Heart T Ranch Stockdogs & Performance Horses

05/27/2026

THIS.

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐃𝐨𝐠 𝐄𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞
— 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 “𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯” 𝘢𝘯𝘥 “𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱” 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

“A good stock dog isn’t being ‘mean.’ He’s doing a job most people couldn’t do.”

As more people trade neighborhoods and subdivisions for acreage, backroads, and country living, this one feels worth talking about. Somewhere along the way, working stock dogs became one of the most misunderstood parts of agriculture. The gritty cow dog barking, gripping a heel, applying pressure, or looking “intense” is usually not being aggressive.

He is working.

The truth is, good stock dogs are reading livestock behavior, controlling pressure, preventing wrecks, protecting handlers, and helping manage animals that often weigh ten times more than they do. Different livestock, terrain, and situations require different dogs, different levels of pressure, and different expectations.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞:

• 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. Calling, clapping, petting, whistling, or trying to get the dog’s attention can interrupt communication between dog and handler and create unnecessary wrecks.

• 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬. Good working dogs are trained to specific handlers, whistles, pressure, and expectations. Conflicting commands create confusion and confusion around livestock creates problems.

• 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞, 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐠. Most stock dogs are friendly at home, but while they are working, they are focused. Respect the dog, respect the handler, and let them do their job.

• 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐬 “𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞.” Controlled intensity is not the same as uncontrolled aggression. Some cattle require more pressure than others, and good stock dogs adjust to the situation in front of them.

• 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬. Most ranch dogs are absolutely loved family dogs. But when cattle are moving, horses are working, or gates are opening, they are on the clock.

• 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤. A loose pet dog can stress cattle, separate calves from cows, trigger horse wrecks, ruin gathers, or injure livestock without ever intending harm.

𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨 𝐀 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞:

• 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨. This one is big. Just because somebody owns cattle does not mean they want extra dogs there. Even a good dog in the wrong situation can create absolute chaos.

• 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐨. Even friendly dogs can interfere with livestock flow, sorting, calves, horses, or gathers before the day even starts.

• 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐲. Too many dogs, too many people, and too much noise often create more problems than solutions. Good handlers know when a dog helps and when it hurts.

• 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. The branding crew is there for a reason. Unless specifically asked, extra dogs usually mean extra chaos, stirred-up calves, distracted horses, or a dog barking from the truck all day while everyone else is trying to work.

• 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛. A bay dog is different than a pen dog. A dog gathering big open country works differently than one needed in tight sorting pens. Cow-calf pairs require different pressure than dog-broke yearlings, and rank cattle often need a different style than gentle ones. The right dog matters.

• 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬. In livestock country, a dog with poor manners can ruin a gather, injure livestock, stress calves, wreck fences, or cost somebody real money.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡: a loose or poorly managed dog can undo hours of work in minutes. Good stock dogs are valuable because they create order, not chaos. A dog that creates chaos is not helping.

Country living comes with freedom, but it also comes with responsibility. At the end of the day, good stock dog etiquette is pretty simple: respect the livestock, respect the handler, respect the ranch, and understand that what may look intense to an outsider is often carefully controlled work.

💭 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂: What is one thing you wish more people understood about stock dogs or ranch etiquette?

— 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐌 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨.
𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦.

𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴

• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), working dog safety and animal behavior resources
• Colorado Revised Statutes § 35-43-126, “Dogs at Large, Livestock Injury”
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA APHIS), livestock handling, animal stress, and welfare resources
• Temple Grandin, livestock behavior and low-stress handling research
• Livestock stockmanship and working dog handling principles recognized by ranching and herding professionals

04/27/2026

Great article by one of my favorite Trainers! ♥️

Teaching a Dog to Pen
By Angie Coker-Sells
Issue 71 – 2000

To me, teaching a dog to pen is one of the most important aspects of training. A dog that knows and understands what I’m trying to accomplish at the pen is very helpful and makes penning a lot of fun. Penning probably requires the most combined teamwork from dog and handler of anything done on or off the trial field, with shedding coming in a close second. Most of the time in real work and trials penning the stock is the desired end result that we want, so to me the dog needs to fully understand what is going on when I open the gate!
In the beginning of teaching the dog to pen, I don’t use a small pen out in the middle of the field. I use the regular corral or barn lot pen. I do this for a few reasons, the first being the sheep know where to go and will go in pretty easy if I just open the gate, this insures a pretty good chance of success the first time.
Secondly, the gate has a good bit of fence on both sides of it so it’s going to be very difficult for the sheep to run around and around like a pen in the middle of the field. The fence allows the dog to get too close to the sheep, making them run down it, but giving the dog time to catch the sheep before they make it to a corner and go behind the pen. When the dog gets too close and does this, he’ll get a correction from me as well as learn a lesson from the sheep, that lesson being, “you can’t get that close to us or we’ll run!” The object here is to teach the dog to head the sheep, bring them back to me and put them in through the gate and lay down.
Thirdly, it helps to get the flanks correct and the dog flanking a little more squarely off the sheep, as is often needed at the pen. Since I have fence on either side of the gate, the sheep will stay against it unless the dog gets too close, then they will scatter. If the dog is flanking and moving correctly he can bring them down the fence, flank to one side and bring them through the gate.
When I start doing some penning exercises, I’ll let the dog fetch the sheep from the field and bring them to me at the lot gate. I keep the gate closed until the dog and sheep get to me. I do this because I don’t want the sheep just running in with the dog never really understanding what happened, or without him having to work a little to get it done. I’ll often let the sheep move off in one direction or another and let the dog flank to bring them back before I open the gate. If the dog crowds them I’ll tell him to get back, or get out, and I may have to move toward him to push him back some. After a little of that, I’ll open the gate and let the sheep in, making the dog stand or lie down and give him a pat on the head and tell him “good boy.” I don’t necessarily end the lesson by putting the sheep in the lot, sometimes I’ll do that, and then have the dog bring them out of the lot into the field and repeat the process. I’m careful when letting the sheep out of the pen into the field to make sure the dog doesn’t immediately run around to head them off and bring them back. I’ll insist he lie down, and when he does I’ll let him go get the sheep, or I may have him drive them a good distance before bringing them back.
As training progresses and the dog is doing well enough with putting sheep in the lot or corral, I’ll begin using the 8’x8’ pen that’s in the open field. I’ll still use sheep that are easy to pen. If I want to make it more difficult I won’t open the gate all the way, or I may just keep it closed and make the dog hold the sheep up to me and let them in when I’m ready. As soon as the sheep start going in the pen I’ll make my dog stay there at the gate while I close it. Often, I’ll have him lie down while I close the gate; this is so he doesn’t get in the habit of running around to the back of the pen. After I close the gate I’ll really praise the dog. I’ll call him off about 15 or 20 feet from the pen and tell him to “stay” while I go back and open the gate and let the sheep out while I go back and open the gate and let the sheep out myself. I do this instead of flanking the dog around to the back of the pen to bring the sheep out for two reasons. First I want him to realize that we put those sheep in the pen, we accomplished something. Secondly because I don’t want him to get into the habit of running around to the back of the pen the instant the sheep go in the gate!
I know the dog is starting to understand what I’m trying to do when he starts flanking and stopping the sheep at the proper balance point with only a little verbal help from me. It’s very common for the young dog to really over flank when learning to pen, they don’t know where that point is that they need to stop. With time and verbal correction they will usually learn how far to go without pushing the sheep past the gate or around the pen. How fast a dog catches on will have a lot to do with his ability to read the sheep.
When the dog seems to understand the concept of penning, I’ll get some fresher sheep. I may pen them once with an older dog just to make sure they will go in before trying it with the young dog because success is imperative. I want to increase the level of difficulty and let the sheep teach the dog, but I also want him to succeed. I’ll let the dog do all of the work for a while; I’ll just stand with the gate open and won’t say much. I may move and use body language to help him, but I won’t give any flank commands except for an occasional “get back” but that’s about it. I think a few minutes of the dog working is enough. If the dog really has to work and hustle I’ll stop “just watching” and be more helpful to the dog and really try to help pen the sheep. If the dog is getting in a wreck, or the sheep are orbiting the pen, I’ll be very quick to step in and help a lot sooner, either verbally and/or physically. I think one of the most frustrating and destructive things that can happen when teaching a dog to pen is having a situation where the dog and the sheep go round and round the pen. This only tears down what I’ve been trying to build and I’ll be very quick to help the dog as much as I can.
When I work with a dog on penning, my end goal is to have the dog understand that I want the sheep in the pen. I want him to understand it to the point that I don’t have to tell him every move to make, he needs to think and read the sheep and know most of the time where to be on his own. This takes time and sometimes age, but if the dog is good at reading his stock, has been allowed to work and think some on his own, and has a good steady temperament, he can do this if given the chance.
Of course some sheep are easy to pen and require little more than the handler to open and shut the gate. This is not a challenge to anyone, except the handler who has failed to work at all on the pen, and his dog runs around to the back of it as soon as the sheep go in! The sheep that have seldom if ever been penned are the real challenge, they truly make a person appreciate a dog that understands what the pen is, and real teamwork is demonstrated.
The downfall of many people at the pen is the mistake of watching their dog instead of the sheep. If the dog knows his job at the pen you shouldn’t be afraid to take your eyes off him. Of course we need and want to know where the dog is, so the best thing to do is watch him kind of out of the corner of your eye. If you’re trying to pen cagey sheep that don’t want to pen, and your attention is on the dog, don’t be surprised when a sheep goes zipping by you or runs under the rope! Learn to trust the dog, but you have to teach him what you want before you can trust him.

The cover photo of this issue was taken by Vaughn Johnson of Livingston, Montana.

03/24/2026

Farmers ROCKED IT! ♥️

07/12/2025

My Spring run trialing is a wrap! We ended with the Calgary Stampede - Daisy and I narrowly missed the finals…🤦🏻‍♀️
Thank you to all my Family and Friends who let us stay with them, fed us and cheered us on!

I’m settled in at home, teaching lessons and have a couple training spots open this Fall. Shoot me a message if you need some help meeting your goals!

06/19/2025

There is so much history and tradition behind the Border Collie. I’m proud to carry it forward. ♥️ 🐾

03/16/2025

GREAT EXPLANATION!