Cowdogs around the country.

[Big Muddy rancher]

I wondered if we could post picture and tell a bit about the dogs we use on our operation and see the differences from around the country.
We use border collies. I am leaning to shorter haired dogs because of the summer heat. The cold doesn't seem to bother them as much as the heat. The tri color that I use is a papered dog from working and trail dogs. He is a bit hyper and not as tough as my old dog or as I would like. The red and white dog is shorter haired and a tough bugger. He doesn't hit the heels as well as the other dog but just backs up anything and turn it around. He also isn't papered and i'm not sure if he is only a "border" collie cause I brought him across the border. Our dogs don't have much brush to bring cows out of but as typical angus cows they like to fight when they are with their calves. Sometimes it's just better to call the dogs off and then the cows move along. Where they really shine is bringing calves along that lag or want to go back.
Lets hear what and how you use your dogs. Some pictures as well.

[Yanuck]

We have 5

Grizzly, a heeler, he's 11, has slowed down a lot, but in his day was a great chute dog, and loading trailers



Scooter, she's 5, Collie/Aerdale cross, they call them Fuzzy Face dogs around here. She's okay, she is a typical Collie, always herding


the Wolf Pack...Spike, Luvie, and Dakota, they are Heeler/Catahoula x's. They are coming to be pretty good dogs, definetly couldn't do without them when pushing cattle up canyons in the summer time. Luvie's getting awful good at keeping things flowing thru the chute as well




They have to be pretty tough dogs with the terrain here, the Wolf pack seem to have the right stamina, just a little more bite perhaps at times would be nice

[Big Muddy rancher]

Scooter almost looks like a Bearded Collie. I had Beardy<heeler cross before I got married. good old ranch dog but nothing fancy.

[Yanuck]

[cowhunter]

Just about every ranch in fla have there own line of curdogs they come in all colors. Red yellow buckskined. Black n tan white and some carry the murle gene and r lepord colored. Most but not all are born bobtailed or 1/2 tailed and even 3/4 tailed. All are short haired but grow a winter coat. We breed them to be fast. We breed them for 4 things. Nose, speed, stop.and stay. When we are ridein twards cattle, the dogs stay behind the horses till we send them. They bunch the cattle and circle them. We call that ringin. A few dogs hold the cattle and a few bring in the straglers to the main bunch. Then we drive then to the pens with some dogs ringin and some in the front kind of pullin. If a cow breaks off, we send 2 after her. These dogs work the head so they will sometimes skin the cows nose a bit. But she will come. Back and be glad to be there.

[per]

Boy I'd love to tell about my working dog but when he died at 17 last year we haven't yet replaced him. Since we went to moving cattle weekly the cows know and are ready to go making the dog less necessary here. Our 2 year old GP shows some promise as a working dog. Has anyone tried to train one? Would have to pull the stock trailer all the time to take her places.

[RobinFarmandRanch]

we use a mixture of alot of dogs. heelers, black mouth curs, catahoulas, and pitbulls. yes pitbulls, they make excellent head dogs as long as they are not too aggressive. everything but the heelers are used as hog dogs too.

[tta stockdogs]

I've had Aussies for about 25 yrs tho I have tried a heeler and BC-Aussies is my choice of weapons I usually always have at least 5 or 6-registered and mainly Hangin Tree lines with a little SlashV and Las Rocosa thrown in. A friend talks me into trialing about once a year--last year it was the Iowa State Fair-this is pic of Rosa, took 6th place in Ranch Cattle class.First big trial and I had the case of the nerves bad-gonna give it a try again this year.

[sic 'em reds]

I run Border Collies, one is a papered short haired tri-color, and the other two are red and white medium coats. The red dogs have alot more bite and spunk to them. The shorthaierd dog is a great outside dog, and really controls how nasty she gets with pairs. She stays off alot better and doesn't cause near as many fights as the red heads. My dogs are mostly head dogs, but will heel a when needed. I run on alot of small fields, so they are perfect to go gather and bring them to the gate, and I usually don't have to do much but flank on side or the other of the cows.

My dogs only work outside of the corral, they hit the truck once they get them to the pen. Nothing against them in the corral, but my dogs are always in the way when trying to work in the pen. Probabaly more my patience than their ability.

I am going to get one of those "Idaho Fuzzy" dogs from a friend of mine in MT. I am hoping I can use her in the pen more, they seem to have alot more heel than my BC's.

[Faster horses]

So tell us about the Idaho Fuzzies. Never heard of them, but they
sound interesting.

If you notice, Soapweed hasn't posted on this thread.
He doesn't think there is such a thing as a good cowdog.

[Big Muddy rancher]

[Faster horses]