this looks interesting.
http://images.akc.org/pdf/Description_-Farm_Dog_Certified_Program-_Final_May2016.pdf?_ga=1.58779565.1461678028.1465397156
It does look interesting.
Cool!
I can’t say that any of that would be an issue for my corgis by six months of age.
Ugh, you had me until “dog is approached by other dog.”
I love my dog but I have to say leash reactivity must be the single most frustrating dog characteristic I have EVER dealt with. It is a problem for everything (going out in public, agility, barn hunt, etc.) SO FRUSTRATING!
Off leash she could ace that whole thing. Ugh.
[QUOTE=vxf111;8695470]
Ugh, you had me until “dog is approached by other dog.”
I love my dog but I have to say leash reactivity must be the single most frustrating dog characteristic I have EVER dealt with. It is a problem for everything (going out in public, agility, barn hunt, etc.) SO FRUSTRATING!
Off leash she could ace that whole thing. Ugh.[/QUOTE]
Have you read Control Unleashed?
[QUOTE=Marshfield;8695797]
Have you read Control Unleashed?[/QUOTE]
Yes and I have been working through the issue with her suggestions and with a private trainer since getting the dog (about a year and a half). And she goes to agility class weekly AND she has an agility private weekly. Goes to the dog park minimum a couple times a week. She’s BETTER but the problem is far from gone. There is always a distance that is too close and she’ll go over threshold and when you’re squeezing in and out of the ring like a gauntlet of small dogs-- it’s a MAJOR MAJOR PAIN IN THE ASS.
I got this dog at 9 months old.
And this is why you don’t get a large breed herding dog, lock it in a townhouse, never exercise it, and never once walk it on a leash or expose it to people/other animals. This dog had never seen anything but the inside of a house or being tied out in a backyard at almost a year old. Never been in the car. Never met another dog. Never had any energy worked off. Nothing. To say she’s reactive to movement/sound would be an understatement. She is MUCH BETTER now and has only ever been reactive ON LEASH (off leash she can go anywhere, do anything). but OMG is it a PAIN IN THE @SS. It really is. What I wouldn’t give to have socialized this dog properly when she was young.
Oh crap, I had NO IDEA (none) that Leslie McDevitt was local to me. Wow, I should have her do a consult. I had NO IDEA?!
I describe it as the type of issue which inevitably makes a dog’s world smaller
With the sound and grating requirement, we’re more likely to pass the CGCA at this point.
She has never wanted to walk on metal footing since we got her, she will walk several feet out of the way to avoid walking on man whole covers. And for sound… we’re considering retiring her from obedience and rally because someone threw their dumbbell into the jump too many weeks a row in our class and she’s now terrified of any building that looks like our club’s. No concerns about livestock though, unless we’re in the pen she doesn’t engage- even at herding trials.
What a neat idea! BUT all of the best farm dogs I know are much better off of a leash LOL They act like they are in trouble when they are on one and sulk around and give you the sad eyes…
From the Link:
Overview
The Farm Dog Certified test provides for a series of twelve exercises that represent situations a farm dog would encounter in a typical farm environment. The basic test requirements are designed to emphasize a dog’s ability of self-control, confidence and trust necessary to succeed in any canine/human partnership. These traits and foundational training are vital to a working farm dog.
The FDC program provides an opportunity for all dogs to apply their basic training in a novel environment, demonstrating their natural capability and trainability to work in partnership with their human companions. The Farm Dog Certified test is open to all dogs.
Objective
The Farm Dog Certified test is designed to assess the overall conduct of a dog within a typical farm environment. The dog must demonstrate self-control when exposed to livestock and other unique sights, sounds and scents. The dog should exhibit confidence and a willingness to comply with instruction when confronted with a variety of situations. The Farm Dog Certification is not intended to confer herding capability, but rather a foundation of self-control and biddability beneficial to all working dogs.
General Test Requirements
- Non-competitive pass/fail evaluation of dog's ability to exhibit self-control in a rural farm setting.
- Open to all dogs at least 9 months of age that are individually registered with the AKC, recorded in the FSS program, dogs with PAL numbers, or dogs enrolled in the AKC Canine Partners Program. Females in season may not enter.
- Safety is paramount. Farm site must be well maintained, with fences, gates and equipment in good working order. All livestock must be in good condition, provided with fresh water, clean housing, and confined to dog proof enclosures during the test evaluation.
- The Judge must have at least one assistant to aid in administering the test.
- Dogs must be on a leash at all times while on farm site unless confined in a crate, kennel or vehicle. The leash shall be four to six feet in length.
- Dogs must wear a secure, well fitting, flat collar during the test evaluation.
- Handlers can use verbal cues, hand signals and praise provided it is not excessive in the opinion of the Judge.
- Dogs may attempt each test element no more than two times.
- Dog must pass all elements of the test and overall assessment during the same test to qualify.
- Dog must qualify under two different Judges in order to qualify to be awarded the FDC suffix title.
- The Judge may discontinue testing if he/she determines the dog is too fearful or under duress to perform the required elements.
- The Judge may request the removal of any dog from the immediate test area at any time, if he/she determines the presence of the dog presents a risk to livestock, other dogs, or persons on the farm.
Seems to me like another way for AKC to part pet owners from their money.
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;8696931]
Seems to me like another way for AKC to part pet owners from their money.[/QUOTE]
Not an unfair criticism. But… letters 
In reality, a true farm dog does almost all of that OFF leash. Most farm people have a couple dogs, imagine if you had to leash wrangle them all the time.
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;8696931]
Seems to me like another way for AKC to part pet owners from their money.[/QUOTE]
I think for a dog to be considered an actual “farm dog” all of that has to be done off leash.
I wonder how many AKC muckity-mucks have spent time with actual working farm dogs?
Yeah, my Chinese Crested could pass all that off leash lol, she does it every day.
She even picked up herding from the Border Collies…if one can call chasing the goats away from me when I yell at them herding. Heh.
Really it will not at all tell if they are good farm dogs BUT it is another way to get people out and with their dogs training them so I am all for it.
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[QUOTE=red mares;8697090]
I think for a dog to be considered an actual “farm dog” all of that has to be done off leash.
I wonder how many AKC muckity-mucks have spent time with actual working farm dogs?[/QUOTE]
I would guess the thought behind being on leash is more of a liability thing than them thinking that is how farm dogs are used.
I second this thought.
People doing stuff with their dogs is a good thing.
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I love letters, too! You know my Pap has lots, some progressive some less so. The titles that don’t have progression seem obsolete to me, except for maybe CGC.
I suspect the one-and-done (I understand it’s three Qs) structure of this title may turn Farm Dog Test into another place AKC breed ring people go to slap some letters on so they can say they breed dogs with titles at both ends. They’ll choose a friendly judge at a confo-club hosted event and/or stack the entries with their confo friends. Then they’ll struggle through the exercises without ever intending to train for more than specifically passing this test this weekend.
Actual salt-of-the-earth farm dogs are rarely registered with any entity and their owners don’t know about titles, let alone care to achieve them. The people I know of would not spend their weekend sitting around a dog event all the daylight hours waiting to walk Hank around for 60 seconds and pretend-feed someone else’s livestock when they have their own to tend to.
The test description is careful to separate herding dogs from the audience this test is seeking. Many herding folks are hobbyists who are aware of the different titling entities.
Maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today- errr this week.
I think the fact that the dog has to be AKC registered stinks. I know of a couple of Golden Doodles that would be great at this.
