Old English Sheepdogs are intelligent and hardworking. They make great family pets and can be trained to do a variety of tasks. They thrive well in obedience training. However, like all dogs, Old English Sheepdogs need proper training from an early age in order to be successful in life. Training dogs is a marathon and there aren’t many opportunities to cut corners. It requires dedication and willingness for repetition even when you thing all hope is lost. We do not presume that this article is going to teach you how to train your Old English Sheepdog. In order to learn how to train your sheepie, we have prepared resources that should help you overcome training difficulties once you find yourself in the situation that you are stuck.
Even though specific breed traits do exist, your OES will have personality for which a tailored approach will be required. When your sheepie first arrives at home, you will start by some simple house and potty training and as days go by, you will notice what your OES puppy learns faster and what training will take more time. In this way, you will be able to modify your approach.
While getting to know your Old English Sheepdog’s personality takes time, it is good to keep in mind some of the common traits Old English Sheepdogs have, so that you can adjust your training approach. Most of the Old English Sheepdogs like attention. They are lovable characters that easily get depressed and sometimes destructive without companionship of humans or pets. Initially they tend to be timid, but with training and socialization they will likely be confident. Some sheepies will have herding instincts, so they try to herd toys, children or humans by nipping or poking with their nose, which is something that needs to be corrected by training. Some Old English Sheepdogs love to get dirty. If they see a puddle of mud, they’ll dive head first until they are fully covered with mud. They’ll be sloppy in the house as well, so you need to keep this in check and correct that behavior by teaching them that getting dirty is not a positive behavior.
Even though rare, some Old English Sheepdogs are neurotic, strong-willed, jumpy, hyperactive, or even aggressive. The only way to deal with these uncommon personality traits is behavioral adjustment and training with confidence. You should also keep in mind to provide them with a lot of exercise and mental stimulation through playing. If you are interested in knowing more about Old English Sheepdog’s behavior, please click here.
Traditional dog training methods for your Old English Sheepdog
Traditional training methods are used regularly by owners that wish to have well-behaved dogs. However, some Old English Sheepdog owners will also embrace specialized trainings to prepare their dog for agility competitions, to serve as service dogs, or simply to teach them tricks that will help keeping their sheepie healthy and mentally stimulated.
Positive reinforcement training for your Old English Sheepdog
Positive reinforcement dog training is a type of training that relies on giving your sheepie rewards, such as petting, verbal praise, or food/treats, for displaying certain behaviors. By providing your OES with positive reinforcement every time he or she follows your commands and behaves correctly, you can help teach them to associate positive actions with rewards and make good choices in the future. Some trainers utilize positive reinforcement training in conjunction with other behavioral training methods, such as punishment-based training, to create a comprehensive program that will help your dog learn how to behave properly. It is ultimately you who will decide if your training will be completely punishment-free or not. Our experience with training is that any type of punishment is rarely needed. However, punishment-free approach will possibly take more time. Obviously, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you, your OES, or someone else is in imminent danger, stronger reaction from you is just.
Clicker dog training
Clicker dog training is a popular way to train dogs. With this method, you would use a sound (a “clicker”) to indicate to your Old English Sheepdog when a desired action has been performed. The clicker symbolizes approval and rewards your sheepie for correct behavior. By providing positive reinforcement, you can help your dog learn new behaviors quickly and easily. Clicker training is especially effective for dogs who had hard time learning new commands or behaved in a particular way in the past. This type of training is often used to teach obedience, retrieving objects, and other tasks. Clicker training is relatively easy to learn and can be effective with most dogs. However, be sure to learn the dynamics of this training, as it can be challenging if done incorrectly. You can learn more about clicker training in this article.
Dog whispering training method
Dog whispering is often misunderstood and controversial hybrid training method. If we would dig deeper, we would notice that all canine training has elements of dog whispering. We could describe dog whispering as reading and understanding dog’s body language. Similarly as with humans, some people are better in reading faces and body language, so they can communicate in more effective way and often act proactively to avoid confrontations. This is the same philosophy with dog whispering. Dog whisperers are humans with ability to understand dog’s behavior and reduce stress levels or anxiety issues. It is a combination of intuition and years of experience. It is often confusing as the term “dog whisperer” is connected with the famous dog trainer Millan that used choke collars, leash corrections, hitting, pinning to the ground, or shocking to deal with aggressive dogs. However, dog whispering is actually opposite of Millan’s punitive training method. Dog whispering is used as a tool to understand your dog’s behavior in order to find the best matching positive reinforcement training method and establish boundaries and behavior expectations.
Alfa or Dominance training for your OES
Dominance dog training is type of dog training that uses “positive punishment” as a means of controlling and disciplining your Old English Sheepdog. With this method you would use leash corrections, choke collars, pinning your sheepie to the ground, gentle hitting with an object or a hand, to establish dominance and assure your OES does not behave negatively. This method is considered outdated as it is based on historic discovery of pack behavior among wolves, while newer scientific studies show that positive reinforcement methods work better and safeguard dog-human relationship without necessity to ascertain fear or mistrust in dogs. It is still advisable that you take the role of a leader, as Old English Sheepdogs, as do other breeds, thrive on leadership and well established boundaries. But this is achievable without making your Old English Sheepdog fearful. Some owners and trainers are going to combine dominance dog training with positive-reinforcement, which is called balanced dog training method, but this still uses positive punishment methods and can lead to anxiety issues with your Old English Sheepdog. We do not recommend dominance dog training as it can permanently ruin relationship with your OES, but as always, ultimate choice is yours.
E-collar dog training method
E-collar dog training method is hands-free punitive training method. As a sort of “positive punishment” training aid, it uses electrical shocks, vibrations, or citronella spray to cause discomfort to your Old English Sheepdog when there is an unwanted behavior. If used on its own, e-collar training would teach your OES bad behaviors, but not the good ones. This can result in dogs not wanting to do anything being afraid that the next dose of punishment is on its way. It is more commonly used to complement other training methods. E-collar dog training method can be a useful tool in teaching your Old English Sheepdog the meaning of certain commands and triggers, but it should not be considered the only way to train your OES. Considering the amount of stress and anxiety it produces, it is not a method we would recommend.
Science-based dog training method
Science-based training is another hybrid approach that could combine various other training methods. It is relatively new approach and is usually reserved to professional trainers or owners who like to follow scientific results in peer-reviewed journals. The approach requires you to check latest scientific discovery and implement results to your training. It is hard to determine how effective you will be, but usually scientific articles investigate how effective some training method is by having a control group and then you can select which approach would be best fitting for your pooch. One idea that is shared among dog behaviorists is that we can provide positive reinforcement to our dogs without use of treats. Some trainers say that this works like a charm, but others say it is impossible.
Model-Rival (Mirror) dog training method
The model-rival training method, also known as a mirror model, is a very good approach if you already have one dog (not necessarily OES) who behaves good. We have seen many times that already trained dogs teach puppies how to behave by setting boundaries early on. It is amazing when you witness affection among members of your pack, so mirror training method is potentially very powerful. If you do not have one dog before bringing your Old English Sheepdog home, you can use someone else’s dog to do the training. The key is to reward your OES when mimicking desired behavior of another dog. It is also very important to choose the right dog, who will be an appropriate model for you.
Specialized training methods for your Old English Sheepdog
Traditional training methods are something that all Old English Sheepdog owners will use if they want to have well-behaved dog. However, some OES owners will have specialized training in addition to the regular training in order to prepare their dog for agility competitions, to serve as service dogs, or simply to teach them tricks that will help keeping their sheepie healthy and mentally stimulated.
Dog Agility training
If you’re considering dog agility training as a way of keeping your Old English Sheepdog active and mentally stimulated, there are a few things you should know. Agility is not only an excellent physical exercise for dogs, it can also provide them with mental stimulation and socialization. The most important part of any canine agility training program is the obedience portion. This training will help your dog learn how to respond properly in various situations, including during competitions where points are awarded for correctly completing obstacles. The agility course is not an easy task. It will take a lot of work and dedication on your part to get your dog up to speed. Training dogs requires a lot of patience, and it often takes years to see tangible results. This is why agility training is great opportunity to grow your relationship with your OES.
Training to do tricks
If you want your Old English Sheepdog to perform tricks, you need to start training early. There are many different tricks that can be taught, and the sooner you start, the easier it will be. Tricks training is great to keep your OES engaged and stimulated. Start with basic obedience commands such as sit, stay, come, and down. These commands will help your dog learn to follow your every command more easily. Once your dog is obedient, begin teaching him tricks by building on his skills. For example, if your OES knows how to sit and stay, teach him to lay down on cue. Reward your sheepie with treats or playtime after he completes each trick correctly. As it is the case with humans, some Old English Sheepdogs could be slow learners, so it will be necessary to repeat each trick many times.
Service dog training
Service dogs are dogs that have been specifically trained to help people with disabilities. These dogs may be used for tasks such as retrieving objects, opening doors, or providing emotional support. Due to their specialized training, service dogs are usually required to undergo a certification process and meet specific criteria set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the USA. Some people have found it helpful in dealing with a disability and would like to train their dogs for this specific purpose. Service dogs are also invaluable for people with PTSD. There are Old English Sheepdogs serving as service and support dogs, so if you have any kind of disability or need an emotional support, you could request specific training for your sheepie. Your OES must be able to work with their handler and have a good temperament.
If you would like to learn more about Old English Sheepdog’s behavior you can click here, while if you are interested in learning more about training, you can follow this link where we prepared articles to give you more insights in training your OES.
7 Dos and Don’ts for training your Old English Sheepdog
Before you go to browse training related topics, here are seven dos and don’ts for training your Old English Sheepdog.
Dos:
- Start obedience training early. It is recommended that you start training your OES as early as possible. The sooner you train them, the better they will be trained, and it will be easier for you to handle them in years to come.
- Be consistent. Do provide consistent and clear direction: Old English Sheepdogs are very trainable, but they will not understand confusing or contradictory commands. It is important to train your dog using only clear, consistent commands, and it is equally important to give the dog plenty of positive reinforcement when the dog follows a command.
- Reward good behavior. Make sure that you use some technique of rewarding good behavior. However, be careful not to reward any behavior, as this can create confusion. Often owners see how cute their dogs are when getting treats, so they give them treats for anything. This can halt your progress.
- Be patient. This is the tough one to swallow. Often when owners get new puppy, and especially if this is their first dog ever, potty training leads to frustration. It takes time to do proper training. Just imagine how long it takes to teach kids good manners. In comparison, training your OES is piece of cake. Joking aside, you will need to be ready to invest a lot of time and efforts.
- Use positive reinforcement. This is the most important of all. You need to use rewards and praise when training your OES. Praise will help them to understand what you want them to do. Rewards are usually toys, treats, food or anything that your sheepie might love.
- Socialize. This is another very important point. Try to socialize as soon as it is safe to do so (getting green light from your veterinarian). Once your puppy gets all vaccines, your sheepie will be cleared to socialize with other dogs. This will teach your OES how to behave in a group of dogs. Puppies will always test their boundaries and group of older dogs is perfect to learn boundaries and how to behave with people and other pets.
- Provide plenty of exercise. Exercise and playtime is essential for physical and mental health. You will have to ensure that your sheepie gets enough exercise and that you spend some time playing fetch, as this will ensure canine happiness.
Don’ts:
- Avoid physical punishment. Do not use harsh or physical punishment to punish your Old English Sheepdog. Harsh physical punishment can cause serious injury and will likely cause your OES to become fearful of you. Most Old English Sheepdogs are sensitive to physical punishment and will develop anxiety and depression issues if you hit or punish them physically. You will possibly gain short-term control, but there are less invasive ways to establish respect.
- Don’t give up. Quite often you might find yourself in a position where you would like to give up. Sometimes you will invest hours in behavior correction training, or potty training and there will be no visible results. Some individual sheepies will be slow learners and you should allow some time before you quit and call a trainer.
- Don’t let your Old English Sheepdog off the leash until they’re fully trained. It is quite important to have confidence in you sheepie. Once you are done with obedience training and you are certain that in relaxed atmosphere your OES will listen, you can also be more laid back. However, even when you are confident of your dog’s behavior, stressful situations can cause unexpected behaviors, so it is always a good idea to keep the leash on whenever you have doubts. Some dogs actually prefer to be on a leash.
- Don’t ignore bad behavior. Try not to indulge bad behavior by ignoring it and putting off correction. Sometimes it feels like your sheepie will rather learn bad behavior than good one. It is one of those rules of thumb you encounter in life. Stay focused and look at the larger picture. Correct negative behavior immediately.
- Don’t leave your Old English Sheepdog alone for too long. Sheepies like company and don’t like to be left alone for prolonged times. You will notice very early in your relationship that they want to go everywhere with you. Yes, even when you go to potty. If you have to be away from home for prolonged times, make sure you practice this together and do it gradually. Old English Sheepdogs might develop anxiety issues and become destructive. It definitely helps if there is another dog in the house. However, nothing can replace interaction with you. Keep this in mind when planning any trips.
- Don’t make training sessions too long. This is especially relevant for puppies. They exhaust their energy very quickly, so go slowly initially. Break training sessions in smaller periods. In this way you will have full attention. It is also advisable to have small playtime or running time before you start training, so that the initial stored energy is expelled and then your sheepie will be more concentrated on what needs to be learned.
- Don’t use food/treats as a bribe. Some trainers will do their training without treats, while others use treats. if you do use treats, be careful of not feeding them too much. Every treat has to be with a goal in mind. Initially, don’t focus too much on quantity as you will need to appraise your sheepie for anytime he or she breaks some bad habit or looks at you. This will evolve over time to more concrete training and less treats will be given. Just keep in mind not to use treats as bribes, but as means to celebrate good behavior.
Conclusion
Training your Old English Sheepdog can be fun and rewarding experience for both you and your sheepie. However, there are some things you should keep in mind when training this breed. Be sure to give your dog plenty of exercise, provide positive reinforcement, and be consistent with your commands. Following these tips will help you create a well-behaved Old English Sheepdog that will make everyone happy. And most importantly, have patience and be willing to learn along with your dog. We wish you a boatload of luck and success.
0 Comments