scott Anyone who is acquainted with Australian Shepherds knows the…
WEB-FOOTED SHEEP SUBSTITUTES by Linda Rorem Ducks display flocking behavior in a manner similar to sheep and can be used for training herding dogs in the maneuvers to be used…
AN AUSSIE AT A FRENCH-STYLE TRIAL September 30 October 1, 2006 , Wilton , CA by Linda Rorem Due to the logistics involved, it isn’t often that trials are…
NO TURNERS FOR ME, PLEASE by Tony Rohne I leased a pasture on the condition that I would run the landlord’s Holstein milk cow with the Herefords I was buying….
A VIEW OF AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD HISTORY by Linda Rorem Little can be known for certain about the origin of many breeds. With regard to the Australian Shepherd, various theories have…
SELECTING A PUP FOR STOCK WORK by Tony Rohne with help from Red Buying the right pup is the backbone of a good training program. Without the proper homework, just…
THOUGHTS ABOUT COWDOGS by Tony Rohne Note: This is a response to an e-mail that Tony got from someone who asked how to go about getting a dog trained, apparently…
editor’s note: the term ‘Cattlemaster’ is now the name of a breed of commercial cowdog; this article was written before that term was in use. CATTLEMASTERS by Tony Rohne Right…
MUTT THE RANCH HAND DOG by Tony Rohne I have looked for good ranch hand dogs for about 12 years now. A good hand in cow country is hard to…
THE STOCKDOG AT LAMBING TIME: AN INVALUABLE PARTNER by George Rogerson (editor’s note: Mr. Rodgerson works Border Collies, but his advice about lambing is just as applicable to Aussies. The…
BITE IS MIGHT!! by Tony Rohne Bite is an essential part of handling cattle whether it be a truckload of 300 pound calves or a pasture full of cows with…
CEE HAMBO: A TRADITION OF WORKING DOGS by Peggy Potter Three generations ago, the area of California around San Francisco was much different than it is today. Basque shepherds moved…
A STUDY IN BREEDING WORKING DOGS: LAS ROCOSA AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS by Peggy Potter Ask ranch dog trainers what the most important thing is in a working dog and 99% of…
INTERVIEW WITH SHERRY BAKER, THIRD GENERATION STOCKDOG HANDLER by Peggy Potter Many of us have the fantasy of being born and raised on a ranch with horses to ride, cattle…
TRAINING THE ESSENTIALS by Charles O’Reilly Common Mistakes In the last issue I covered two of the more common mistakes that owners of working dogs make during the first year…
IS IT OLD SHEP OR OLD AUSSIE OR ARE THEY THE SAME? by Red Oliver This very short excerpt of a much longer dissertation on the Origin of the Aussie,…
POWER-FORCE Aggressiveness-Domination-Authority-Clout-Influence-Command-Mastery Attack-Fight-Coercion-Might-Muscle-Punch-Strength Brutality-Ferocity-Violence by Red Oliver After looking in several dictionaries and after discussing the issue with anyone who would agree, I have come to the conclusion that there…
CONFOUNDED BY COMMANDS AND CORRECTIONS? From the Unpublished Works of El Rojo by Red Oliver DO NOT confuse commands with corrections. Commands have very definite and precise meanings while corrections…
DOWN OR STAND by Gemi Sasson-Brickson, Jamie Burns, Anne Jespersen, Maarten Walter Gemi Sasson-Brickson— I’d like to know, for those of you who use a stand-stay when working stock, how…
BOPPING AND REBOPPING: Is It A Requirement? Is It Ethical? by Red Oliver First, a Pre-Postscript; Recently, on the internet (SHEEPDOG), there has been a healthy discussion on the merits…
STARTING DRIVING by Melinda May, Dicky Renn, Jamie Burns, Maarten Walter, Kathi Schwengel Melinda May— I have a problem training the drive . . . mostly on sheep. I can…
WHEN TO START TRIALING by Tenley Dexter and Maarten Walter Question: Have been using my Aussie for chores and taken some formal lessons on herding. Question is at what point…
THE RULE OF TEN by Jay Homan, Rose McCleod, & Darlene Lasko 1. TRUST YOUR DOG! 2. LEARN TO WALK BACKWARDS 3. KEEP MOVING 4. WATCH YOUR SHEEP! 5. KEEP…
Q & A FORUM: TEACHING A DOG TO SORT SPECIES answers by Steve & Judy Freeman, and Roger Stevens QUESTION: When using my dogs I am often confronted with a…
FIXING THE OUTRUN: INITIAL SHAPING Question and Answer Forum from Ranch Dog Trainer Magazine by H.J. Cannon Jr. and Kent Kuykendall QUESTION: In most training articles the pup always gets…
FIXING THE OUTRUN: CROSSING OVER Question and Answer Forum from Ranch Dog Trainer Magazine QUESTION: I have a dog that I sent to the trainer. He stayed 3 months and…
MEMORIES OF WORKING AUSSIES OF YESTERYEAR A pastiche of several discussions which have taken place on the internet board Aussie-Herders. Because of the nature of yahoo boards, there has been…
FLIPPING AWAY ON ONE FLANK by Melinda May, Anne Jespersen, Tenley Dexter, Marsha Westerman Melinda–I’m looking for suggestions on positioning and timing for how to correct a pup that is…
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT AND PUNISHMENT by Kirk Moses (Working Aussie Source note: Kirk Moses is a successful trainer and handler of Border Collies for sheepdog trials, who at the…
QUESTION AND ANSWER: STARTING COWDOGS ON SHEEP? YES OR NO? Question: I just got 2 pups, two different breeds. I have 280 head of momma cows and 60 replacement heifers….
TRAINING A YOUNG AUSSIE TO RUN WIDE ON STOCK “PLAYING THE GET BACK GAME” by Mari Taggart Morrison Probably the two biggest complaints I hear from Aussie owners at training…
THE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD AS A SHEEPDOG by Mari Taggart Morrison The Australian Shepherd has a long and proud history as a sheep dog. Many in America got their first glimpse…
