By Laci Jones

A dog is commonly referred to as “man’s best friend,” but is the saying still true for a working dog?

Randy Reed, an Oklahoma dog trainer for more than 10 years said having working dogs on the farm and ranch is helpful because of their ability to sort livestock. He said having a good working dog will make the trainer look good.

“These dogs will teach you just as much as you can teach them,” Reed said. “They are intelligent dogs, and all they want is to work and please you.”

Each dog has a different technique to herding livestock, Reed explained.

“Herding dogs were developed to do certain jobs for different types of livestock and for different types of farming,” said Susan Bennett, president of the Oklahoma Stock Dog Association.

Some dogs, known as headers, will herd livestock by putting pressure toward the stock’s head. Other dogs, known as heelers, will nip at the heels of stock to herd them. Bennett said some dogs can be headers and heelers. Each livestock species may require a different approach, Reed said.

“Working sheep is different than working cattle,” he said. “The dogs can work the sheep with their eyes. You don’t have to be on sheep so tight, but it’s a challenge with cattle.”

For an owner, it may be a challenge to decide which dog breed is appropriate to have. The best working dog breed depends on what livestock species is worked and the owner’s preferences.

Border Collie

Border collies are known for their herding ability, Bennett said. This breed of dog was bred for their intelligence and work ethic.

“The border collies that actually work livestock were never bred for how they looked,” she added.

Border collies typically use their eyes to herd livestock, but they can also be sent into a pasture and gather livestock.

“If you want to pull 300 yearlings off of a wheat pasture, you can pull up to the gate send the border collies out there,” Reed said. “They will bring the cattle right to you and through the gate.”

Bennett said people need to make sure they have jobs for working dogs.

“These dogs have been bred for hundreds of years, and they have to find an outlet for that instinct,” Bennett said.

When the border collies are not working, both Bennett and Reed keep their border collies in pens.

“I can run them loose, but they will overwork the stock,” Reed said. “They are like keeping an eye on kids.”

A downside to having a border collie is some may not have a tough enough bite, Reed said. They may not be as aggressive as other dog breeds.

Kelpie

Kelpies originated from Australia and are typically short, slick-haired dogs. This breed of dog is rangier than most other breeds, Reed said.

“Kelpies’ working style is similar to border collies,” he said.

Like border collies, kelpies are a “fetch” dog, meaning they will bring the livestock back to the owner, he said.

Bennett said the kelpies she has seen are typically more aggressive toward livestock. They have more stamina than most breeds, Reed added.

“When they go to work, they will be in a crouch position,” Reed said. “Their head is going to be down level with their shoulders. The tail is going to be dropped down behind them.”

Good border collies and kelpies have constant control, and they will have a lot of movement with their eyes, he said.

Reed said the American kelpie is close in proximity with the Australian kelpie. However, the American kelpie is weaker than the Australian kelpie.

Australian Cattle Dog

Developed from the native Australian dingo, the Australian cattle dogs was originally bred for driving livestock, Bennett said.

She said most working dogs within this breed are heelers, which is why they are commonly referred to as blue or red heelers, depending on their color.

Australian cattle dogs are typically used in pens and corrals to move livestock, Bennett said. They were not developed to go into open areas and gather livestock.

“We would haul cattle to the sale barn,” Reed said. “There was a blue heeler that would work on the chute and bite the cattle and get them through there.”

However, the Australian cattle dog is not as common in the competition trials as the border collie.

Reed said there is a market for the Australian cattle dog in the state. Australian cattle dogs are in high demand, but their herding ability is still to be determined.

Australian Shepherd

“Back when the United States was being settled, the Australian shepherd was the farm dog to have,” Bennett said.

Bennett said Australian shepherds were bred to be farm dogs, but they have changed in recent years to become show dogs and pets.

“There are very few Australian shepherds that can now go out and do a job,” Bennett said.

The Australian shepherd is not as popular for herding as other breeds today, Reed added.

“They are pretty dogs, but I haven’t seen any stock-oriented,” Reed said.

Reed said Australian shepherds can be trained, but he found them to be easily distracted.

Catahoula

Catahoulas are typically used for hunting. However, these bay-type dogs can be used to work livestock.

Reed said catahoulas and border collies have different styles of working. Unlike the border collie, this breed of dog uses their bark to move livestock, Reed said. Catahoulas will also work the outer perimeter of livestock, he said.

“Catahoulas will hunt livestock because they can use their nose, where the border collie will do everything by the power of their eyes,” Reed said.

Reed said catahoulas would be the better working dog in a situation where the owner needed help finding livestock.

However, working livestock with a catahoula is a team effort. A catahoula dog will not fetch livestock, but they will keep livestock in a “tight wad.” The owner will have to move the cattle themselves.

Cattlemaster

The cattlemaster is a newer breed of working dog. They are a cross between Border collie, pit bull, and kelpie, and they were bred for working cattle, according to Reed. They are more aggressive and have a stronger bite.

However, when cattlemaster was bred to get more bite, they lost their natural herding ability. Reed experienced this firsthand when he trained a cattlemaster.

“There wasn’t the natural ability,” Reed said. “She was just mechanical. I can move her, but she couldn’t read a cow.”

Reed said other breeds of dogs can potentially be used as working dogs including corgis, McNab shepherds and German shepherds. However, before purchasing a new dog, the buyer should research bloodlines and breeders.

“Buy a dog that can be bred to work cattle,” Reed advised. “Go watch the parents work and research who has trained the dogs.”

It is also important to purchase a dog that has been bred to work the specific species of livestock, Bennett added. No matter what dog breed an owner chooses, imported dogs may not always make the best working dogs.

“Just because a dog is imported doesn’t mean it will be better than a dog bred right here in the United States,” Bennett said.

She said there are many more great dogs and trainers in the United States than 20 years ago. It may be helpful to seek advice from a professional to help kick-start a new program, she added.

After purchasing a working dog, it is important to spend extra money to send the dog to a trainer for 30 to 60 days, Reed said. Then, the owner should spend quality time with the dog and the trainer to learn how to work together.

Bennett said each dog may require a different type of training, which may require adjusting. She said incorporating techniques from several different trainers can help the owner and their best friend.

This article was originally published in the January 2016 edition of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.

By Marty New

Body condition scores of beef cows at the time of calving have the greatest impact on subsequent rebreeding performance.

One of the major constraints in the improvement of reproductive efficiency is the duration of the post-calving anestrous period. If cows are to maintain a calving interval of one year, they must conceive within 80 days to 85 days after calving. Calving intervals in excess of 12 months are often caused by nutritional stress at some point, which results in thin body condition and poor reproductive performance.

Research has shown mature and young cows that maintain body weight have ample energy reserves before parturition, exhibited estrus sooner than cows that lost considerable body weight and consequently had poor energy reserves. Body weight change during pregnancy is confounded with embryo and placenta growth. Therefore, the estimation of body fat by use of body condition scores is more useful in quantifying the energy status of beef cows. The system of body condition scoring is an excellent estimator of percentage of body fat in beef cows.

The processes of fetal development, delivering a calf, milk production and repair of the reproductive tract are all physiological stresses. These stresses require availability and utilization of large quantities of energy to enable cows to be rebred in the required 85 days.

Added to physiological stresses are the environmental stresses of cold, wet weather on spring calving cows. In normal cow diets, energy intake will be below the amount needed to maintain body weight and condition. As the intake falls short of the energy utilized, the cow compensates by mobilizing stored energy and over a period of several weeks, a noticeable change in the outward appearance of the cow takes place.

Cows that have a thin body condition at calving return to estrus slowly. Postpartum increases in energy intake can modify the length of the postpartum interval. However, increases in the quality and quantity of feed to increase postpartum body condition can be very expensive. Improvement in reproductive performance achieved by expensive postpartum feeding to thin cows may not be adequate to justify the cost of the additional nutrients.

The influence of nutrition before calving is a major factor that controls the length of time between calving and the return to estrus. Thin cows with a BCS score of four or less at calving produce less colostrum as well as give birth to less vigorous calves that are slower to stand.

The impact of quality and quantity of colostrum will effect these calves’ immunoglobulin levels, thus harming their ability to overcome early calf-hood disease challenges. It is much easier to increase condition in cows before rather than after they calve. High nutrition after calving is directed first toward milk production. Feeding cows to gain condition early in lactation therefore leads to increased milk production but has little effect on body condition.

Cows prior to calving and through breeding should have a BCS of five or higher to have good reproductive performance. First-calf heifers should have a BCS of six. Spring-calving cows are still consuming harvested forages and lactating will generally lose one BCS following calving.

Over-stocking pastures is a common cause of poor body condition and reproductive failure. Proper stocking, year-round mineral supplementation and timely use of protein supplement offer potential for economically improving body condition score and reproductive performance.

An efficient way to utilize BCS involves sorting cows by condition 90 to 100 days prior to calving. Feed each group to have condition scores of five to six at calving. These would be logical scores for achieving maximum reproductive performance while holding supplemental feed costs to a minimum.

Body condition scoring has allowed cattlemen to continually evaluate their nutritional program. By evaluating cow condition at strategic times of the year, it is possible to coordinate use of the forage resource with nutritional needs of the cow herd so supplemental feed and hay needs are reduced to a minimum.

This article originally appeared in the February 2016 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch. 

Barry Whitworth, DVM | Area Food/Animal Quality and Health Specialist for Eastern Oklahoma 

*Article originally printed in the October 2022 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.

Since most of Oklahoma experienced drought conditions and with fall fast approaching, producers with fescue pastures should closely observe their livestock for any signs of fescue toxicity. According to Mike Trammel, Pottawatomie County Ag Educator and Muti-County Agronomist, fescue toxins (ergot alkaloids) tend to increase in Kentucky-31 tall fescue pastures in the fall. Some reports indicate more problems with fescue toxins following a summer drought and limited fall rains. All of this may put Oklahoma cattle at a greater risk of fescue toxicity.

One issue that cattle experience with fescue toxins is fescue foot. Fescue foot is thought to be caused by ergot alkaloids such as ergovaline. These alkaloids are produced by endophyte fungus (Epichloë coenophiala) which is in tall fescue. Ergovaline has been proven to be a vasoconstrictor which might be responsible for fescue foot and heat intolerance also known as summer slump in cattle. Other issues that may be seen with the ergot fescue toxins are reduced milk production and reproductive issues.

Clinical signs of fescue foot appear within a few days of cattle being turned on to tall fescue pastures or it may take weeks if toxins in the pasture are low. Producers will initially observe cattle with arched back, rough hair coats, and sore feet. These symptoms are more noticeable early in the morning and with cold weather. This is followed by reddening and swelling in the area between the dewclaws and hooves. The lameness usually becomes more severe with time. If no action is taken, gangrene will result in loss of tissues distal to the coronary band and declaws. If the weather remains mild, other signs such as increase respiration rate, increase heart rate, and higher body temperature are more common.

Other causes of lameness in cattle must be differentiated from fescue foot. One simple method that will help differentiate fescue foot from footrot is to check the temperature of the foot. If the foot is cold, this is an indication that the problem is more likely fescue foot.

Since there is not a specific treatment for fescue foot, the condition must be managed. Cattle need to be observed daily for any signs of lameness or stiffness during the first few weeks on fescue pastures. This should be done early in the morning before cattle walk off the stiffness. Producers should pay close attention during cold weather, especially when rain, snow, or ice are present. Any animal showing clinical signs of fescue foot should be removed from the pasture and placed in a clean environment. The animal should be fed a ration with no fescue toxins.  

The best but most costly solution to reduce fescue toxicity is to renovate old pastures with new endophyte friendly varieties. If this option is not possible, producers might try interseeding fescue pastures with clovers or other grasses. This should dilute fescue toxins. Nitrogen fertilization may increase ergot alkaloids, so producers should avoid fertilizing fescue pastures with high amounts of nitrogen. Researchers have demonstrated that feeding a supplement while grazing fescue pastures reduces clinical symptoms. Some studies indicate a difference in susceptibility to fescue toxicity in some cattle. Selecting cattle based on genetic tolerance of fescue toxins is an option. (For more information go to www.agbotanica.com/t-snip.aspx)

With large areas in Oklahoma covered with Kentucky-31 fescue pastures, fescue foot as well as other fescue toxicities are not going away any time soon. Livestock producers will need to watch their livestock closely for any signs of fescue toxicity and manage their pastures to keep toxins as low as possible. If producers would like more information on fescue foot, they should consult their veterinarian and/or visit their local Oklahoma State University Cooperative County Extension Agriculture Educator.