Training is built in

With eShepherd, training is part of the system, not an add-on. Most mobs learn the virtual fence in 7 to 10 days in a simple training paddock, and the eShepherd team helps each farmer plan that paddock before the cattle go in.

How cattle learn it

Cattle learn the virtual fence in two ways at once.

The first is association. The tone is new to them, but each time an animal ignores it at the line, a mild pulse follows. After a few of these pairings, the tone itself carries the message.

The second is control. The animal learns that turning away makes the cue stop. That matters for welfare as much as for training: an animal that can predict what will happen and can avoid it by changing its own behaviour is a calm animal, and a calm animal learns quickly.

Put together, the result is a mob that turns on the tone alone and rarely needs a pulse at all.

The training paddock

The training paddock is a normal physical paddock with sound fences, set up so cattle meet the virtual fence in the simplest possible way:

  • One virtual boundary to learn. The other edges of the virtual paddock sit just beyond the physical fence, so there is only one line to work out.
  • Room to turn. Cattle need space to step over the line, hear the tone and turn around.
  • Feed and water. There is enough feed for the first days and a working water point well away from the virtual line.
  • A visual cue, if useful. A temporary electric fence a short way past the virtual line gives cattle something they can see while they learn.
  • Simple ground. Clear of dense scrub and difficult terrain.

Train at least 20 animals together. Cattle learn from each other, so a group with leaders and followers trains better than a handful on their own.

What the first week and a half looks like

Once the neckbands are fitted and the mob is settled and grazing, you turn on the training paddock. Then, mostly, you watch.

Animals find the boundary in their own time. Some walk straight up to it on the first day; others hang back and watch. Leaders tend to learn first, and followers learn partly by seeing how the leaders respond.

After a few days, the mob is usually ready for its first move, using fresh feed to draw them into a slightly larger paddock. A few days after that, a back fence closes off the ground they have already grazed, so they learn to live with two boundaries at once. Throughout, the rule is to keep changes simple: extend the paddock rather than jumping to a completely new shape.

L plate to graduation hat

The app tracks progress for you. Each animal, and each mob, shows a yellow L plate while it is learning. Once an animal turns on the tone alone, its icon changes to a graduation hat.

The mob graduates when 80% of the animals are turning back on the tone alone at least 80% of the time. For most mobs that happens around day 10, depending on the size of the group. At that point you can move the mob between virtual paddocks without help from a physical fence.

What the farmer does

Your job during training is mostly patience. A few things make the biggest difference:

  • Let them approach in their own time. Never chase or muster cattle toward an active virtual fence. They learn it best by working it out themselves.
  • Turn it on when they are calm. Some breeds, particularly Bos indicus cattle, tend to explore a new paddock at pace. Wait until they have settled and are grazing before switching the fence on.
  • Keep the design simple. Straight lines, wide angles and no surprises.
  • Watch for good signs. Calm grazing, smooth unhurried turns at the boundary and normal social behaviour are what you want to see.

Every day spent on training is a day of mustering you will not need to do later.