Farmers cross country for training tips from ABC Muster Dogs expert

ABC Muster Dogs trainer draws farmers to livestock school Ann-Estelle Zimmerman never expected a trip to Australia would spark a profound passion for dogs and change the course of her life. The German national moved to the country seven years ago without a lick of English, but when she started working with cattle and dogs, a deep love of the land blossomed within her. "It's a weird feeling of freedom," she said. "The ability to teach your dog right and to then see the dog working cattle or any livestock correctly, just makes you proud. "I have a very close bond [with the dogs] and I find it really important they love me and stay with me, and I love them and give them everything I can," she said. Muster Dogs trainer comes to town When Ms Zimmerman heard one of the head trainers from the ABC's Muster Dogs TV series, Neil McDonald, was running a livestock school at Condobolin in Central West NSW, she was always going to be there. "Muster Dogs is obviously a huge thing," she said. "When you see [him] on Muster Dogs you feel like it's a person you won't reach and you'll never meet [because] it's like a celebrity. "And then you meet here at 7 o'clock in the morning and everyone, we are all the same, we all started somewhere." Waitlist for dog knowledge Condobolin and Districts Landcare coordinator, Tasha Hurley, said the school of 25 booked out so quickly a waitlist of more than 10 others formed. She received inquiries from as far afield as Phillip Island in Victoria, rural South Australia and northern Queensland. Ms Hurley said it was satisfying to watch landholders grow in their confidence and understanding of managing their livestock and themselves. "It's a bit of a little life school secretly hidden under a dog school,"she said. "It's very fun to see even the tough blokes that think they know everything. Even they have a crack and have a laugh with Neil, and can admit what they were doing might not be the most efficient way." Expert's tips for success Neil McDonald said one of the key lessons he taught livestock handlers was to go back to the basics. "[People] go out like an echidna that's touched an electric fence,"he said. "It's nerves and panic and anxiety and all the stuff that they don't need to be exhibiting. "If the dog's chasing sheep into a fence and everything's looking a bit wild and wonderful, just get the person to slow down, drop their shoulders, walk nice and calmly, then all of a sudden the whole situation changes." Mr McDonald said mastering a dog's recall was a key to success, along with teaching them to walk on a lead correctly. "Even today, there were some very accomplished dogs that won't come when they're called," he said. "You watch people in the city … they're not walking their dog, the dog's walking them." Mr McDonald said people needed to act when their dog was walking ahead of them on a tight lead. "What you've got to do is flick or do a sudden jerk on the lead rope so the dog looks at you," he said. "The minute it looks at you, you've got to take the pressure off the rope so that the dog feels pressure when it's not paying attention and relief when it does." Mr McDonald said owners needed to reward their dog for focusing on them in other ways too. "Pat a dog nicely on the head if it's looking at you, if it stops looking at you, you stop patting it," he said. "Patting a dog when it's not looking at [you] is rewarding it for not paying attention." Lessons learnt Condobolin property manager Jarrod Roberts said he would return to the basics with his dog Millie. "Walking [her] on a lead, listening, general behaviour things," he said. "Her ears aren't really turned on." Meanwhile Ms Zimmerman said some of her lessons were more personal. "I always doubt myself and then I give up instead of just keeping on going," she said. "Be patient and give the dog the time and have the bonding."