Most years I have orphan calves that we bottle raise or graft to our milk cows, and I take
the pups on a leash to help walk the calves to the barn for feeding each morning and eve-
ning. The calves know their routine well and head right for the barn, but it still gives a
pup an opportunity to follow cattle and get to see things from the ground rather than be-
ing carried. The pups learn once the calves are in the barn and chores are being done,
they must sit patiently out of the way until they get a chance to help follow the calves back
out of the barn again. This is the time I teach the “Get Back”command, which what we say
when the dogs need to be called off the cattle. It’s easy since the puppy is already on a
leash, and lots of praise and treats go a long way at this young age.
Once a pup is old enough to follow me on horseback, I ride to get the calves in and the pup
trots along with me, and I take an older dog or two with us so the pup can learn from their
example as well. As the pup gets bigger, the rides get longer, sometimes to move cattle,
but mostly just checking herds. The pup gets comfortable being in the cattle, with the
other dogs, and traveling with us while horseback. Once the next Spring rolls around, that
pup is big enough to travel for just about any job. He will help gather for brandings and
trail cattle to their summer pastures in the mountains with the big dogs, learning the few
commands we use by watching the reactions of the other dogs. He’ll give his first tries at
heeling and learn be swift to get out of the way, mostly by trial and error.
But, a good ranch dog does not always need to be pressuring, heeling or driving the cattle,
sometimes just “being there just in case” is all that is needed. Our dogs must have a lot of
presence that the cattle respect simply because they know that presence can be backed up
by bite any time it’s needed. This is often the hardest yet biggest lesson a young pup must
learn, as heeling and herding the cattle is a fun game to them at this point, not a job. Pups
start out with great vigor their first few times, thinking any heel they can get a hold of is
fair game. Once their energy wears down, they begin to think rather than just react in-
stinctively, and their “cow sense” begins to kick in. This is where having a few older dogs
providing good seasoned examples while working is invaluable. Our dogs have all the
work they can handle when moving large herds, and they are not about to allow a pup to
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