Training Cattle

It is nice to have welltrained animals and even better to have well-trained children. Parents love to hear that their children have good manners when eating at the table or sitting quietly among adults. Everyone loves to watch a welltrained dog perform, but hates to see a dog jump on visitors arriving at the front door.

Training cattle is no different than training dogs. We had a dog named Brownie who was very protective and wouldn’t allow a visitor in the yard unless accompanied by an adult from our family. In order for anyone to enter without Brownie’s permission, the visitor had to be introduced to the dog. Our neighbor, Mr. White, learned the hard way.

Dad and I had been working with Brownie at the barn when Mr. White came through the gate to talk with my brothers. Mr. White had been to the house many times with my Dad. Sometimes, Mom would open the gate for him. This time, Mr. White walked into the yard and started playing with my brothers.

My youngest brother, Alan, loved to be tossed in the air. This time, as Mr. White tossed him skyward, Alan shrieked out in joy. Brownie heard the yell and came running. As Alan was in the air, Mr. White saw Brownie barking and running towards him. He didn’t know whether to let Alan fall to the ground, or catch Alan and get attacked by the dog.

While his timing was good for catching, his escape to the fence was not so good. As he jumped the fence, Brownie grabbed his back end with his teeth. Fortunately Brownie caught the wallet or things would have been worse. Dad yelled for Brownie to release as soon as he saw what was happening.

Dad quickly apologized to Mr. White and told him that in order to come into the yard alone, he had to be properly introduced. Dad said, “Brownie, meet Mr. White. Mr. White, meet Brownie.” At that point Brownie raised his paw. Dad said “Shake his hand.” Mr. White’s shaky hand moved toward Brownie and took the paw. As they shook hand and paw, Dad told Mr. White that he could come and go anytime now without worrying about the dog. Brownie was a highly trained dog. It took years of training to get him to that level of understanding.

Every action a rancher takes with cattle becomes a training session. When the rancher feeds cattle, it’s a training session. When the rancher pens the cattle to work them, it’s a training session. Driving a tractor or pickup truck into a pasture is a training session. Training sessions are sometimes confused with stockmanship.

Stockmanship is how ranchers handle cattle in certain situations. Training sessions are the daily lessons learned by cattle. Both are important, but training can pay big dividends in the long haul.

Dairy cattle are some of the best trained cattle breeds, perhaps because they are handled daily. If you have never seen a milking operation, take advantage of the many dairies in our area to get an education. These cattle know what to do every moment of the day.

Often, ranchers train their cattle without realizing it. One rancher in my area always puts hay bales in the same spot. His cattle show up to get the bale as soon as they hear the tractor start. They know to avoid the tractor, but they crowd the hay ring as soon as it pulls away.

During the drought, this rancher learned that unrolling the hay could help save grass and improve the soil. As you might guess, the cattle didn’t graze the hay in the pasture, but waited for a bale to be served in the “appointed” place. I don’t know if he thought it was too much work or if he was disappointed in the cattle’s reaction, but he has never since unrolled a hay bale. He trained his cattle to expect only one thing and they learned their lesson well.

Dumping hay in the same spot has some real disadvantages. The majority of cow manure is found around the hay ring and can pile up with spent hay for years. Instead of this valuable fertilizer being spread all over the property, it gets condensed into one area. Grass doesn’t grow well when the only fertilizer it gets is a small amount of chemical fertilizer spread in the spring.

Another way ranchers train cattle is to honk the horn when they call cattle. While this causes cattle to come running, it is a great way for cattle thieves to take your animals. I have read many accounts of cattle thieves honking the horn and loading the cattle that came to be fed. Many Ford, Chevy and Ram truck horns sound alike. I have driven into a pasture and had cattle come running without the horn, because my truck looked like the owner’s.

I don’t want my cattle coming to my truck. Cattle can damage the truck when they get impatient waiting for food. I don’t use a horn except to train the cattle to avoid the truck.

My Dad once bought a Brahman bull from a gentleman. This rancher was under five feet tall and the herd animals were all over six feet tall. Nevertheless, he could walk into his pasture and put his hands anywhere on the animals. The bulls stood still while he petted them. They were as gentle a herd as I have ever seen. Dad was amazed and asked how he got them so gentle. He told Dad that he began petting the animals at birth and petted them every day. Training a herd takes a lifetime. This is training done right.

David E. Will is a farmer, rancher, nurseryman, landscaper, and consultant. He can be reached at (830) 629-9876 or by email at dwill207@satx. rr.com.