Promise Pastures Herding and Training facility

02/13/2025

Working stock is a good day.

12/10/2024

Our dogs recall quickly, shed enthusiastically, outrun eagerly, turnback positively and try harder than most, for one simple reason, they want to—
You can't force or bully a dog into wanting to try for you,
especially when conditions are hot or the task difficult; you have to earn it.
Key to this is helping him enjoy aspects of training he finds difficult; it’s an integral part of gaining trust .

Your dog recognizes situations that make him feel uncomfortable. When you help overcome that discomfort and turn it into something he enjoys,
he connects the positive feeling comes from working with you.
It elevates your connection and empowers your bond, growing confidence both in himself and you.
You’ll need to also be fair, consistent and teach in a way your dog understands.
It’s your responsibility to communicate clearly; it’s not your dog’s burden to interpret accurately.
The more unambiguous and intuitive your method, the less room for misinterpretation.
You empower your dog’s development by setting him up to succeed and this includes keeping reasonable expectations of gradual improvement.
Training should never be about ego or an agenda to compete in X trial.
Success at competition is the knock on effect of good training.

A dog’s ‘try’ is ultimately a reflection of his desire and enjoyment. There are different methods that are successful but there’s a big difference between training in a way that makes sense to your dog that he enjoys
versus only drilling or imposing your will. The latter doesn’t result in your dog giving you his heart—
You can just train or you can partner.
macraeway.com

11/25/2024

AKC ALL BREED HERDING TRIAL scheduled February 22-23, 2025, held in NORTH LOUISIANA at Promise Pastures. Courses A sheep and ducks, course B ducks, HT and PT. Judge is Kelly Fonkalsrud.
I can email a premium. [email protected]

11/18/2024

What a great weekend we had of sheep dog clinic with Joy Hall! We had BC, Aussies, Shelties, GSD, Beardies, MAS, Kelpies… all were very happy with results and how to proceed! Quality of numbers, not quantity is what is best….. great teams made a great weekend!!! Thanks to everyone that came!!

09/27/2024

UPDATE: ONE SPOT OPEN due to a cancellation.

Promise Pastures Herding and Training facility , located in Calhoun LA, is having a herding clinic (sheep) NOVEMBER 16-17, 2024, with Joy Hall. Cost is $200, which includes both days, (plus lunch, water)working at least twice per day. Limit is 12 teams. (Pm if interest)

Joy has been training border collies and Aussies for years and is an AKC and AHBA judge. Payment should be made by September 20 for a spot.

Joy Hall has been training dogs to work stock for over 37 years. She started with Catahoula and Texas Lacys, moving to Australian Cattledogs for many years. In 1999 a friend convinced Joy to give lessons, then trial her Border Collie. Before long, Joy was helping multiple herding breeds learn the intricacies of stock work.
Roux Crew students and dogs have earned over 300 titles with multiple HITs and RHITs at National Specialties like Belgian Shepherd, Belgian Tervuren, Bearded Collie, Border Collie, Cardigan Corgi, German Shepherd, Pembroke Corgi and Shetland Sheepdog. 😇 Joy won the ASCA National Finals Duck Championship with a fourth in Finals Cattle and a seventh in Finals Sheep with a three year old Aussie in the first year of competing. She has placed in the top ten in all three stocks as well as winning the coveted Texas Shootout.
Her Border Collies excel in both ranch work and trialing, working cattle, sheep, ducks and geese with ease. She won at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo, and the Fort Worth Stock Show. She competes successfully at the Open level in USBCHA as well.
Her belief is that a person should never stop learning and should always strive to improve their level of competence.

09/08/2024

With cooler temps we get to work stock more! 🤗🤗

08/13/2024

Spartan working sheep, moving to top field

08/05/2024

Kuawarri Rhea working at 9 months old

07/16/2024

05/27/2024

Sometimes handlers mistakenly think that once they’ve spent time training, their dog should instinctively be good at that task, rather than assessing their own effectiveness as a teacher.

If your dog is somehow unenthusiastic in his work such as, slow or stops on the outrun, reluctant to cover, hold the pressure, too slow flanking, turns away from the sheep, doesn’t want to shed or turnback blind, etc., he’s telling you that you’re spoiling his enjoyment. It’s important to then evaluate your training method and your mindset.

In looking at mindset, Is it possible that you are inadvertently putting pressure on your dog based on your own expectations? training too much too soon? does your dog understand what you’re trying to teach? Are you going about it in a way that considers the training from his perspective and encourages enthusiasm?

In reflecting on method, dogs can be trained with many different styles and techniques.
There is a big difference though between a dog that has been trained only through drilling and a dog that has been trained intuitively.
Communicating clearly, in a way that makes sense and is enjoyable to your dog, is key.
It fosters your partnership, your dog becomes mentally invested and you get his heart.

02/22/2024

New sign.. Vanes-n-Things made it for me.

02/20/2024

It may be you discovered what you believe to be a short cut in your training but it’s important to be mindful that a perceived faster way to train can sometimes force your dog beyond his understanding or capabilities, creating a bigger problem than if you’d been patient in your training.
Some handlers think meaningful training doesn't begin until their dog is further forward yet, it’s the foundation work that can make all the difference.

There is a connection between how we start our young dogs and how we teach the most complex aspects.
The building blocks of our fundamentals make learning the more difficult facets of training easier, because the method is recognizable, intuitive and enjoyable.

You empower confidence and trust in your dog by setting him up to succeed.
If your dog has plateaued or is struggling, it may help to revisit the fundamentals, finding the balance between having a solid foundation and becoming complacent.
It’s important to both be certain you’ve prepared your dog for what you ask of him and also, to continue to increase your expectations of both him and you.

Setting your dog up for succeed doesn’t mean he should never encounter adversity;
it means that you’ve taught the foundation well enough that he can call upon it, and be resilient in the face of difficulty.
macraeway.com

01/23/2024

Everyone wants success with their dog but sometimes handlers make the mistake of focusing on the results they want, instead of the effort it takes to produce them.

Many want quick fixes; they don’t want to hear that it takes years of study and dedication to be successful.
Todays society is fast, we have instant access to so many things (including posts on social media)
But dogs don’t care about technology, culture, agendas, ego or your expectations; if you’re not humble, your dog will likely do that for you.

Receiving good information is a must, a coach can be invaluable, but you have to do the work and make a lot of mistakes before success.
There are no great results without effort and training at times can be hard. It can test your patience, intention, commitment, discipline and self awareness.
But the amazing thing is, no matter how much you ultimately accomplish, putting great effort into developing your partnership with your dog can result in immeasurable reward, including one of the most profound bonds in your life.
macraeway.com

01/08/2024

Very good advice on training.

Trainers that make lots of corrections with young dogs, including not letting them be tight, fast, etc. often believe their dogs should “push through” even when their body language isn’t keen for the work, usually in an effort to accelerate the training.
The problem with this is, you cannot recreate initial enthusiasm. For some young dogs, the resentment for the phase of work that was forced upon them, stays with them and could have been avoided if the handler had changed their approach.

If you try to shape or push your young dog and he gets reluctant, sniffs, goes unusually wide, is master conscious, turns tail or comes back to you for reassurance, he’s telling you that you’re spoiling his enjoyment.
It’s his way of letting you know he’s not ready for the pressure you're applying or doesn’t understand your way of communicating—It’s not ever normal or acceptable that a dog should quit working.
Sometimes handlers mistakenly interpret this and blame their dog, rather than recognizing something about their training approach has a bullying mindset rather than a teaching mindset.

Watch your dogs body language and demeanor. If he’s not enjoying what he’s doing, he’s probably not ready for the next step and/or he needs you to revise your approach.
Once he is enthusiastic and confident, try the next step and make adjustments based on his response.

Take the time it takes, to be certain your dog fully understands and enjoys a new training concept before you set expectations or make the task difficult.
Patience is one of the best gifts you can give your young dog to empower his confidence and development.
macraeway.com

12/23/2023

This is Lola, Shetland Sheepdog puppy bred by me, at app 14 weeks old. Second time on sheep. I get away from sheep to let her fetch to me, her natural instinct.. I build up instinct for the first year before any pressure.