Think Like a Sheepdog Trainer: A Guide to Raising and Training a Herding Dog

“Think Like A Sheepdog Trainer” looks at the ancient art of sheepdog training through the lens of science-based learning theory and behavior analysis. It is designed to help you understand how and why a method works and to give you the tools for setting up and evaluating training plans and for approaching training problems in a logical, evidence-based manner.

While there are good sheepdog training books available, almost all of them assume the reader has a basic knowledge of sheep and sheep behavior, the skill and experience to train a dog to do complex behaviors, the ability to figure out training steps on their own, and a clear mental picture of what a properly trained herding dog should look like.

This book focuses on training Border Collies for United States Border Collie Handlers Association(USBCHA) type trials, but the information is applicable to all herding breeds and herding venues.