I will instinct test puppies on ducks. They often will show instinct at a much earlier age on ducks than they will on bigger, more intimidating stock. However, I no longer work puppies on stock. They are just too bouncy and over enthusiastic. What I have to do to keep them backed down in the interest of the welfare of the ducks, tends to turn them totally off too ducks. I’d rather wait until they are more mature both in terms of smoother work and ability to take correction better. However, if during the instinct test, I saw that the dog had a lot of natural rate and wouldn’t have to be corrected for running through the stock, I might make an exception.
Many sheep dogs will just turn their nose up at ducks. They either don’t see them as livestock or they find them just too weird and don’t want anything to do with them. You may have to work at getting them to start wanting to work ducks. When I have a dog that doesn’t want to work ducks, I put the dog on a leash and then I go work the ducks. The dog is not being commanded to work the ducks. It is only expected to be “with me.” This allows the dog to relax. Dogs never turn on when stressed; only when relaxed. I totally work the ducks, walking up, flanking, stopping escapes, etc. I’m usually making choo-choo noises to bring up the dog’s enthusiasm. (The dog’s been trained to these noises while doing fun stuff, like working stock it likes to work.) I may say some herding commands to compliment my actions, but not in a manner that puts pressure on the dog to obey them. I keep this up until the dog shows interest then I take the leash off and see what the dog does. I won’t push the issue. Even if the dog starts herding, I’ll keep the off leash time short at first and really praise him up afterwards. Get out of the dog what you can. Encourage it a lot with praise and choo-choos. If the dog stalls out, don’t force it. Just call it a day.
Back your reluctant duck dog up. If it stalls out, then it’s time for you to walk in and give some help. If it can’t (or won’t) get them out of the corner, then you go into the corner. If the dog won’t push, then you need to walk up and add some presence to get those ducks moving again. My yard has a lot of trees in it. The ducks could play all sorts of tricks around those trees and thoroughly frustrate the dog. I don’t let that happen. I block off one side of the tree both to prevent ring around the tree and to prevent the ducks from breaking back when the dog can’t possibly be in a position to prevent it. Even though the dog I’m starting on ducks may be advanced on another stock, it is a started dog on ducks. And I treat it like a starting dog. I don’t expect advanced work out of it. I let work where it is comfortable until I feel it ready to be pushed up to the next level.
The correct choice of stock is always important when starting a dog’s training. Always use thoroughly broke stock. Always use unsoured stock. Some dogs will do better on light ducks such as Runners and Kakis. However, others are thoroughly put off by light, neurotic stock. These dogs do much better on calmer stock such as Swedes. Some dogs do better on large groups. Some on small groups. (And some will turn on to work better with large groups). Some dogs start better in small areas and others in large areas. You need to experiment and find the right conditions for your dog.
Some dogs will work ducks without fully seeing them as livestock. They often seem to not understand “there” with ducks. The also often don’t respond to “walk-up” too well. Sometimes, your only way through the course with these dogs is with a series of short flanks alternating directions. Fortunately, ducks respond nicely to this. My Klaatu acts like this when she is not worked regularly on ducks. When worked infrequently, she doesn’t cover her ducks at all and needs to be worked very mechanically to prevent ducks from escaping. However, when worked frequently, she is very natural on ducks and covers them very well.
A good duck dog must have an absolutely reliable stop on it. The key to good duck work is incremental movement of the dog. I wouldn’t even bother with ducks until I know the dog will stop promptly and reliably when I tell it too. It has to be able to hold a stay. To keep ducks going in a straight line, the dog often needs to be moved one foot step at a time and then stopped for a couple of seconds, then moved another step. This is also a good method for lifting them off a fence, though the pauses need to be longer then. You also need to be able to get the dog to do things slowly, like flanking and walkups on better ducks. And you need a dog that flanks well off the stock.
See articles below for more tips on ducks.
My other duck articles:
Go to GSD Vom Insel ’s home
Go to GSD Vom Insel ’s photo index
Go to GSD Vom Insel ’s article index