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Yard Dogs Vs Paddock Dogs


raineth
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I was wondering what some of the differences are between yard dogs and paddock dogs.

Do they require a different work ethic or temperament?

Would one most likely adjust better to a suburban, pet lifestyle?

I tend to see this distinction in reference to Kelpies, but is it the same for other herding breeds such as border collies?

What exactly is the difference between yard work and paddock work?

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I was wondering what some of the differences are between yard dogs and paddock dogs.

Do they require a different work ethic or temperament?

Would one most likely adjust better to a suburban, pet lifestyle?

I tend to see this distinction in reference to Kelpies, but is it the same for other herding breeds such as border collies?

What exactly is the difference between yard work and paddock work?

I would think yard work is work done inside pens/yard, so backing sheep (running over top of them) and using voice to move them forward through the races. Paddock work in a paddock? :)

Paddock work could be gathering a large mob of sheep from a large paddock and into a smaller pen, or mustering/moving the sheep long distance.

I'm not a sheep person but that would be my guess

Some huntaways in pens

Huntaway doing paddock work

Heading dog on a long head

Edited by Podengo
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As Podengo said, Yard work is done in smaller spaces of the yard, through the races, sometimes backing the sheep. Paddock work is done in the larger spaces of the paddock, where stock may be a longer distance away and possibly spread out. Some dogs do better at one or the other, some dogs do both.

Thinking about the environment, a dog working in a yard would have to be OK in tight spaces close to the stock, and a dog working in the paddock would have to be good at locating stock in a large area and go a distance away from the handler.

I'd say temperament of parents and the pup itself as well as the dedication of the owner to give the dog a physical and mental outlet rather than yard or paddock type would be more important for how well the dog would adjust to being a pet/living in suburbia.

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Ok, thanks guys :)

So one type isn't a bit more sharp than the other type?

I guess that a paddock dog might have more of a tendency to want to work at a distance from the handler?

I have a friend who has two farm bred Kelpies (both are very happy in the suburban environment as they are dedicated owners) and she has been looking to add a third which has started me thinking about the difference between yard and paddock dogs. Some breeders say that they expect the litter to be better at one or the other and that sort of thing :)

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Typically speaking, a good yard dog will be hard headed, full on and not necessarily a "soft" dog. A fearful dog would not be much use in the yards, they need to get in there and get the stock moving any way that they can.

A good paddock dog will be more independent, may be softer (but not always), and probably not as full on. They have more opportunity to work at their own preferred distance and need to be able to make decisions on their own.

These traits are not exclusive of course, there are plenty of dogs who are very good at both styles of work.

As far as traits for a pet, it really depends on the family and also the individual dog. Either style could make a good pet. If it was a soft person a little lax on boundaries a yard bred dog could take advantage of them and be too much to handle. On the other hand, some paddock dogs may be too independent for a family who want a dog that wants to be with them.

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Typically speaking, a good yard dog will be hard headed, full on and not necessarily a "soft" dog. A fearful dog would not be much use in the yards, they need to get in there and get the stock moving any way that they can.

A good paddock dog will be more independent, may be softer (but not always), and probably not as full on. They have more opportunity to work at their own preferred distance and need to be able to make decisions on their own.

These traits are not exclusive of course, there are plenty of dogs who are very good at both styles of work.

As far as traits for a pet, it really depends on the family and also the individual dog. Either style could make a good pet. If it was a soft person a little lax on boundaries a yard bred dog could take advantage of them and be too much to handle. On the other hand, some paddock dogs may be too independent for a family who want a dog that wants to be with them.

Good descriptions !

When our pups are a few mths old they start to lean one way or the other ...if they're yappy and forceful and really energetic ..they may well enjoy yard/truck work . If the are more the 'thinker' ..and a stayer, not a sprinter .. paddock work might be just their ideal.

Our yard dogs do work independent to a degree ..they sometimes will need to 'back' sheep 50 metres or more go into a shed .. sort the sheep out so they run freely into whichever yard is open ..then , as they come back ..just make sure the flow continues .

they may also be in charge of 'keeping sheep up' ..patrolling the rear of a large yard ( with maybe 1,000 sheep or so) ..every so often , jumping up, or standing on hind legs just to check on 'the boss' ..and what's happening - so they know whether to increase or decrease pressure ..to grab a lie down in the shade ..or a splash in a trough ...

paddock dogs here are worth their weight in dog bikkies!!

paddocks here can be thousands of acres in area ..with fences few & far between . Often a good pair of dogs is left with a mob of sheep - headed in one direction , while the boss goes searching for stragglers, or goes to open a gate , etc...

paddock dogs also need to be quick thinkers... to get the message across to whichever herd animal keeps trying to 'break out' ..and there is always at least one ..., to steer the mob in a given direction ..and to just adjust speed /stop 'traffic jams' ...

A good paddock dog can just trot along for hours , all the time keeping his/her mob heading where they're supposed to , with no mutiny ...OR they can also HOLD a mob in a small area when needed ...a couple of dogs are great at this ..one each side ... and just keep the sheep to a certain area ... very fine control needed..

Paddock dogs need to chase/apprehend stragglers/ boofheads...and our dogs now have learned to work feral goats ... once again .. the gentler dogs are not use with goats ..goat dogs need to have almost 'no brain no pain' attitude ..and be very forceful indeed ..Goats have NO idea about being herded/yarded...and when one mixes different goat families - well , it's like oil & water :( Goats are family oriented , and mobs often do not mix easily ... The poor dogs have to work SO hard !

Does this help?

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This is a generalisation as each dog is an individual, but agree with comments above, as well as:

- a yard bred dog might be more insensitive to pressure and have more "guts" for want of a better word i.e. has to be able to squeeze through small gaps and deal with sheep taking them on. There are very few BCs doing yard trials, however no doubt people use them on farms for yard work.

- a paddock bred dog might be more sensitive to pressure as they generally have a better sense of personal space and have to stay off flighty sheep to be able to control them in a paddock. Dog might be a bit softer to handle and may not be as resilient in confrontations. There are more BCS that do paddock trials and are naturals at paddock work then kelpies, although there are lines in the kelpies known for their paddock work.

I have a utility bred dog, she will take anything on in the yards but has a nice wide running paddock style - she is super soft at home and easy to handle and live with but on sheep it is a different matter! She can be a hard headed little #@&* sometimes. So it's not always simple to pick between yard and paddock bred if you're looking for a particular temperament.

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she is super soft at home and easy to handle and live with but on sheep it is a different matter! She can be a hard headed little #@&* sometimes. So it's not always simple to pick between yard and paddock bred if you're looking for a particular temperament.

Ah yess ..our softest cuddliest dog is an absolute devil when working with goats !!

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Typically speaking, a good yard dog will be hard headed, full on and not necessarily a "soft" dog. A fearful dog would not be much use in the yards, they need to get in there and get the stock moving any way that they can.

A good paddock dog will be more independent, may be softer (but not always), and probably not as full on. They have more opportunity to work at their own preferred distance and need to be able to make decisions on their own.

These traits are not exclusive of course, there are plenty of dogs who are very good at both styles of work.

As far as traits for a pet, it really depends on the family and also the individual dog. Either style could make a good pet. If it was a soft person a little lax on boundaries a yard bred dog could take advantage of them and be too much to handle. On the other hand, some paddock dogs may be too independent for a family who want a dog that wants to be with them.

Good descriptions !

When our pups are a few mths old they start to lean one way or the other ...if they're yappy and forceful and really energetic ..they may well enjoy yard/truck work . If the are more the 'thinker' ..and a stayer, not a sprinter .. paddock work might be just their ideal.

Our yard dogs do work independent to a degree ..they sometimes will need to 'back' sheep 50 metres or more go into a shed .. sort the sheep out so they run freely into whichever yard is open ..then , as they come back ..just make sure the flow continues .

they may also be in charge of 'keeping sheep up' ..patrolling the rear of a large yard ( with maybe 1,000 sheep or so) ..every so often , jumping up, or standing on hind legs just to check on 'the boss' ..and what's happening - so they know whether to increase or decrease pressure ..to grab a lie down in the shade ..or a splash in a trough ...

paddock dogs here are worth their weight in dog bikkies!!

paddocks here can be thousands of acres in area ..with fences few & far between . Often a good pair of dogs is left with a mob of sheep - headed in one direction , while the boss goes searching for stragglers, or goes to open a gate , etc...

paddock dogs also need to be quick thinkers... to get the message across to whichever herd animal keeps trying to 'break out' ..and there is always at least one ..., to steer the mob in a given direction ..and to just adjust speed /stop 'traffic jams' ...

A good paddock dog can just trot along for hours , all the time keeping his/her mob heading where they're supposed to , with no mutiny ...OR they can also HOLD a mob in a small area when needed ...a couple of dogs are great at this ..one each side ... and just keep the sheep to a certain area ... very fine control needed..

Paddock dogs need to chase/apprehend stragglers/ boofheads...and our dogs now have learned to work feral goats ... once again .. the gentler dogs are not use with goats ..goat dogs need to have almost 'no brain no pain' attitude ..and be very forceful indeed ..Goats have NO idea about being herded/yarded...and when one mixes different goat families - well , it's like oil & water :( Goats are family oriented , and mobs often do not mix easily ... The poor dogs have to work SO hard !

Does this help?

As a city person, I really enjoyed reading this explanation. So informative and really interesting to see how your dog's work. Thank you Perse.

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Wow, thank you all for these wonderful, detailed descriptions :) it's very fascinating to read about. Persephone your description painted really great images in my mind :) It is amazing what these dogs can do!

Especially interesting about the yard dogs having a tendency to be more confident and a bit less soft and the paddock dogs maybe being a bit more independent. That is really helpful information for my friend.

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Wow, thank you all for these wonderful, detailed descriptions :) it's very fascinating to read about. Persephone your description painted really great images in my mind :) It is amazing what these dogs can do!

Especially interesting about the yard dogs having a tendency to be more confident and a bit less soft and the paddock dogs maybe being a bit more independent. That is really helpful information for my friend.

The ANKC herding days are really interesting as you get to see how a variety of different breeds herd.

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