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Just had a sheep breeder refuse to let me come see her sheep for purchase because I use dogs to herd my sheep. I replied that she must have had a bad experience. She's never met me, or my dogs, or seen my place or seen my dogs work sheep. Guess I'm just venting, as this rattled my cage a bit. Makes me want to educate folks and show my best work with my dogs at every opportunity, though. On our toes....

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Wasn´t there an initiative in New Zealand, something about consumers not wanting meat from producers that are using dogs to work their stock. This reminds me of it.

 

In my opinion misinformed, at least my goal is using dogs so I can get my sheep home with less stress for everyone (especially the sheep) involved.

 

On the other hand I realize that for my group of training sheep there is a certain amount off stress they are exposed to, and I am sure they would rather be left alone.

 

So I guess that in the case of keeping sheep for exclusively for stockwork/trial training, one could raise ethical objections. But I think we are arriving in PETA country then and that is a place I´d rather avoid.

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Used correctly, done right, carefully trained, a good border collie helps me do many things quietly, quickly, easily which I have seen done with much more difficulty with only human help. I've seen sheep which only live in a barn and feedlot, never getting to roam and graze and really be sheep, because they can be completely controlled and handled by humans, at the humans' convenience. I also think of coyotes, wolves and other strong predators, and how my sheep have a pretty good life, able to roam and graze and loll in the shade in the day, to come in to the safety of the barn when they see me and my dog out in the field at dusk. If it's just me, no dog, they don't come in.

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There are some people who believe using dogs to work livestock is abuse. I've seen some dogs working that I thought were abusive - the kind with a hard bite and the sheep udders end up torn and bleeding. Those dogs shouldn't be allowed to work like that. And I don't think they should be allowed at clinics and trials.

 

But most of the dogs I've seen are good with the sheep - stay back and don't bite that hard. You have to move the stock somehow and it's no more abusive than using a 4 wheeler or something.

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Wasn´t there an initiative in New Zealand, something about consumers not wanting meat from producers that are using dogs to work their stock.

 

Yes but afair the reports were that it was mostly the Huntaways that were the problem, if there was one. Not exactly subtle dogs from what I've seen.

 

I can understand that a barky in your face dog like that might cause stress hormones in the meat in the way a well trained BC shouldn't.

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