The Instinctive Australian Shepherd

"How do you do so much?" Jacque hears it all the time. In this episode, she finally answers — and it's not what you'd expect. It's not about doing more. It's about caring about less, protecting your peace, and letting the small stuff go.
In this one:
Don't sweat the small stuff. The eight-inch pile of unopened mail, the junk email account with 65,000 unread messages, no paper receipts (she can find them online), 45 open browser tabs, and a virtual assistant who runs the website and marketing. If it doesn't serve the work she actually loves — the books, the dogs, the ranch — she doesn't give it her energy. Her test: will I care about this in a year? Will I care about this in a week?

Protect your peace. You can't care about someone more than they care about themselves. A student's progress is on the student — her job is to shorten the path, but it's their job to walk it. After a stroke and a heart attack fueled by stress and dog-world politics, she resigned from every committee, walked away for three years, and never looked back. Toxic people are out — no confrontation required. The inner circle is small, honest, and full of people who make her better. Remember the frog and the scorpion: people show you who they are. Believe them.

The list system. Everything she needs to do goes on a list. Deadline-driven items become calendar appointments a few days early. Each day she picks the top four or five things and crosses them off — and the stuff that never rises to the top quietly becomes irrelevant. It's not fancy: a dollar-store spiral notebook, or Google Tasks with categories for ranch, household, business, and books.

The jar of pennies. Every conflict, every nag, every unnecessary correction takes a penny out of your dog's jar — and your own. Start each session with a full jar and guard your pennies. (She also recommends the movie A Thousand Words.)

Efficiency in dog training. Pick lines that click with you, learn from people who are where you want to be, and build the relationship first — then the work gets faster.

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This week on The Instinctive Australian Shepherd, we're talking about something that doesn't get talked about enough: safety when you're working livestock. Jacque opens with the story of a dear student who was hit by two sheep and ended up with two broken knees and an ankle — months off her feet and surgery, all because the sheep ran into her while working. It is a wake-up call: as instructors, we owe our students, their dogs, and ourselves better than "hope it doesn't happen."
Jacque walks through her four non-negotiable rules for safe, well-controlled livestock:
No part of their head touches you. From the nose to the pole, a sheep or cow's head is never allowed to come in contact with your body — and when it does, it's not an accident. It's dominance, it's dangerous, and that animal needs to go (or get penned where it can't hurt anyone). She shares the story of a beautiful show ram that turned aggressive and went straight to the sale barn — life is too short to get bashed around.

They don't run through gates. Gates are the most dangerous place on any ranch or farm. Stock that bolts through a gate needs to learn — with the dog covering heads and turning them back — that the gate is not their escape. Run the lesson three or four times and they'll walk out quiet.

When the dog stops, they stop. Controlled livestock understand pressure and release. If your stock keeps running when the dog takes the pressure off, they're being chased, not controlled.

Be reasonable. Cull the crazy ones. Calm genetics make safer cows and safer sheep — and they raise calmer babies. Keep one or two hard ones for advanced students and difficult-stock practice, but never keep anything dangerous.

Plus: why she uses lambs for beginner lessons, why she discourages dogs from heeling cows (there's no steering in the heel — the head is where the control happens), why cows get "kicky" when heeled, and why dog-broke sheep are worth every penny if you're starting out.
www.theinstinctiveaussie.com
www.stockdogtrainer.com

Episode Description
In this episode of The Instinctive Australian Shepherd, Jacqueline Tinker shares a candid, behind-the-scenes recap of the Working Aussie Source Futurity and World Ranch Dog Finals.
Jacqueline begins with the difficult circumstances surrounding the postponed 2025 Futurity after she suffered a heart attack the night before the event. She reflects on the working-dog community's response and explains how the 2025 and 2026 Futurity classes were ultimately brought together for the 2026 event while remaining separate competitive divisions because of the dogs' age difference.
She also discusses the history of reviving the Futurity after a roughly 20-year absence and why the former "Maturity" competition evolved into the more inclusive World Ranch Dog Finals, which is open to Australian Shepherds outside the current Futurity class.
The episode takes listeners through the event's demanding cattle and sheep courses, including pasture gathers, practical ranch obstacles, trailers and chutes, long-distance outruns, and a challenging double-lift-style final. Jacqueline explains the course philosophy, scoring considerations, weather complications, and the considerable amount of planning and volunteer work required to conduct a realistic ranch-dog competition.
She then recognizes the champions and reserve champions from the Futurity divisions and Ranch Dog Finals, focusing not only on placements but also on the growth, perseverance, stockmanship, and handler-dog partnerships demonstrated throughout the weekend.
Finally, Jacqueline previews plans for the 2027 event, including possible course adjustments, expanded challenges, livestreaming, sponsorship opportunities, and the effort to provide enough added money to make the trip worthwhile for competitors traveling from across the country and beyond. She also explains eligibility for the 2027 Futurity, the distinction between Futurity and Ranch Dog Finals entries, and where owners can find registration information through Working Aussie Source.
 
www.workingaussiesource.com
www.stockdogtrainer.com

In this update episode, Jacque Tinker shares major news from the working Australian Shepherd world—plus several big announcements you won't want to miss. The episode spotlights the Working Aussie Source (workingaussiesource.com), a vetted directory built to protect and promote true working-bred Australian Shepherds for the people who genuinely need them: ranchers, farmers, grazers, and serious stockdog homes.
Jacque explains the purpose and history of the Working Aussie Source, how litters are reviewed, and why preserving concentrated working genetics matters. She also dives into the return of a legendary working-dog tradition: the Futurity, revived for the first time in 20 years, and now expanded into a multi-event weekend designed to showcase real ranch work—not just arena patterns.
You'll also hear updates on upcoming events, how to support the Futurity, where to find trainers and resources, and a personal announcement Jacque has been waiting a long time to share.
In This Episode
What the Working Aussie Source is and why it exists

How breeders and litters are vetted (and why that can be controversial)

Why working Aussies need a purpose—and why placement matters

The return of the Futurity and what makes it different today

Why Jacque raised the Futurity age and structured it around real ranch tasks

Introduction of the World Ranch Dog Finals (the updated "maturity" concept)

Details for the combined 2025/2026 event weekend: April 23–26, 2026

How to sponsor and support: Friends of the Futurity

Training opportunities, camps, and lessons through stockdogtrainer.com

Big personal news: Jacque's Copper the Ranch Dog children's book series is underway

 
Announcements Mentioned
 
Swag shop: australianshepherdnation.com
Discount code: INSTINCT10 (10% off)


Futurity + Ranch Dog Finals: April 23–26, 2026

Support the event: "Friends of the Futurity" sponsorship option on workingaussiesource.com

Cattle Camp + training: stockdogtrainer.com

New books coming: Copper the Ranch Dog children's book series (Book 1 in illustration now; Books 2–3 in editing

What if your Australian Shepherd's biggest superpower isn't speed or herding instinct… but their nose?
In this episode of The Instinctive Australian Shepherd, host Jacque Tinker sits down with Kallie Bongtrager, a Nursery Inspector and Compliance Officer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources—and a handler who takes her working Aussies into the field to help detect one of the most disruptive invasive pests in the U.S.: the spotted lanternfly.
Kallie shares what her job looks like on the ground—inspecting nurseries, tracking plant pests and pathogens, and responding to public reports—then takes us deep into the real-world process of training detection dogs on lanternfly egg masses (including the surprising challenges: "dead" vs. "live" eggs, changing scent over time, tiny odor cones, and why trust in your dog matters more than your eyes).
You'll also meet her three Aussies:
Que (retired, still brilliant, still hungry)



Epic (the seasoned field dog with the "freeze-and-dance" alert)



River (the young trainee learning the difference between "search" and "follow my footsteps")



Along the way, you'll hear a jaw-dropping story about egg masses hidden inside a woodpecker hole and under bark—found by scent alone—plus a candid look at how conservation detection work is built through experimentation, mistakes, and miles.
If you've ever wondered what "a real job" for an Aussie can look like outside the ranch—or you're looking for ways to channel that busy brain into meaningful work—this one will light you up.
Topics include: conservation detection dogs, spotted lanternfly impact, training aids and scent tubes, field searches on the edge of infestations, handler trust, and why mental work can tire an Aussie better than endless fetch.
www.theinstinctiveaussie.com