PSR Stockdogs

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PSR Stockdogs

Award-winning herding dog training for Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, and other breeds. Clear, calm methods that create thoughtful, reliable stockdogs.

At PSR Stockdogs, we believe great working dogs aren’t rushed—they’re developed through calm, thoughtful training that builds confidence, trust, and understanding. For decades, our family has raised and trained Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, and other herding breeds—building dogs that think, not react. We’ve earned numerous titles and awards, including ASCA Hall of Fame Excellent Kennel #25, by focusing on clear communication, good timing, and respect for both dog and stock. Our online herding dog courses are designed for all breeds but pay special attention to the unique challenges of loose-eyed dogs like Aussies and Kelpies—breeds that learn best through calm leadership, not force. Each lesson is filmed with real livestock, showing step-by-step progressions from off-stock foundations to timing, flanks, take pens, and driving stock. We understand every dog works differently. Whether you’re starting a young Border Collie or refining an experienced Aussie, we’ll help you build a true working partnership—based on trust, clarity, and calm, correct work. Learn more and start your journey at: https://psrstockdogtraining.com

11/01/2026

Did you know that if you’ve purchased ANY of our courses through the PSR Online Herding School, you have access to our COMMUNITY?! 🐾

Our Community is located right on our website, making it easy for you to connect, share, learn, and grow alongside other dog handlers who are on the same journey as you!

This is a place where you can post videos of your training sessions, celebrate your successes, ask questions, and get help when you’re struggling with something. Our PSR trainers, Dawna and Megan, are there to offer guidance, answer questions, and help you work through challenges with your dog.

One of the most valuable parts of dog training is having a community of people who understand the journey. People who celebrate your breakthroughs, encourage you through the struggles, and understand just how much work goes into building a successful partnership with your dog.

Whether you’re just beginning your herding journey or working toward more advanced stockdog training skills, having support and a place to share your progress can make all the difference!

We don’t want our Online Herding School to be just a place where you watch lessons. We want it to be a place where you can learn, ask questions, build friendships, and continue growing as a handler!

If you’ve already purchased a course, make sure you’re taking advantage of this resource! Head over to our website, find the Community, introduce yourself, and start sharing your journey with us.

We can’t wait to see what you and your dogs are accomplishing! ❤️

10/31/2026

Stop Putting Labels on Dogs and People!

One of the biggest mistakes we can make as trainers, instructors, and handlers is putting limitations on what we believe a dog or a person is capable of.

Don’t label dogs. Don’t label people. Let them show you what they’re capable of!

Dogs will surprise you. Handlers will surprise you. But if we never give them the opportunity to push beyond what we think they can do, how will they ever reach their full potential?

The moment we put a label on someone, whether it’s a dog that “can’t handle pressure,” a handler who “just isn’t ready,” or a team that “will never make it,” we start creating limitations that may never have needed to exist.

Our job as instructors and dog trainers is not to decide how far someone can go. Our job is to give them the tools, knowledge, confidence, support, and opportunities to go as far as they possibly can.

That doesn’t mean every dog or handler will progress at the same pace or accomplish the same things. It means we don’t get to decide their limits before they’ve had the opportunity to show us.

In herding dog training, just like in life, growth happens when we challenge ourselves, step outside our comfort zones, and have people around us who believe in what we can become.

Sometimes the dogs and handlers you least expect will accomplish the most incredible things, if someone is willing to give them the chance.

Don’t put a ceiling on someone else’s potential just because you can’t see how high they might climb.

Support them. Challenge them. Believe in them. And then let them show you what they’re made of!

At PSR Stockdogs, we believe our responsibility as trainers is to help every dog and handler become the very best team they can be. Not to define their limitations, but to help them discover their possibilities.

10/30/2026

Our dogs are with us for entirely too short of a time. ❤️

In the blink of an eye, the years have passed, and we find ourselves looking back on a lifetime of memories, wishing we had just a little more time.

So make the most of the time you have together.

Find what brings you and your dog joy. Do the dog sports that make you happy. Surround yourself with people who lift you up, encourage you, and celebrate your successes.

Find your tribe. Find your trainer. Find your sport.

Work hard. Set goals. Challenge yourself and your dog. Keep learning, keep growing, and keep building your skills together. Push yourselves to accomplish things you never thought possible.

But through all of it, never lose the joy.

Don’t get so caught up in the titles, the ribbons, the scores, or the next big accomplishment that you forget why you started this journey in the first place.

Because someday, when your dog’s muzzle has turned gray and your time together is coming to an end, it won’t be the ribbons you wish you had more of. It will be the moments.

The adventures, the challenges you overcame, the laughter, the friendships, and the incredible partnership you built along the way.

Keep the joy. Keep the excitement. Keep the fun.

Train hard, dream big, and enjoy every single moment with your dog.

Because at the end of the day, the greatest thing we get from this journey isn’t what we accomplish. It’s the time we get to spend together. ❤️

PSR Stockdogs | Herding Dog Training | Building Better Partnerships Between Dogs and Handlers

10/29/2026

We had a wonderful few days here at PSR Stockdogs hosting Carol Gerkin for an incredible cattle herding clinic! It was informative, enjoyable, and full of opportunities to learn, grow, and look at things from different perspectives.

One of the most important things we can do as dog trainers and handlers is never stop learning.

It doesn’t matter how successful you are, how many titles you’ve earned, how many years you’ve been training dogs, or whether you’re a professional trainer or someone just getting started. There is ALWAYS something more to learn.

Every dog, every clinician, every training session, and every experience has something to teach us if we are willing to listen.

The moment we believe we know it all is the moment we stop growing. And in a sport as complex as stockdog training, where we are constantly working with different dogs, livestock, instincts, and personalities, there is simply no room for a closed mind.

Stay curious. Stay humble. Stay teachable. The day you stop being willing to learn is probably the day you should step away from the sport.

A huge thank you to Carol Gerkin for sharing her knowledge and experience with us, and to everyone who joined us for this fantastic cattle clinic! We are grateful for the opportunity to keep learning alongside such a wonderful community.

10/28/2026

When the picture in your head doesn’t match the picture in your dog’s head, tension and turmoil begin.

One of the most important things we can learn as dog trainers and handlers is that we should not be fighting our dogs’ instincts. We should be learning to work WITH them.

When you and your dog have two completely different ideas of what should be happening, frustration builds on both ends. You start fighting for control, your dog starts fighting to follow their instincts, and suddenly you’re no longer working as a team.

But here’s the thing: Fighting doesn’t create understanding. Fighting doesn’t build trust. And fighting doesn’t change behavior.

Dogs don’t want to fight with us, and we certainly don’t want to fight with them. Yet so often, we get caught in that cycle instead of stepping back and figuring out WHY the disconnect is happening.

Our job as handlers is to help our dogs understand the picture we’re trying to create while respecting the natural instincts that make them incredible working partners.

We need to shape behavior, not fight it.

When we learn to communicate clearly, work with our dogs’ instincts, and build a picture that both ends of the leash understand, everything starts to change.

Our weekly PSR Stockdogs blog dives deeper into this subject because we believe it’s one of the most important lessons in herding dog training.

Whether you’re training an Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, or another working stockdog, understanding how to work with your dog’s natural instincts is the foundation of a successful partnership.

Check out this week’s blog at the link below!

10/27/2026

Trick of the Month – Week 4! 🎉 IT’S CONTEST TIME! 🏆

We have made it to our final week of October’s Trick of the Month, PLAY DEAD!

Over the past few weeks, PSR trainer Chris Knorr has been walking you step-by-step through teaching your dog this fun trick. Now it’s time to show us what you and your dog have learned!

🎥 We want to see your videos!

Whether your dog has mastered Play Dead or you’re still working through the steps, we want to see your progress! Remember, dog training is about the journey, not just the finished product.

To enter our Trick of the Month contest, simply share a video of your dog performing Play Dead! You can post your video in the comments below or send it to us privately through Facebook Messenger.

🏆 We will be choosing a winner and giving away a prize!

Teaching dog tricks is about so much more than having a cute behavior to show off. Every new skill helps build communication, confidence, engagement, and a stronger relationship between you and your dog. Those are all things that carry over into herding, obedience, rally, agility, and every other dog sport!

We cannot wait to see everyone’s videos and celebrate all the hard work you have put in this month!

Let’s see those dogs PLAY DEAD! 🐕💀

10/26/2026

🐾 PSR Skill of the Month - October– Final Lesson! 🐾

Steps to a Solid Stop!

We have officially reached our final lesson in October’s Skill of the Month!

Throughout this month, we’ve broken down one of the most important skills in herding dog training: building a solid, reliable stop. From groundwork to working in smaller pens and finally taking those stops into the arena, each step has helped build a stronger foundation for you and your dog.

Remember, a great stop isn’t just about obedience. It’s about communication, precision, and being able to work together while allowing your dog to stay in control of the stock.

📚 Want to keep working on your stops?

We have TWO full courses available in our PSR Stockdogs Online School:

🐾 Building the Moving Stop

🐾 Building a Reliable Stop

Both courses take a deeper dive into developing this essential skill and helping you build consistency and confidence in your work.

Our FREE Steps to a Solid Stop lessons will remain available through the end of November, so you still have time to go back, review, and practice!

🎉 Next month, we kick off a BRAND NEW Skill of the Month! We can’t wait to share what we’re working on next!

Keep practicing, stay consistent, and remember that great stockdogs are built one step at a time!

Instincts first, then mechanics. ❤️

10/25/2026

Trust Above Titles. Trust Above Ribbons. Trust Above Everything. 🐾

Gaining and keeping your dog’s trust should be at the forefront of your mind during every single training session, every single trial, and every single run.

Sometimes that means blowing a run. Sometimes that means walking away from a title. Sometimes that means making a decision that doesn’t look like success to everyone watching.

And that’s okay. Because your dog’s trust is worth more than any ribbon, buckle, or title you will ever earn.

When you step into that arena, you are a team. Your dog should know, without a doubt, that they can count on you. That you will be fair. That you will support them. That you will make the right decisions for them, even when something big is on the line.

Trust isn’t something you build once and then forget about. It’s something you earn, protect, and strengthen every single time you work together.

Without trust, you don’t have a true partnership. And without that partnership, what are we really working toward?

The ribbons will fade. The titles will become memories. But the relationship you build with your dog is what truly matters.

Be the teammate your dog deserves. ❤️

10/24/2026

❤️It Takes a Village, and Ours Is AMAZING! ❤️

Nothing is too small when it comes to helping at herding trials!

Every little thing you do matters. Every gate you open, every animal you help move, every score you write down, every timer you run, every meal you help prepare, and every moment of your time you give. It ALL adds up, and it is ALL appreciated!

The truth is, these trials simply would not happen without the MANY hands working behind the scenes to make them possible.

We want to encourage everyone to make helping a priority at every trial you attend. Whether you give five minutes or five hours, your contribution matters. You don’t have to do something big to make a BIG difference!

From the entire team at PSR Stockdogs, we want to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! ❤️

To every person who steps up, pitches in, lends a hand, or simply asks, “What can I do to help?” — please know how much you mean to us.

Our village is truly something special. We are blessed beyond measure to have such an incredible community of people who come together to support this sport, our dogs, and each other.

These herding trials would not be possible without YOU!

We see you. We appreciate you. And we are so incredibly grateful for every single one of you.

It takes a village to make these trials happen, and we couldn’t ask for a better one! ❤️🐾

With heartfelt gratitude,

The PSR Stockdogs Team

10/23/2026

Someone is judging you right now.

Someone else is completely inspired by you.

But here’s the thing… neither one of them is paying your entry fees, buying your dog food, putting in your training hours, or walking in your shoes.

So do YOU.

Live your best life. Chase your goals. Train your dogs. Enter the trials. Make mistakes. Celebrate your wins. Enjoy every moment of the journey.

There will always be people with opinions. Some will cheer you on, and others will criticize every move you make.

Don’t let either one determine your worth or your direction.

At the end of the day, it’s your journey, your dog, your dreams, and your hard work.

Don’t let the outside noise steal the joy from something you love.

Keep showing up. Keep growing. Keep doing YOU.

Because the only approval you truly need is your own. ❤️🐾

Address

Dewey, AZ
86327

Website

https://beacons.ai/psrstockdogtraining, http://www.psrstockdogs.com/

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