Outline Australian Cattle Dogs - Farm and Stockdog Training

08/09/2024

When talking to breeders, ask or clarify what proven means.

A lot of dogs are proven to produce pups.

Some dogs are proven workers (or show dogs, or sport dogs)

Good dogs are proven as workers and/or in the breeder's given avenue of competition/purpose, and have proven themselves able to produce the same level of work or talent in their pups.

Not all people's ideas of proven are the same.

07/28/2024

Thank you to everyone who came out to work dogs on our Open Field Day!

Great friends, great dogs, great work. I will host more work days in the future as the weather cools off.

07/23/2024

Sunday July 28th - Open Field Day

Texarkana, TX 7:30 am until done (pending weather)

$45 per dog/handler

Sheep, goats, cattle. Small pen, 60x60, arena, field, obstacles. Instruction available.

Let's take advantage of this cooler weather.

All breeds welcome, all levels of training. I will be available to work your dog if you're just wanting an instinct test.

903-276-9755 - message for details

Or send a PM for the address/details.

06/29/2024

Outline's Get Tossed (Rye x Fizz) gathering a few acres this morning.

06/28/2024

***courtesy post

Located in Shreveport,LA

Grade male blue heeler. 6 months old. Raised around kids, horses, dogs etc.

Can get a livestock evaluation done on him, he's been raised around cattle on a working ranch.

Contact Lincoln 318-470-9540 to discuss.

06/23/2024

Congratulations to Hazel - Outline's Little Red Witch Hazel at Sully's Run - and her owner Jen on a couple of first places and a Reserve High in Trial at the Packleader AKC trial! Way to go!

Hazel is from our Rash x Reese litter in 2019

Rash is Wayout's Incendiary and Reese is Oakwood's n Shalimar's Legally Blonde

06/16/2024

I have one blue male available.

Fritter was born 3-26-24. His sire is Rye (Wayout's Whiskey in the Jar) and his dam is Fizz (Outline's Molotov Cocktail). This was a repeat breeding that produced our Toss (Outline's Get Tossed), who has turned into a phenomenal dog.

Videos of sire, dam, grandsire and granddam on both sides of the pedigree, and video of dogs from the previous cross are available. Sire and dam are health tested BAER, genetic panel clear, and OFA/Pennhip.

Fritter is a people pleaser. I think he would fit well in a farm or trial home, but he could also shine as an active pet, or a sport dog. Fritter does love his food and treats, and he enjoys toys as well. He is genetic panel clear by parentage. Fritter did test as full hearing in his right ear and equivocal (some hearing, but not complete) in his left), but it doesn't affect his ability, and I would have no qualms placing him for stock work or sports.

He is crate trained and started on leash training. He travels well.

Fritter is UTD on vet care, microchipped, and registered. He will come with a working guarantee if sold to a working home.

https://youtu.be/aRlMYJF21P8?si=CtXb3Y1jphSmB-hU

06/03/2024

Soapy and his owner working the frisbee.

Soapy is from our 2020 Rudy x Robbie litter. So proud of these guys!

05/30/2024

Congratulations to the Matthews/Arsenault family.

Neat will be working on a rotational goat grazing operation and living at the base of a mountain with a biking trail!

I'm so happy this talented young dog found somewhere he will fit in and enjoy an active lifestyle and get to work for a living as well.

Video of Neat with one of his new owners. Kevin was thrilled with how much drive and desire he had to work. They met each other and Neat went right to work.

05/20/2024

Rye x Fizz puppies, first look at stock at 7 weeks of age.

I know the first cross was successful, and I like what I see out of these guys so far.

05/14/2024

*** Neat is pending placement. Thank you to everyone who inquired. If anything falls through I'll update this post.

Outline's n Wayout's Whiskey Neat - Neat
DOB 5-7-23

Neat just turned a year old and he is ready to find his very own people.

Neat is a puppy I held back in hopes he would turn out to work cattle, he is however, on the small side and I don't feel comfortable using or placing him in a home that has intentions of working him on cattle.

Neat is 17" tall and 24 lbs. He's a smaller boy, but he is fast and athletic. Neat works sheep and goats with ease, he's got a natural gather, he respects pressure and is responsive. He could be an asset on a sheep or goat operation, and I have had him on training cattle, but due to size I won't put him on any cattle that aren't gentle. I have found he has plenty of power on goats who have challenged him. He bites head and heel.

He has been lightly started, with about 30 days of herding foundations under his belt. He sends both directions and works off your body pressure, but he doesn't have solid herding commands yet.

He would be suited to a sport home. He likes toys, but drive has not been built formally so he's a blank slate there. He will fetch, his bring back could use work, but again, I don't build toy play into my dogs. What he has can be built on and developed. He is highly food driven, will go to great lengths to find one single dropped kibble that has been hidden under the refrigerator. Neat gets along with other dogs, he is not a status seeker. He is currently intact and can stay that way or be neutered, your choice.

Neat is a sweet boy, he's been friendly with strangers. Likes a good lap and cuddle time, but he can be busy inside or outside.

His problem areas. His biggest thing I find annoying is that he enjoys his own voice when he's having yard time. He does not bark at work, while engaging with me in play or training, when crated, or otherwise when he's occupied, stashed somewhere or engaged. He does enjoy romping around the yard voicing his opinions at leaves and trees and just for the joy of barking. He is familiar with a bark collar and it does work well for him.

The other thing I always stress; he was bred for work. He was bred to see movement and stop and control it, and in an animal about 15x his size. He can become a pest to other dogs if not regulated in play. If you aren't cognizant of his needs and able to tell him "no" he may chase things, kids, cats, tires, squirrels. He does not do those things now, save for when he gets overstimulated in play he might zone in on chase games with another dog, but I would not tell you he will never do those things. He may be small, but he's still an ACD. He will need leadership and guidance and to be told No or Knock it off on occasion.

Neat is UTD on vet care, shots, heartworm prevention and flea/tick prevention.

PM or Email [email protected] to inquire about Neat

Video - Toy Play
https://youtu.be/NGk3nXQWIWQ

Video - on goats
https://youtu.be/K-JbCn0sloQ

03/28/2024

It's not about having all the pieces in one dog. Everyone says, "no dog is perfect". That's what it means.

I've said my dogs often don't have the best, lowest heel bites. I'm ok with that. I want a dog who wants to control and go to heads. Cheese goes to the right places, but she doesn't have a head bite, or she uses it very rarely. She does however, have a front foot bite, and for me, if she will go to the right place, stick with it, and change the cattle's mind, I can build on that.

When I breed any dog, I am looking to stack the deck on those good traits and make a match that I think will lessen the traits that don't fit what I'm looking for in a strong working dog.

Outline's Laughing Cow (Mick x Reese)

03/13/2024

Outline's Get Tossed -Toss

I love where his head is at.

A repeat cross is expected in two weeks. Rye x Fizz puppies due end of March. I'll be looking to keep a girl for myself, males will be available.

02/13/2024

APRIL 15-16, 2024 Lesson Style Clinic with Sara Jo Gahm

Location: Texarkana, TX
Beginners welcome!
Stock Available: Sheep, Goats, Cattle
Multiple working areas: pens, alleys, obstacles, arena, field

Lunch Provided

There will be 8 lesson slots per day; come stay and watch and learn.

45 minute lesson slots $125 per day ($250 both days)

Contact: Erin Eckert Email: [email protected] Phone: 903-276-9755
🐑🐃🐑🐃🐑🐃

Sara-Jo Gahm is an accomplished sheep and cattle open handler with years of experience trialing and training clients with all breeds of herding dogs.

Sara-Jo began training and trialing in 1996 with Australian Cattle Dogs. She won the Australian Cattle Dog Club of America National Herding Championship nine times in eleven years between 2007-2017 working three of her Australian Cattle Dogs: Boss, PJ and Liza. In 2011 she bought her first Border Collie, also named Boss, and was introduced to the world of Border Collie cattle trials. She began successfully trialing at the open level in NCA, MSSA, and USBCHA cattle trials. She quickly started building her kennel with Border Collies, and now exclusively owns and trials border collies. She trials with the best cattle herding competitors at the open level in the USA and Canada, and has placed in the the top ten and top five in each of the national cattle organization finals, and at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. She currently runs Pace, JC Digr, Molly and XP Mint, and has several younger Border Collies getting ready to start their careers.

Sara-Jo, a physician who retired from emergency medicine in 2022, has a full calendar of herding students from Washington state and Canada. Her client list is full with a long waitlist. She conducts sell out clinics on her cattle and sheep ranch in Arlington, Washington. Many of her students go onto trial in AKC, ASCA, NCA, and MSSA trials. Her husband John manages the ranch, freeing her up to attend trials. Their son is a college student studying classical violin performance.

02/01/2024

Outline's Laughing Cow- Cheese 🧀

Back to work after raising her litter. Just the right amount of authority to bring these guys calmly to the pens.

For those who enjoy the music over videos, don't forget I do post some to TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/?_t=8jWNlNAN8FW&_r=1

01/25/2024

8 week old evaluations of our Wayout's Incendiary x Outline's Laughing Cow litter

None available, just sharing.

3 videos total.

Rash x Cheese @ 8 weeks

01/25/2024

Outline's Get Tossed - Rye x Fizz

I am repeating this breeding for late spring 2024 puppies.

01/17/2024

https://youtu.be/MYXoe2vp0SQ

Wayout's Incendiary x Outline's Laughing Cow

7 weeks. First time out to the barn, first time on stock.

Winter hasn't been kind, so they haven't spent much time outside, I was pleased that they adjusted quickly and all 3 saw sheep. The one blue male obviously was all over it.

Final livestock evaluations are done one at a time at or after 8 weeks old. This was a promising first exposure.

All puppies currently have homes. For interest in future litters or started dogs, please comment with your email and I will add you to the email list.

01/14/2024

Cheese - Outline's Laughing Cow

Her pups are coming up on 7 weeks old and she's ready to get back into the swing of it.

Cheese really wants to be a team player, she's got a good read on the draw, naturally square flanks, and a bit of eye. Not aggressive by nature, Cheese tries to ask nicely but when she pulls out her teeth she packs a punch.

01/09/2024

This is a 10 month old pup (Mick x Fizz). I left the gate open and forgot. He found cattle in the pasture and gathered them up. Not an easy feat necessarily.

This pup has had 15 or so works on sheep in a 50x50. He has no commands, I'm still letting him feel things out for the most part.

This is natural skill. He is showing everyone what his genes tell him to do (spoiler: he ain't chasing heels).

When I posted this on my personal page a lot of people remarked on the recall. I don't overtly practice a formal obedience recall. But what his recall in this situation tells me is he is clear headed. He wasn't working under high adrenaline. He heard me, he stopped, and he was able to take direction. This is exactly where I want his head to be to work livestock.

Looks like I've got another young dog to add to my regular roster ❤️

01/07/2024

It's that time of year where I start all new video folders for each dog.

Last year, I worked no less than 34 dogs. These are dogs of my own (or of fellow breeders), or (mostly) dogs who were sent to me for training. People who bring their dogs for lessons don't count, because I don't usually make video files of them, unless its on their own device for their own use.

First off, Thank You. Thank you to anyone who trusted me and sent your dog, no matter for how long or short their stay was.

Secondly, if anyone tries to say there aren't jobs or homes for working heelers, I hope those 34 dogs would prove you wrong. I do take any breed, and amongst those dogs were an aussie, a heeler mix, a handful of border collies, but the majority of those dogs were Australian Cattle Dogs destined for farm and ranch work.

And last but not least, 34 dogs equals an estimated 10,000-15,000 work sessions on dogs of different ages, levels, skillsets, and issues. You do not learn by sitting on the sidelines, you don't get better by wishing you had put in the time. Herding livestock with dogs does not come second nature to us humans, I tell my clients this all the time. It takes practice. If you keep at it, you will get better. Be flexible, assess what works, what didn't, and be willing to bend, because if we don't bend we will break. To any novices starting out, embrace the suck, you'll certainly experience it, but keep slogging. Keep learning.

Happy 2024!

01/06/2024

Structure is important to work. Form follows function.

As breeds move from primarily function based to more of an urban existence, the method of proving structure has become the show ring.

Dogs performing a function are graded on structure. Does the dog work all day? Does he get hot easily? Can he cover ground quickly? Does the dog naturally change leads or power off his rear? Can he make quick speed changes? Can he soften up, and work slowly and methodically? Is he flexible, able to get out of the way of hooves, but re-engage in controlling movement as soon as he is safe?

Working people do care about structure as it relates to function.

As a breed, our gene pool is limited. We must all band together to maintain diversity. We should promote good structure and movement amongst all lines of dogs and keep the true purpose in mind when selecting to produce the next generation.

There are some concerning structural trends popping up. Over the years we have struggled with straight fronts and straight rears. And we still struggle there. On top of lack of angulation, there has been an increase in extremely short backed dogs. This breed needs some length of back to maintain flexibility and space for the front and rear to reach and drive without tangling up underneath a dog. With these short backs and still straight front and rear assemblies we see dogs who sidewind, flip their front feet, or kick up their rear to move it out of the way. A lot of the time the dogs seems to be powering off the forehand instead of powering from the rear. The movement is true, free, and supple, not stilted, and short strided. The trot should be easy, and energy saving. More space between the dogs paws and the ground is energy wasting. The dog is then propelling upward instead of forward.

There is rising concern about the presence of spinal issues in this breed. The spine is a shock absorber for all the hard landings, dives, bites, and rough starts/stops required in work. The dog needs a supple back with adequate length to support his endeavors. A shorter back makes for a more compact outline as far as esthetics, but don't forget this breed was formed to function as a hard worker.

The trot is used when things are under control and traveling long distances but a working dog must be able to switch gears quickly and maintain faster speeds. Without spinal flexibility, quick turns, drops and dodges will be restricted.

01/01/2024

This, guys.

Not every dog with the name "shepherd" or "collie", or "cattle dog" has all the same working traits.

We pair dogs who work complementary to each other, who have similar styles and drives within themselves and their pedigrees.

Those puppy evaluations aren't just for fun, those are often our first chance to see what we got out of a cross.

If you are looking for a working dog, these things matter. Make sure your breeder can show you video of at a minimum the sire/dam working. The more relatives you can see, the better.

Genetics drive the work. You don't get magnificent from mediocre.

Credit to Sarah Wiliams for the video. Gabby is Stellar's Got Something to Talk About. She is out of Rave - Stellar's Got Something to Rave About and sired by Rash - Wayout's Incendiary (bred by Rebecca Elder)

12/30/2023

Sitting in the hay, enjoying the warm sun after Bella's work session.

Wishing many days like this one, with good dogs, prosperous livestock, and peaceful moments to our clients and friends.

Happy New Year!

12/28/2023

Congratulations to John and Stalter Farms for the purchase of Audie - Wayout's n YBR The Audacity.

Audie will be an asset to John's cattle business and a best buddy.

Thank you to everyone involved, including Audie's breeders, Rebecca Elder, Sandy Kiesewetter, and Tessa Sverduk. It takes a village, from those who believe in the lines and the abilities of these dogs, to the training and raising of a capable stockdog.

12/17/2023

One of the concerns I hear from people is "aren't heelers one person dogs? If I buy one already started will it go to work for me?"

Here's the deal. Herding dogs were bred to herd. Their purpose is to work. In my opinion, if the dog won't work for someone else, their drive to work isn't higher than their worries. It is pretty commonplace in stockdogs to start puppies and sell them, or to retire older dogs on to a home with a lighter work load. High drive for stock, is one thing I am selecting for. If I had a dog who wouldn't work for someone else, it wouldn't be placed in a working home.

This is Audie (sold), being worked by someone he hadn't met until the day this video was taken. Thank you Jullia for being a good sport and giving him a spin for me!

He's a young, adolescent male, so sure he tested the boundaries a bit, but he never wavered in his desire to move stock, no matter who was working him.