Still having real trouble finding a genuine retired working dog

Because we don't have a lot of sheep and cattle work, we need an older dog that doesn't mind only be worked a couple of days a week. I've looked on-line, but any dog that's in anyway suitable, is snapped up as soon as it is listed. Meanwhile our current dog is going deaf and his eye sight is dimming. So we're stuck rounding them up on foot. The cattle aren't so bad, as they mostly come to a call, but the sheep aren't as biddable. Oh for a four legged helper.

Down our way, it seems word of mouth through the farmers as to who is going to be retiring one, and they don't often talk about it because that decision might involve other options.

If you can get word about the farming community nearby, that might be helpful Inger?

Getting a retired dog is a great idea if it works (....both the dog and the idea). I have found that old dogs take a lot of time to learn to respond to me, especially when I forget or have not been told what their action commands are.
Also, we once had a very good cattle dog. But he had never worked sheep so when we gave him the command to "get back" he looked around the paddock, saw the white fluffy things but no cattle, so he sat there wagging his tail waiting for the cattle to appear in his vision.
Another problem that we had with Spot the Wonderdog was that he was not quite savage (" strong") enough for cattle, so he would round them up by facing them then have them chase him to me, and then hide behind me. Rather unsafe, to state the obvious .
At your saleyards, is there a notice board where the AHB forms get displayed? If so, perhaps put a number of leaflets in there for anyone who might be interested to remove.

retiredworkingdogs.org.nz/
This organization should be able to help.

Not sure how I'd be able to get the word out? I'll ask The Engineer if there's a FaceBook page that would cover that group.

I hadn't thought of that LongRidge. Our nearest Salesyards are on the other side of the Northland / Auckland boundary, so I guess I'll have to wait until I can get a vaccine passport.

We've had three retired working dogs and they've been adequate or a once in a lifetime excellent dog. We get the previous owner to show us the dog working and make notes on the words used to work the dog. Yes it takes 6 months for the dog to transfer its loyalties and sometimes there is a reluctance to work unaccustomed animals, but the best dog we had ' King' got to the stage where he was so desperate to work, he'd even round up poultry for us. It also took a year for King to accept a female voice commanding him, but in the end he adapted. He was one of those dogs that you could send out into a bushy paddock where you couldn't see the animals and he would locate them and bring them to you, no matter how long it took. He was an amazing dog, but we've had to adjust our way of working a dog, according to his particular abilities, or lack thereof. Most true retired working dogs are better than no dog.

Yeah, tried that Muzi, but most of the 'retired working dogs' don't know what to do with sheep or cattle, are scared of them or just aren't interested in working with them.

There are way too many puppies and any true retired working dogs are snapped up as soon as they appear on the website. I've also struck some 'rescuers' on that website, who have very definite ideas about who should adopt these dogs and I don't think they have any idea what real farmers actually need from their dogs. I'm not interested in bringing a working dog into the house. We don't have dogs in the house. To me, farm dogs are workers, not pets. They don't like being shampooed and will roll in something disgusting, if you do try and wash them. When I was growing up, the dog was either working or they were chained up. With a sheep farm next door, we couldn't risk our dog wandering. The farming fraternity don't tolerate animal worrying dogs wandering around the area.

[quote="Inger post=556393 userid=2

I've also struck some 'rescuers' on that website, who have very definite ideas about who should adopt these dogs.[/quote]

I came across that too with chicken & cow ''rescuers'' advertising for forever homes, with one getting very agro saying why should she do all the work only for me to breed and make money from the (looking for forever home) cow uplift she had become involved with.

I wasn't sure if I should apologize or not for responding to her FB posts but thought I could help, considering most of my wee herd are x commercial dairy.

And I get my shavers off the likes of TM because apparently, it's wrong to keep a rooster and let them and the chooks do their natural thing.

Sorry rant over! But I understand what you mean Inger.

Are you on www.neighbourly.co.nz
You could put a Advert up on Neighbourly advertising for an Retired Farm Dog.

Inger wrote:

. I've also struck some 'rescuers' on that website, who have very definite ideas about who should adopt these dogs and I don't think they have any idea what real farmers actually need from their dogs..

I found the same set of "rescuers" working for the SPCA. They would NEVER allow a working dog to go to a farmer. In fact they seldom let any dog go to a farm home because they had a mind-set that farmers were cruel to their dogs. Apparently residential owners were kind! Yeh right. Like the beautiful Border Collie I used to see around the back of Aorere College, that spent her days chasing cars, because she wanted to work! There are many cases of dogs bred to work that go off the rails when they are penned in a small back yard in town. That to me is the height of cruelty.
We had some great working dogs. Lassie the Bearded Collie was a "laughing, galloping dishmop" She was good on both sheep and cattle. Tip was an Australian Red Heeler. A bit hard on cattle, as he used to swing on their tails if he wasn't nipping their heels, but still pretty good, and tac (tan and Black) was also a bearded collie and dad used to shoot pheasants over her as well as he stock duties. She used to hunt and gobble up mushrooms in the autumn tho' much to my annoyance.

Removing a working dog from the type of work they were bred for and is in their genetics, is cruel. Working dogs work because they love working cattle and sheep, not because they are scared of the farmer. Scared dogs can't and won't work properly, because they're not enjoying what they're doing. Even an old dog likes to get out and potter around collecting up the sheep when they have the energy. It makes them feel part of the people/dog clan.

Its like when you don't let your old pet ewes have lambs anymore, cause they're too old. They will stand on the fenceline of the lambing paddock, looking at all the new lambs and wishing they were in there with the rest of the mob. I've had a couple of them sulk until you let them into the lambing paddock, where they'll babysit their grandkids, while their daughter goes off to graze.

A dog that eats mushrooms !!!!! Now that's just wrong. :0

What do they think cows are for then? If not to have calves? If we don't organise a bull for our cows, they would go looking for their own. The breeding instinct is strong in animals. Which is why hens and roosters do what they do. As long as there are enough hens for the rooster, the hens don't get a hard time.

It beats me how 'animal people' can't wrap their heads around the ways of nature.

How many farmers read that website? I could give it a try though. I've tried everything else I can think of, except going to the livestock auctions, that is.

you could try this facebook page too
www.facebook.com/Retired.WorkingDogs

Do you have a localish branch of Rural Women NZ there Inger? ruralwomennz.nz/our-regional-leadership-team/


Any Beef & Lamb seminars coming up?