Several have inquired, ‘What exactly what is included in The MacRae Way: Starting Dogs?’
We have created the attached audio & (and written text) to address your question. Thank you for you listening & enjoy the journey.
While this series obviously addresses a young dogs start on sheep it holds a greater value as well.
Our objective is to not only provide key information to enable a handler to train a young dog with a solid foundation but also provide accomplished handlers with an understanding of the philosophy of our training system.
Our experienced dogs have great enthusiasm to:
- turn back,
- bend, on sheep seen and unseen
- do blind outruns
- are positive shedders.
Not just at 3 and 4 years old but at 9, 10 & sometimes older.
For those of you unfamiliar with our open dogs you can view them on film from various years on the final day at the US National. You’ll note these characteristics with Nan, Ben, Bill, Star, Bear, Max, Cap and Sweep.
Successfully teaching these complex components is possible through our training system, which we have used effectively for a combined 40 years.
Additionally, what we train in the round pen establishes the system that we are able to call upon in later training to address issues such as:
- Confidence building,
- Pulling in or pushing out the outrun
- Holding the line on the drive,
- Helping Dogs with difficulty holding pressure,
- Helping dogs that wear excessively
- Helping dogs to hold a single
and much more.
While many of the 17 dogs that appear in the 20+ hours of total footage are client dogs, dogs we have recently run and are currently competing with are also featured. Alasdair starts Zac in this segment, and in future courses trains bends, shedding and penning with Queen and Li,
I start Nell in this course, and later introduce turnbacks and bends with Jim and Sweep, shedding and precision work with Cap and Max and we have lots of content on training dogs with ‘eye’ with Nap & Max.
The first course has 4 HRs of video footage with 6 different dogs at various stages. The dogs are markedly different in ability and temperament. 4 of the 6 pedigrees are:
Alba Lyn X Don, McClure’s Lil X Applegate’s’ Buzz, Star X Alba Cap, Ford’s Cap X Ford’s Maddy.
Detailed instruction is included on:
- Ensuring a good start
- Starting the outrun
- Starting to teach flanks
- Teaching a lie down off sheep
- Transferring a lie down on sheep
- Taking your dog from the round pen to the arena to the 10 acre field
- As well as detailed discussion of our training philosophy
We include quantifiable exercises you can replicate at home and exercises that address specific problems such as:
- Dogs not covering
- Dogs not holding the pressure on either the left or the right
- Dogs not achieving balance point
- Teaching flanks for dogs inclined to wear
And more
The course is delivered via live stream video and viewable 24/7 for the duration of the subscription.
In addition to viewing on your computer our product does support HTML 5 playback on mobile operating systems such as iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), Android, and Windows Phone.
It is not available as DVD or as a download.
We are extending our introductory offer through March 29 with pricing at $199 available for 8 weeks.
This production would not have been possible without the collaboration of Kristi Oikawa and advocacy of Eileen Stineman. We are grateful for their contribution and thankful for the tremendous support from the sheepdog community on this project.
Thanks for listening. Enjoy the journey.