Trainer brings new tricks

Ever heard the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”?

Well it seems Neil McDonald is not just a dog handler, but a myth-buster as well.

Mr McDonald will do both when he brings his Advanced Livestock and Dog Handling School to Badgingarra this weekend.

He’s not just looking for pups though; the dog whisperer wants the A to Z of all canines.

“You can bring along pups, old dogs or everything in between, and I’ll still be able to help,” he said.

“I can teach dogs as beginners or give tips to help you with behaviours of your (current) working sheep and cattle dogs.

“If you have sheep or cattle that are hard to manage, and it’s resulting in more stress than it needs to, then I’ll be able to help teach you how to achieve a successful working dog.

“I am not a dog trainer, I am a situation creator. I create a situation whereby the dog does something by reason of natural instinct.

“If you are consistent enough, the dog will correlate that word with the action, and no longer treat the learning process as an imposition.”

Mr McDonald travels the nation, along with his team of trusty four-legged companions, to educate people on how to maximise the potential of their working dog.

A loving dog owner and former breeder, Mr McDonald first noticed the need for a training school when re-homing some of his litters.

“I was finding a lot of people were having trouble getting on with their dogs as they got older,” he said.

“I realised people just didn’t understand how to handle them and it made me think ‘why don’t I just show them how’.”

If you’re unsure, Mr McDonald also has dogs he lends to attendees for the session, to demonstrate how well a successful working dog can do.

“People can have a turn with my dogs and get to understand how a fully trained dog can really benefit your working life,” he said.

“They’ll get to see how, once taught, a dog can really make moving stock a whole lot easier than it currently is.”

The Advanced Livestock Movement Courses will take place at Sendem Downs on Coalara Road between 7.30am and 5pm tomorrow, Sunday and Monday.

For more information phone 9651 4008.