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Cowdog College Goes Online
If you can’t justify sending your herd dog to Cowdog College, you can bring the college to him. Merle and Sandy Newton own and operate Crystal Rose Cowdog College in Red Bluff, Calif. Together they bring more than 50 years of training experience to their work with cowdogs. Now they are offering a video based training program you can watch on your computer.
  “We offer a growing line of teaching material people can download,” says Merle Newton. “The video is shot from multiple angles, including a helmet cam so the viewer can really see the dog and how he’s responding.”
  Newton says some video is from actual lesson days at Cowdog College. For the past 20 years, the college has been the main income for him and his wife. They offer various levels of training depending on end use, i.e. whether a rancher wants to hone the skills of a dog used for daily work, a trial handler is out for a competitive edge, or the dog is a beginner that needs a comprehensive education.
  “We’ve trained thousands of dogs over the years through clinics and month-long boarding sessions,” says Newton.
  When it comes to working dogs, Newton is partial to Border Collies, but it wasn’t always so. “When I was starting out, I wouldn’t have considered them. They’ve evolved. Breeding programs have developed border collies to go in and out of the flight zone, while a sheep dog works the edge of it all the time.”
  One thing that Newton says sets their online training program apart is the ability to download. “Other online training limits the number of times you can watch,” he says. “This way you can watch it as many times as you want.”
  Newton emphasizes that their phone is always available for customers with questions about their training efforts. Customers with questions also have the option of sending a video of their dog working to the Newtons. “We will critique the video and reply either by putting it on our website (with permission) or sending it back with the critique,” says Newton. “We would prefer putting it on the website as it may cover questions that others have about training.”
  The videos are over dubbed with comments and explanations and are priced at $15 to $25. Current videos and ones being added include all levels and aspects of training a cowdog, from how to start with a new puppy to basic techniques a cowdog must know. The Newtons also offer a few videos on working with horses.
  In response to the growing popularity of Rodearing, they offer several videos on training dogs and horses for this competition. In Rodearing, dogs and horses work together to sort cattle and move them through an obstacle course.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Crystal Rose Cow Dog College, 14200 Red Bank Rd., Red Bluff, Calif. 96080 (ph 530 529-3700; crcdc1@gmail.com; www.cowdogtrainingonline.com).


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2012 - Volume #36, Issue #5