Article: You don’t want your dog’s first encounter with livestock on show day. Get it used to obeying your commands around sheep and other animals. Contact local dog herding associations to find out where you can take your dog to meet livestock. See if you can buy or get access to a lamb or duck for your dog to practice herding. Put them in a small kennel and practice the basic commands “come bye” and “away to me.” Now is a good time to practice your “lie down” command. Get your dog used to obeying your basic commands. It should be clear if your dog has the right instincts for advanced herding. Its tail should go down when it is around the flock, meaning that it is thinking. It should naturally run circles around the livestock and respond to your commands. You can only take this interest as far as your dog will let you, so respect natural limits. Once your dog is obedient to you, acclimated to livestock, and knows basic commands, teach them useful maneuvers. Getting your dog to run around the herd is useful, but the ability to move it from place to place is the next step. Work toward a practical application of herding commands.  Outrun: your dog will run past the flock and stop them from moving away from you. This is important to getting the flock under control. The lift: your dog has to introduce itself to the flock. Working on this move will get the flock to respect your dog and follow its directions. The fetch: in this move, your dog will work the flock back to you. This has an important applicability for working dogs. The basics for herding will only get you so far. If you want to take this hobby further and compete in shows, you need to teach your dog more complex commands. There are a host of herding commands that you may need to know on show day. Teaching them to your dog may require a little more expertise than you have been able to pick up thus far. If your dog displays little enthusiasm for the classes, it may not be well-suited for herding. You should always pay attention to the wants and needs of your dog. When it is time, sign you and your dog up for a show. The excitement of having lots of dogs, people, and new scents and sounds will be confusing for your dog at first. You will probably have to compete in a few shows before your dog scores some wins.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Get your dog acclimated to livestock. Train your dog to herd a real animal. Watch your dog's body language. Move onto more complex commands. Enroll in classes or shows. Enroll in tests and trials.