This time though, and unplanned, as is all pig herding, I had the Australian Shepherd pups (Tilly & Toby) and Lulu (one of our Pit Bull mix dogs) with me.
Excellent suggestion S Howton. I also had an audible cue to an edible reward. No matter what time I returned home from work (I was on-call for surgery 1/3 of the time for 15 years). I would ALWAYS head to the barn put 1/2 bucket of 12% All Sock Pelleted Feed with Molasses into a five gallon bucket and shake it 3 times and wherever the animals were they would come a’runnin through the narrow entry to the squeeze chute into the corral. I used this method to recall the cattle/hogs more times than I would like to admit. But, I never had two herding dogs at my disposal!
Something you may want to consider, that I always had good success with for horses, cattle, goats, and hogs.
That is EVERY TIME that I feed, just before pouring or dropping the feed/hay, I give a particular whistle.
The Feed Whistle meant: “Food is being given HERE and NOW!”
If there were “escapees”, I’d stand where I wanted them, whistle the Feed Whistle, and dump feed.
They always came running once trained.
Great tip! Thank you!
Excellent suggestion S Howton. I also had an audible cue to an edible reward. No matter what time I returned home from work (I was on-call for surgery 1/3 of the time for 15 years). I would ALWAYS head to the barn put 1/2 bucket of 12% All Sock Pelleted Feed with Molasses into a five gallon bucket and shake it 3 times and wherever the animals were they would come a’runnin through the narrow entry to the squeeze chute into the corral. I used this method to recall the cattle/hogs more times than I would like to admit. But, I never had two herding dogs at my disposal!
12 % All Stock Feed, not All Sock Feed