Early Training:

the First Four Months

by Jennifer FloydAs originally published inChoban Chatter

We all want a well-behaved, mannerly dog - and that starts with the
puppy's introduction to training. Training is not simply a matter of
putting on a leash and collar and practicing; it is an on-going process,
one that is being affected by every interaction that you have with your
puppy or dog. It is training when you greet your puppy and tell him or
her "off" and "sit" when they try to jump up - it is positive
reinforcement if you have a bit of kibble or biscuit in your hand to
reward the sit. It is training when you give your pup a stick or bone to
chew on, instead of the hose - "No chew! Here, take this - good
puppy!". It is training when you pat your puppy and rub its neck or
ears while he or she eats, or when you tell the pup "Let me see!" and
take that bone out of its mouth, then give it back with a "Good
puppy!".
Make sure that your pup is accustomed to being combed, the ears
handled and examined, the toes and feet massaged, the teeth looked
at and rubbed with your finger. This will help with grooming and health
examinations when your pup is older. Don't wait until your dog has a
torn toe-nail, and then realize that you have a dog who does not want
their feet handled at the best of times, let alone when one hurts. Your
pup must become accustomed to pleasant handling and grooming
when young, and small enough that you can gently insist.
The same idea applies to taking things out of your puppy's mouth what if it is something bad for them? Your pup needs to know that you
can look at anything they have - if it is something icky, I usually
replace it with a bit of biscuit. Your pup comes to trust that you are in
charge, and will either return the original object after inspecting it, or
give them something else nice. This is one instance where I will roll a
puppy over, pin them firmly by the scruff and muzzle, and sharply tell

them "No!", if they object to having a food object messed with. Deal
with it when they are little (under 4 months usually) and there will be
no arguments when they are older.
For early leash training (around 2 months), a flat buckle collar and a
3/4 inch six foot leash are ideal. It is best to start out by just following
the pup around the first couple of times they are on leash, letting
them get used to the feeling. Then, for the around the third lesson,
show the pup a treat (kibble, small biscuit piece, cheese cube), and
encourage them to follow you in a 5 foot, 180 degree arc on your left
side in order to get the treat (for general leash walking, I tell the pup
"(name), let's go!"). If the pup stops, or tries to go in another
direction, be jolly and encouraging, show them the treat, and give it to
him or her when they move towards you. After the first week, start
doing a lot of walking with the pup. Keep encouraging them to walk
somewhere on the left, neither crossing in front of you or behind you.
They will soon start to figure out that they can only walk without
interference from your legs or the leash if they stay in a certain zone.
Gradually reduce the arc over the next month until the pup is walking
fairly close to heel position (within a 2 foot arc) on your left. Don't
worry about precision yet; your pup is still growing and developing
more coordination, and as long as he or she can walk nicely on lead,
this is what you are aiming for.
Spice up your time on leash by moving a treat backwards and over the
pup's nose to lead them into the sit position - "Sit! Good sit!" Then
lower your hand in front of them, with another treat, to show them
how to down - "Down! Good down!". Also, run backwards suddenly,
while telling your pup "(name) come!" Then " Good come!" when they
reach you, and bait them into a sit for their treat. By four months old,
you should be able to tell the pup the command, then they should
automatically start to do it even before you produce the reward.
You can also introduce "Easy", which a is a warning against pulling on
the leash - tell the pup "Easy" when they pull, then give a squeeze on

the lead (like it was a horse's reins), to slow the pup, and put some
slack back in the leash. After the pup is used to getting some
increased pressure, then a release, you can move to a brisk tug and
release after the "Easy" warning. Praise the pup when they are
walking on a loose lead, then tell them "Easy" and correct if they put
pressure on the leash again. Particularly with a dog the size of an
Anatolian Shepherd, you want a dog that does not put any pressure on
the leash; this means that you cannot 'choke-up' on the leash either,
but must always allow some slack, and get your pup to realize that
walking with slack in the leash is the way to walk with you.
I can walk my 145 pound male on a shoelace, because he knows that
the leash is always to have slack in it - and if he forgets and forges,
the "Easy" command brings him right back. Always keep your training
session short and happy (5-10 minutes is plenty) - be cheerful, and
praise for things done right. Kneeling with open arms and a big smile
is a more encouraging way to get your pup to come, than standing like
a towering statue, dull and scary. Use lots of body language, sound
excited, and reward your pup's efforts with plenty of praise and
tidbits.

Early Training:

Socialization from Four to

Six Months

by Jennifer FloydAs originally published inChoban Chatter

While growing up, your pup should be spending most of his or her
time in the sort of situations that it will be expected to be familiar with
as an adult. If a companion dog, that means spending a lot of time
meeting all sorts of people, young & old; the initial socialization can
be made up of friends and aquaintences at home, but once your pup
has all of its initial immunizations, socialization should include lots of
rides in the car, training sessions near stores, in parks, and other busy
places. If a flock guardian, your pup needs to know how to interact

with the stock, and be introduced to whatever species it will be

expected to protect.
As there is already quite a bit of literature about socializing the
human-bonded dog (How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With 3rd. Ed.,
by Rutherford and Neil, is an excellent book), I will hereafter
concentrate on the development of a flock guardian.

Belligerent ewe approaches pup. Pup

shows submission.

Ideally, your pup will be

introduced to the stock by
following you around when you
are doing basic chores. This way,
if the pup tries to play with or
mouth the stock (as they would
with a fellow puppy), you are
right there to correct them with a
"No!", or by rolling them over on
the ground and holding there a
moment, telling them "Leave it!"
Voice corrections are usually very
effective with younger pups, and
I only roll them if they are
ignoring the voice.

Be careful that young pups are

not seriously frightened of, or
injured by the stock - a ram could
do serious damage, and some
ewes will back a pup into a corner
to butt them. I supervise early
interactions closely, until the flock
is accustomed to the new dog,
and the pup knows to stay out of
the way.
Pup wiggles forward on stomach, trying
to be ingratiating.

When not directly supervised, the pup should have its own training
and sleeping pen, where he or she has shelter, and can be close to the
stock and observe and bond with them. This can be a simple as a few
livestock panels wired to some T posts, or a portable chainlink kennel
also works well. This pen should be right where the flock eats, or
otherwise spends a lot of their time - if your flock ranges over a wide
area, you may want to temporarily pen a few individuals next to the

pup for it to bond with. Younger animals or wethers are usually a good
choice.
Pup cuddles up to ewe and ewe accepts
her.

The sorts of behavior that you

want to see with your pup are:
lying quietly near the flock,
walking slowly around the flock,
lowering head and tail if they
move through the flock, and
showing submissive behavior to
the sheep (see accompanying
photos of 5 month old pup with
yearling Shetland ewe). The pup
may circle the flock with head and
tail up when responding to a
threat, but not in response to the
sheep.

By the time the pup is around six months old, if they have been
exhibiting responsible behaviors, you may be able to start leaving
them with the flock for longer periods; if you have active young lambs,
though, you will probably want to continue supervising, as the pup
may be able to avoid initiating play behaviors, but if invited to do so
by bouncy little animals, the temptation may be too much. Wait until
later (maybe next lambing season), if you have a very young pup and
lambs at the same time, to let them be together.
The main focus of the training and bonding process, is to avoid letting
the pup fall into error. Fix any mistakes right away, and you won't
have retraining problems later.

Early Training:

Socialization from Four to

Six Months
by Jennifer FloydAs originally published inChoban Chatter
A dog of 18 months or more is often considered a gem; a wellbehaved dog of polished manners and known reliability. A puppy of
under 7 months is not perfect, but is usually biddable, eager to learn

and follow directions. The stage of growth between these ages can be
a challenging time, not unlike the experience of teenagers of other
species!
Adolescent dogs are prone to seek out excitement, question authority,
and become interested in social position and the opposite sex. These
behaviors can manifest themselves in chasing inappropriate things,
ignoring commands, and wandering. In most circumstances, flock
guardians are better workers if neutered; this tends to help suppress
wandering behaviors, dominance issues, and prevent unplanned
litters. Electric wire on fences is also an effective escape-artist
deterrant - but it is best applied preventatively, as an initial success in
wandering leads to repeated challenges of the fence. If your fence is
in good repair when your dog is a pup, there will be no bad habits to
break later.
When a pup enters the "teenage zone", rules thought well-established
may need redefining; play and chewing behaviors may resurface, and
annoyance or damage of the livestock may result. There are a number
of approaches to take, particularly if working in a small farm situation.
Practicing obedience commands ("sit", "heel", "come", "down") on
leash can help reinforce obedience to other commands ("leave it",
"easy", "back"), helping the pup to obey better in the field.
Supervision is an excellent method of controlling interactions; also,
penning near the stock (but not with) when unsupervised, if
troublesome behaviors surface, can be useful. There are other
methods that can slow a dog down, or make the game less fun;
specifics can be found on the internet accessable
from :http://www.sonic.net/~cdlcruz/GPCC/library/resc_lgd.htm or in the book:
_Livestock Protection Dogs_, by Sims and Dawydiak.

The purpose of this article is not to offere a cure to all problems, but to
provide some direction in finding solutions, and to point out that
problematic adolescent behavior is not necessarily a sign that your
dog will be unable to fulfill his or her role as a flock guardian; many

dogs have gone through a rough spot at this point, and with a little
more guidance, gone on to be wonderful working dogs.
As a side note, it is my observation that pups are easier to train and
less likely to engage in problem behavior if they are "apprenticed" to
an older working dog; learning by imitation of their peers is stil the
most effective training method. My very first Anatolian was my
hardest one to train, but he helped mentor many others during his 14
years as a flock guard (well, one year of driving me nuts, and 13 years
of being perfect!)