Farm Dog Training wanted near Osky (Woodward: house, art, commute)

[Lovethem]

We are in need of farm dog training help for 2 farm dogs/pups near Osky. I am familiar with and have trained previous dogs myself to a level III Obedience but have not yet trained a farm dog to 'stay on the farm' (much larger boundary complete with varmits).
If anyone has this info I'd appreciate it as I'm sure our farming neighbors will also for keeping our dogs at home ;-)

[WoodwardGirl]

I don't think there is such a thing, really. Everyone I know has fence or invisible fence or keeps the dogs kenneled when the dogs are not out with them. Or the dogs roam -- we are well-acquainted with the cattle dog that goes through everyone's garbage cans; the border collie who "commutes" between his old house and the new one his owners built, 1/2 mile down the road; the Lab that comes to taunt the puppy next door; Several of the roamers have, of course, gotten hit by cars. We don't mind some of them, but I do worry about my llamas -- if the dogs were to try to chase the llamas, the llamas would kill the dogs.

My own dogs are all "inside" dogs who just go out to do chores with me. The border collie wants to stare at the stock and will do that all day; one of the others is an excellent farm dog who just hangs with me but two others will go walkabout unless I keep close watch on them, so they don't get to go out that much (although they have a 1/2 acre fenced dog yard complete with electronic doggie door so I don't think they suffer).

Are you talking livestock guardian dogs? They usually have to be fenced, or they'll try to take over more and more territory -- it's just the way they are. A friend's Great Pyrenees has figured out how to get through their tube gates and she has started guarding the house in addition to the stock, which is kind of diluting her effectiveness. They are going to have to put wire panels over all the gates.

You might be able to walk boundaries and give corrections and praise, just the way you would with teaching them to stay off the furniture, but it's going to be an uphill battle.

[Lovethem]

Thank you Woodward Girl,
We are wanting to use two 'farm dogs' mainly for security alert if someone is out in our timber or who knowsd what and to alert us to any livestock problems like fox in the henhouse lol but we might hear that anyway. Perhaps we'll have to give them a large perimeter around the dwelling with invisible fence similar to what you describe and then take them out of that when we are with them. I guess not knowing country life well enough yet I have a wrong perception about the dogs being able to do both -bummer ;-)