I was at a trial when a friend I haven’t seen in awhile came up to talk. We touched on the subject of how she was not enjoying trialing and was looking for some “input”. I told her perhaps she was trying too hard and with that not handling her dogs the way she use to. She seemed to be listening and open to what I was saying. I wanted to make sure she knew that I wasn’t making a “judgment call” but only trying to help “sort through her problem”. We talked for quite a while and after the talk I felt she had understood what I said and hadn’t taken it personally.

This got me thinking of trials and the differences in people that trial. Why do some people seem to enjoy them selves and others are almost always miserable. I started reflecting on the different stages I went though in trialing. I can remember when I first started in novice I was overwhelmed at everything. What I remember most about “this time” was the people that were helpful to me. It was all so new to me I felt I was learning with each outing and even though I was apprehensive about the unknown – it was always exciting and fun. I have always enjoyed learning new things and this was how I approached my early trialing. The mistakes I made (and there were plenty) only meant that I needed to go home and work on that problem. Although winning was not my driving force it was always appreciated. I shortly moved up to Pro-Novice and did well enough that I felt confident to move up to open. This was my enlightening time! I crashed and burned … big time. Open is so much more difficult Than PN it’s hard to imagine until you get there. I tried to keep a good attitude most of the time. I worked long hard hours figuring out why I wasn’t doing well. Then spend many more hours working on the areas I was having trouble in. I remember when my goal was just to FINISH an open course. Eventually I not only finished but started placing and then winning. When I did win it meant a lot to me because – I felt I had paid my dues. I don’t think anyone really values winning if they haven’t worked for it.

However, winning is nothing more than recognition for those hours of work – NOT a statement of a person’s worth. Wining doesn’t always mean first place – sometimes it’s just walking off the course knowing you and your dog worked together as a team. I have come in second at trials and kept a vivid recollection of the run. The reason being that “second place run” best personified a working relationship between myself and my dog. I like to remind people they are the same person whether they win or lose. I believe a lot of bad sportsmanship comes “to play” when people gauge their own worth on winning or losing, thereby feel worthless if they don’t win.

My most difficult time came when I had won a few large trials and was placing fairly regularly. I felt people were expecting me to do well every time I went to the post. Since I still wasn’t that sure why I had been winning I began feeling tremendous pressure. I was taking losing personally which made me try harder and of course that only compounded the problem … a lose-lose situation. The harder I tried the worse I ran – becoming a vicious circle. Thank heavens due to the fact that I enjoyed trialing more than winning it didn’t last long but was painful! I soon went back into my “trials are like tests” mode – “in other words” did I do my homework correctly? When you are in the right “frame of mind” trials can give you a goal as to what you need to work on instead of where you have failed. It was this attitude that kept me trialing and prompted me to improve.

I “stumbled” through this detrimental state and was more than ready for the next. I wanted to stretch my dogs, myself and my abilities. At the time I was only attending local trials. However, I knew that if I wanted to improve my skills the only way to achieve this was to go to as many places as I could. So, I started traveling around the country in order to learn how to work different courses and sheep. Since, I went with the attitude that I was “broadening my horizons” I enjoyed most all of the trials. Don’t get me wrong: I had a “drive” to do well and worked long hard hours trying to accomplish that. There were times I got upset and wondered why I ever got into this and other times I wanted to give up. I think everyone who competes feels this on occasion.

The point I’m trying to make is my overall attitude was: I wasn’t there to “just win” but to do the best of my ability. It was looked at as a time to learn all I could about trialing and dogs. I would sit at the fence and watch the good handlers in order to learn. I didn’t do it to complain they received better treatment than I but to find out what made them good. How was it they seemed to finish a course when most were not? How they might not win every trial but they were in the top 10 most of the time. I wanted to improve and this was what I was aiming for – to be consistent. It wasn’t to win every trial I entered but to handle consistently. My dogs and I improved and did it with enjoyment. I didn’t resent anyone else’s wins because I didn’t feel they had taken something away from me. So, beyond the wins I was enjoying the traveling, trialing and visiting with all the people. I met people that I would have never known if not for the trials. If I only enjoyed the winning the rest (which I can assure you take most of your time) would have meant nothing. I would have lost a LOT. I met so many enjoyable people that even if I hadn’t been “following my passion” I would still look back on “that time” with fond memories. I went places that I would have never normally gone. I’m the type of person that always has to justify travel and this was a great one! Go dog trialing and see our country. In my travels I visited, Virginia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, Canada and many other really captivating places. I relished every location for its own special charm. However, even more important were all the people that went “out of their way” making their trials memorable and comfortable for the contestants. I can’t begin to name all the people that have picked me up from airports giving me a room or bath. It was always appreciated and remembered.

Some people seem to go to trials with a totally different attitude. I’ve been to trials where for the entire two days there is nothing but tension. Some competitors seem to thrive on turmoil and spend all their spare time stirring things up. Unfortunately there are ramifications to this type of behavior. The most damaging being the host of the trials will get tired of all the hassle and just stop putting on trials. Not to mention the judges that are doing their best when all they get is grief. Our sport is subjective not a timed event needing no judging. If you don’t like the judging – don’t go back.

The main point of this article is to get people just starting and others that are at a “crossroad” WINNING is NOT the most important reason to trial. You always do the best you can and the rest you have no control over. You can complain and be miserable or you can work hard and enjoy the dogs. I get upset when I see things that aren’t fair and I can complain with the best of them. I know there are times when we should speak out to “right a wrong”. I also know watching every run with the thought of finding something wrong with it won’t do anything except make you miserable! If you go to the trial with the attitude you must win and IF you don’t you aren’t a good handler you will not enjoy trialing. If your attitude is to run your dog as well as the circumstances allows – your “overall” approach to trialing will be better.

I would like to end with the fact that I received a very nice note from the person I talked to at the trial thanking me. Made me feel good that maybe I had helped a friend regain her enjoyment of trialing. So, novice people – enjoy your trialing: it’s a SPORT … not a “life or death” situation.

I was giving lessons one day when a student commented to me “why don’t you write an article on basic terms“. My first reaction was “why” everyone already knows what they mean. Nevertheless his comment kept “haunting me” until I grasped his reason for asking was prompted by a genuine need for information. Understanding he was a Novice and therefore looking at this matter from a different perspective than I, perhaps in fact, it might be something that did need to be addressed. This sport of ours is steadily growing at a tremendous rate and with that growth comes “newcomers” — those that have never been exposed to common “BC” terms. Generally it’s difficult for Open handlers to remember back to the time we didn’t understand certain rudimentary terms. I presume the main reason for this difficulty “to walk in Novice shoes” is things have become “second nature” for Open handlers.

This difficulty to regress to a Novice status made me think of a writer I admire immensely observing how a child “does not and can not perceive a table as an adult does”. The reason … an adult has already experienced sitting at a table eating, talking, etc. so he perceives the table as more than just an inanimate object. However the child having no such experiences to recall sees the table as a round/square object with legs. It’s not until the child has “table” (life) experiences “under it’s belt” will he/she be able to experience the table as more than a metal or wooden inanimate object. You can correlate this portraiture with most things in life including trialing. In the beginning everything is “so new” you have to purposely think about each and every step. Eventually with effort, time and energy the day comes where you can act, (instead of react) without consciously thinking about it, and then and only then can you move up to the next level. But until that time not only do you have to think about every move the dog is making but also what words correlate with that movement … not to mention the sheep’s movements!

I think this is why beginners always ask what does “so and so” mean. I’ve always answered the question by saying “it doesn’t matter what word you use as long as you use it consistency”. When finally it dawned on me Novices aren’t asking “a question” per-say as much as they are seeking a “concrete phrase” that can be used as a guide.

I will try to give a non-dog related example – driving a car. If you will recall when you first learned to drive you needed to have numbers on the gear shift knob. For not only did you not know how to shift gears but you weren’t even sure as to where the gears were located. After much practice shifting became second nature and you could do away with the numbers on the knob but until “that day” it was important to have this “aid” as a guide. With this in mind I thought I would spend a little time trying to explain to the new and unaccustomed handlers basic terminology and a little information how they can attain these goals.

OUTRUN

This is where it all starts with the dog at your side and the sheep somewhere in front of you. The purpose of an outrun is to get the dog to the other side of the sheep without crossing sides or disturbing them. I can remember when I was a Novice an Open handler said to me “you can’t have a good run without a good outrun”. I didn’t grasp how important an outrun was at the time. But through the years I have become a true believer as his comment proved accurate about 99% of the time. One simple tip for the Novice is always try to walk to the post with the dog on the side you want to send with sheep straight in front of you. If you have to come in at an angle then walk behind the post and then turn and walk straight towards the post. This helps to convey to the dog where the sheep will be located.

LIFT

Lift is basically a dogs first contact with the sheep. They have usually seen the dog on the outrun but haven’t quite felt him. A lot of information is conveyed with this first impression. If the dog treats the sheep with firm respect your run will go much smoother.

FETCH

The simple definition would be “the dog is bringing the sheep to the handler”. In a trial it’s more precise. You have to imagine a line from the sheep to the handler and any variance the sheep take from this line would mean points lost.

DRIVING

Driving of course this means taking the sheep away but again we need to look at it from a Novice point of view. Anytime the sheep’s heads are not pointing toward you then “technically” you are driving. When you see sheep’s rumps, you’re “driving away”, when sheep’s sides are in view this would indicate a “cross drive”. Think of this from a judges point of view – at any time on the cross-drive you see heads or rumps you can safely take points off.

PEN

Watch the heads the bodies will follow! This is the proving grounds for a dogs flanks. If your dog goes left or right but is coming in tighter every step he takes … after you have given 3 or 4 flanks he will be on top of the sheep.

SHED

I know it looks like a dog running through the middle of sheep which you have been spending hours trying to keep your Novice dog from doing but trust me it’s more. It’s coming through with a clean flank and then holding the sheep you have chosen hopefully without teeth but by being in the correct position. Don’t be in a hurry to teach the shed to a young dog or they might shed at the most inopportune time – like at the pen! This should be last on your training list.

GO/COME BYE & AWAY TO ME

So much more than just right and left flanks. Don’t ever let someone tell you it’s just a direction. It’s a pressure point around the sheep but in the simplest form Go/Come bye is clockwise (think of it as time goes bye) Away to me is counterclockwise (again think taking time away).

LIE DOWN – STAND

This is very confusing to beginners as they see Open handlers say lie down and the dog doesn’t obey. So they end up thinking a dog doesn’t have to lie down when told. However when a Open handler says lie down he may have 3 different commands just by changing the tone of his voice. Believe me he does have a “lie down – don’t move” on his dog it’s just that he accomplishes this goal not by changing “the words” but by changing “the tone”. For a Novice handler you need the words and actions to match, don’t rely on a change of tone at this stage. You can say “stand” but again most Novices make the mistake of saying stand and the dog uses it as a take time instead of a stop.

STEADY ON – WALK ON

Steady On/ Walk On usually means to continue on the course you’re on steady sometimes depending on how it’s given means go more slowly.

GET UP

Get Up can mean “get to your feet” if dogs lying down or may be used as a more forceful walk on. If the dog is stalled and not moving many handlers say “Come on Get-up, Get -up”!

THERE

I use this a lot and if you teach a dog the correct meaning it will be an invaluable tool. To me it means “hold the line you are on”. When I teach a dog to drive I don’t use directions I only use “there” over and over again until he is comfortable taking sheep away. You begin the “there” command on the fetch by making him walk straight on to his sheep without flanking. If he tries to veer off you say there, there followed with a lie down (then another there … there get -up) if he won’t stay on line. Get him up as soon as he has downed as you are working on a there (or holding the line) not a lie down.

TAKE TIME

Get Up in reverse. You are conveying to the dog he’s moving too fast and needs to slow down. Some handlers use the word “easy” but this is not a word that carries gruffly. When a dog is pushing to hard you need a word that you can “growl” out. When you give this command make sure the dog gears down … don’t just repeat it over and over again hoping something will happen. If the command is given and he doesn’t slow down then make him lie down (we’re not working on his lie down so don’t leave him down…make him get up quickly but immediately again try to get him to slow down). The method I use to slow a dog down is (1st) I call the dogs name (2nd) I call “Time”, if this doesn’t slow him down I (3rd) say “Stand” and if all this doesn’t slow him down I finally (4th) say “lie down” and MAKE HIM. Then I get him back to his feet and start all over again. The reasoning behind this is eventually when he hears his name (or take time) he starts to slow down anticipating the next exercise will be stand and finally the “dreaded” lie down.

LISTEN (or sometimes calling the dogs name)

The dog is usually getting “wound up” and is starting to tune handler out. You are reminding him this is a TEAM sport and listening is in his best interest.

PACE

I thought the best expression of this was given to me by a top handler in Wales. I was complementing his run and how fluid it was — his reply was he likes to think of a run as “a wheel within a wheel”. What he meant was if the dog and the sheep are in contact going the correct speed with the correct amount of pressure you don’t need to stop the dog until you get into the shedding ring or the pen. Pace allows a run to flow and also makes the run more enjoyable to watch.

GET BACK

Get Back is utilized in training flanks and outruns. This is pretty self-evident – you are too close to your sheep “get back”. On the outrun it’s often used in conjunction with lying the dog down and walking up the field, saying “get back” and pushing the dog off his sheep.

GET OUT OF THAT

Get Out Of That means you are too close to the sheep often given (in a hysterical voice that doesn’t work) when the dog is thinking about getting in the middle of his sheep.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING

What Are You Doing or more direct words “stop acting like an idiot – pull your head out and start think about what you are doing”.

“STAGE FRIGHT”

The other day I was “stressing out” in regards to how many young dogs I am in the process of training. So I came into the house trying to decide which ones to sell and which to keep. This is a difficult decision for me for a number of reasons, the major one being I become attached to them. I think this is the reason that I have never raised pups up with the notion of training them to sell. I usually keep one or two pups to keep track of how our breeding program is working.

Up until now I’ve made my living by taking dogs in for training. (I’m so hopeless that after training them I have been known to try and buy them because I really clicked with them.) I’ve changed my program now deciding to take very few dogs in for training. Instead I am now keeping a few pups to start and then sell. I am also contemplating buying and re-selling started and trained dogs. Which returns me to the content of this article which is the different stages of training.

The first stage would be of course the infamous puppyhood! However I think in this article I am more inclined to be referring to the stages of training after they are turned on to stock as opposed to how to raise them. It does make a HUGE difference in their “working” potential as to how they were raised so I don’t want to underplay that “adventure”, but prefer to concentrate on the stock-training stages. I have written in the past on raising pups and I’m sure I’ll do another article as I feel it is truly one of the major “building blocks” of a good working dog.

I start my pups around 10 months of age with the idea in mind that training takes pressure and it takes maturity to accept this pressure without injuring a young dog’s feelings. Don’t misunderstand me about the type of pressure I am referring to because at this stage I’m not concerned with telling the dog what to do but only that I am a player in the “sheep game” and he always needs to keep me in the back of his mind. He needs to appreciate he’s on a team and therefore can’t do things just his way. The first concept I am trying to put in the dog’s mind is there are three elements he should consider while he’s working: where he is, where the sheep are, and where I am.

All this can be considered pressure because you are taking the pup’s mind off sheep but you need to use “kid gloves” (or is that “lamb gloves?”) and not put on so much pressure he becomes more troubled about what you are doing than what the sheep are doing. You always want him focused on his sheep. I think beginners have had a hard time carrying out this premise … how to get respect enough the dog will listen to you but not so much he is stopping and looking at you. It’s very much a give and take process. You start with your voice correction, and since he as yet doesn’t understand right from wrong, you may need to employ a physical correction in conjunction with the verbal so he knows without a doubt he has done something wrong. By using this method you will soon be able to move on to just using your voice.

This is why I say how you raise a pup is important; if you begin this process when he’s just a pup he will have the basic understanding of a voice correction before he ever gets to stock. It will take awhile before it transfers over to working sheep as when he first starts working he will be totally focused on sheep and you will have to insert yourself into the picture.

Usually in the beginning you will, as stated above, have to use physical pressure (this at times might not necessarily mean physical correction, it could be as subtle as just being physically in the right place to push him out). You need to do this so he understands he’s not in this game alone and needs to respond not only to the sheep but also to you. You need to judge and gauge your dog’s response correctly at this stage. Some dogs will be so put off by any correction you will have to let them run through the middle of their sheep until they are comfortable with the concept of working before you put any constraints on them. Some are so hard-headed they will not acknowledge your presence. With this type you will need to put stronger pressure on them making sure they understand they are only working sheep with your permission. The first type of dog is so worried about you he can’t concentrate on his work, the latter type wants only to work and feels you are in the way. You will also run into the type that wants to chase until you put pressure on them and then they are not interested in working at all.

So, no matter what type you are dealing with, throughout the first stage essentially your concerns are getting the dog interested in his sheep and hopefully to the other side without running through the middle of them – all this while keeping you in the back of his mind.

During this stage you will need to be watching the dog’ s attitude. You want to appraise the dog correctly so you can adjust your training techniques to fit each individual dog. By watching his attitude you will be able to judge how hard or easy your corrections need to be.

As you are trying to get the dog around on the other side balancing his sheep up don’t be anxious about giving directions; instead your concerns should be is the dog flanking correctly on his own, and if he’s tight, you should be giving a verbal correction to “bend” him out. A lot of beginners get so carried away with teaching directions they don’t teach the dog to flank correctly.

Don’t view flanks as left & right but as an entire package of how the dog is going around his sheep. There are questions you need to ask yourself as he goes: is he looking and gauging his sheep? Is he thinking about what the sheep are doing or is he just running in order to get to the other side as fast as he can? This stage is critical because it is the foundation for all the rest of your training so do spend the time to get it done correctly and you will save time and frustration in the months to come. Keep in mind the main concern is the dog’s attitude while he’s flanking. If you get hung up on teaching “Away to me” or “Come bye” instead of allowing the dog to learn to give distance to his sheep you will lose a lot of what makes these dogs so special.

If you achieve the basics of bending out with a verbal correction up close you will eventually be able to accomplish this at greater and greater distances. The little steps you are now taking will progress later into big leaps at which time you will be able to bend him out no matter how long the outrun. When he’s tight verbally correct him before pushing him out, making sure he’s running and thinking — not just running. Then later when the distances get further away you can still use your verbal correction to make him start thinking and then have him self-correct. So in essence the main purpose of this stage is teaching him to think and correct his distance around his sheep.

When you are confident that he will respond to your verbal corrections you can then start putting your “Away to me and Come byes” on. At the beginning of this stage you are still using your body to guide the dog in the right direction but now you start utilizing words that match his actions. This stage takes time and is sometimes very frustrating. You will think he knows his sides when suddenly he acts as if he hasn’t a clue. This is normal so try not to get agitated with the dog. At the beginning try to position yourself and the stock to help him go in the correct direction. Remember it’s very important he’s not just running but he is thinking about what the sheep are doing and where you are. If at any time he “takes the bit” and just runs you have to correct him. He needs to know when you give a flank and he takes the proper direction but goes incorrectly then he will be stopped and made to do it right.

The next stage is teaching him to bring sheep to you at a reasonable pace. You’re not really teaching him “to pace” but more conveying a perception of distance when fetching his sheep. (You will teach pace later so consider this as the beginning stages of it). Your hours will now be spent backing up and letting him balance sheep to you. I want to stress spending a lot of time backing up and allowing the dog to hold the sheep up to you because this allows a dog to understand sheep and how they move and react. It is practice .. practice .. practice at this stage. It does take time and energy but it is time well spent.

Now on to the stage that many think is simple so they get carried away and jump into it before laying the proper foundation – outruns. If a dog is flanking cleanly all the time then as you start to extend your outruns he will want to “blow” himself out because he knows why he needs to give distance to his sheep. If he knows the how and why he will do it more willingly. This does not mean you don’t have to work on outruns because some will do it naturally and with others you will really have to work at it. This is not to say one will finish a better dog than the another only one takes more time and work than the other.

One thing I wish to emphasize is if a dog is running tight on flanks the odds of him widening out does not increase the further away from you he gets. So keep him up close and bending properly at hand before you send him any distance. You have to get your outrun RIGHT! You can’t get a good lift with a tight outrun. You can’t settle sheep with a bad outrun. (In stronger words “the sum of your run is dictated by your outrun”.) So take the time to teach your dog that if he gets his outrun correctly then the rest of the run will be a lot easier on both of you.

Lifts are “touchy” things in more ways than one and they are hard to explain much less to complete. This is why I am such a believer in teaching dogs to read sheep because then you can allow them to lift on their own. I am not saying without guidance but when the sheep are 800 yards out and you can’t see which way their heads are turned you aren’t in position to tell a dog how to lift his sheep. He’s on his own. If you started with good basics then you have already worked on the lift. You did this by teaching him at hand to flank, think and read sheep all in the same movement. When he is outrunning he should be looking at his sheep and thinking about where he wants to start his lift from. This is the hopeful end result of those hours of verbal correction on flanks … he knows sheep and knows the best spot to be in order to control them.

This moves us into the next stage which will consist of driving and the start of shedding. Again we need to check the basics – did you start your dog properly? Driving will be so much simpler if your dog wants to flank clean than if he is still fighting you every step as he’s trying to get closer and closer to his sheep. I realize some dogs are much easier to teach this to than others but the point is you want to get the most out of the dog that he has to offer. If you didn’t do your “keeping distance” homework right it will become twice as obvious on the drive. Of all the stages this is the one you will most decidedly need to take slow and easy. Driving is not natural for most dogs and if you use too much “force” you will end up with a dog lacking confidence or desire.

You often see this at trials with the end result of a dog following the sheep instead of taking them away. There is a big difference between the two. If you see a dog that turns and looks at a handler, not in the sense of what do you want, but more like not being sure of what to do, then you have seen a dog that undoubtedly does not know what is expected of him while driving. In other words he has never understood the concept or the WHY of driving.

Then we are on to the shed which later will be refined to sorting. Teaching the shed is more than training a dog to come through the middle of sheep when he’s called! He needs to learn your body language (so he will understand what sheep you need) and then he has to learn how to hold the “shed” ones away from the others. Only when he is proficient at this will you move on to sorting sheep which is even more complex than just shedding.

After all the basic stages are completed then the final and most precise stage will begin which is refining every thing the dog has learned up till now. This will be very time consuming and tedious work. It will consist of putting pace into a dog which means hours of backing up with the dog, saying “take time” until the dog paces his sheep even when you are not standing there.

Later you will need to incorporate a look – back and double lifts and then when you think all this “teaching” is done you realize you will have to “season” the dog by going to trial after trial getting him use to all types of sheep and courses.

This is just a small glimpse into how a trial dog “evolves” but I thought it might give Novices a little insight into what all is involved in finishing a dog – although I truly don’t think you are ever finished as “herding” is more a process than an end product. This is also why so many dogs never make the grade of “top trial” dog. So when you see one win an Open trial give it another look and think about all the hours that went into developing that dog into what he is.

Well Seasoned:

When you get a number of dogs in for training invariably you’ll end up with all sorts. Many are just mediocre, but a prerequisite for training dogs for a living is, you must accord them as much time and energy as you would a superior one. The problem with that is it tends to burn you out as the amount of emotional energy to get those type trained is immense. Every once in awhile you get a “star” and it makes you remember why this sport is so enjoyable. When you have a “top notch” protégé it makes all stages of training pleasurable.

There are some dogs that are immensely talented workers but at the same time are not enjoyable to train or work. Some have ability but are so tough you have to almost “break” them every single training session to get them to listen to you. Others are so soft and sensitive that you end up begging them to take a quick flank. It’s a rare thing to get that “special pup” that’s both biddable and talented. It’s these special dogs that remind me why, no matter how “down” I get when training dogs, that basically I love to watch young dogs develop — this more than lessons, trialing or anything else related to the dogs. When you put so much energy into trying to bring out the best in dogs, only to discover many have very little to give, it can at times become discouraging. You need the good ones to come along just to refresh your memory as to what fun training can be. Instead of making yourself go out and work a dog you find excuses not to do other things in order to work the special pup.

This pup was young when she first “turned on” and even then I could tell she had talent but again it takes more than just “raw talent” to advance into a great dog. As in athletics, having ability without discipline will get you nowhere. Discipline allows you to “focus” this ability and thereby work toward a goal but without discipline you have zero. So these dogs have to be able to take the stress and vigor of “basic training” to find out if they’re capable of moving into the more refined “aspects” of training. It’s these other “aspects” that I would like to touch on in this article. In the more “advanced” stages this type of training is called “seasoning” – meaning putting on the “special touches” that will hopefully conclude into a top trial dog. Reflecting on what all was needed to get the most potential out of this dog started me down the “thought path” of what I think Novice people forget to do with their dogs before they begin their trialing careers. So I guess you could call this article “mini seasoning” as it will deal with a few things Novices should to do before they trial their dogs. I believe if Novices would do more of this there would be fewer wrecks at trials. These wrecks can knock the confidence out of young dogs and handlers not to mention the people putting on the trials.

Let’s start with an obvious one, different locations. Customarily you won’t be trialing on the same grounds you train on, so you need to take some actions to prepare your dog for this “change of venue”. I’ve had dogs that worked competently as long as they were in familiar surroundings but taken off their “home turf” became completely different workers. Characteristically these dogs do not evolve into good trial dogs. However some dogs even if they are competent, will go through a stage (usually at trials) where you wonder if they’re even trained. They seem not to remember any of the commands they took so automatically at home. So go armed with this knowledge and if your dog is not listening don’t stand at the post and let circumstances get chaotic. Think about what lesson he’s learning while you stand there — “at a trial I can run amuck and all you will do is stand at the post and yell”. What trials should be used for with a young dog is to find out the areas a pup needs help with — So go out and HELP him. However something even more advantageous would be, before you ever attend a trial, get him accustomed to strange places and stock. In other words get him conditioned to the unfamiliar in a less tense situation (i.e. training instead of trialing).

The reason for this article is to try and explain what are some of the steps you can take to set up situations that a dog might encounter during his trialing career BEFORE he ever gets to the trial. This seems to be a common mistakes beginners make – they go to a trial only to discover they never worked on problems that might, and I might add, often do occur. Consequently they have no experience with repairing wrecks or even perhaps halting them before they transpire.

I had a person that occasionally took lessons from me but to be candid never truly learned anything considering his inability to truly listen. I’m sure he heard “the words” but never endeavored to put them into action. He worked his dog 3 or 4 times a week, which is more than many students do. I’ve had some that don’t work for months on end and then work the dog until he’s exhausted the day before the trial hoping, I guess, to make up for lost time. This person would go to a trial and time after time crash and burn. At which point he would get upset and blame his dogs. After doing this a number of times he finally decided to listen and attempt to sort through his problem. “The problem” being he would set out panels, hay and his “dog broke” sheep, send his dog and run a perfect course. He went through the same motions work session after work session. Never once setting up a different scenario, one that he and the dog could work on fixing together. He wanted all his work sessions to go “well” so he set things up to go as smoothly as possible. Of course, this “perfect scenario” never happens at any trial he attended and whereas he had not practiced anything except that “scenario” he had no idea of what to do when things went wrong! Practicing all the things at home that might go wrong at a trial is part of seasoning a dog, and I might add, a handler.

I will endeavor to give you a few ideas that although simple will add a vast amount of experience to your Novice dog’s training.

Let’s start with a problem I’ve seen Novices have numerous times at trials. Our Novice handler is walking to the post and suddenly the dog sees the exhaust sheep and from that moment on will not look up the field any further. So let’s begin with a trick that will help teach your dog to listen on his outrun. You need two groups of sheep that won’t kill themselves trying to run back together. A group of goats and a group of sheep work great for this or if you don’t have access to goats then Barbs and Woollies often will stay apart. You will set one group where the dog can see them and the other where the dog can’t. (You do this while the dog is in the car or at least out of sight.) When you start to walk to the sheep walk toward the ones he can’t see and say “sheep … sheep”. When he looks at the ones in full view you say “no” and again walk toward the ones in hiding. Try to get him to look away from the ones he sees and to look at least in the direction of the ones you want him to go collect. If he won’t then go ahead and send him (obviously you will have to send him to the opposite side of the ones he can see … i.e. if your hidden sheep are on your right, send him “away to me”) and when he starts to cut in toward the ones he sees, lie him down and walk out so you are in-between the ones he sees but in the direction of the hidden group. Try again to say sheep and pull his attention away from the ones he wants and towards the invisible ones and send him again. Keep downing him and positioning yourself until he sees the ones that were hidden. Don’t get lazy and give him a chance to just bring the ones he sees you have to make sure he gets to the hidden ones. While you are doing all this give a special flank command, say “go bye” with “back” added or anything that you will consistently use to mean “go wider than what you think”! This exercise will do two things. The first is it helps the dog to learn to widen out even if he doesn’t understand why he has to. The second reason is to convince the dog that you have knowledge of things he doesn’t and if he will only listen then you will guide him in the right direction. In other words if done correctly it builds trust. Don’t get angry and start yelling at him … you know the other sheep are there … he doesn’t, so don’t punish him for something he doesn’t know. Just keep walking out with him until the “light bulb” comes on and he understands what you are telling him.

Another problem I see at trials is dogs becoming bewildered when trailers are used to put the sheep out. Try and acquire friends with trailers that are willing to haul sheep and help you train your dog. You need to look at things from a dog’s point of view. At home he’s always gone out lifted his sheep with no one around. You take him to his first trial and suddenly he has the commotion associated not only with trailers but also people sitting at the top end with lawn chairs, dogs, etc. So he’s left alone to deal with strange places, people and sheep all at once. Some dogs aren’t sure these sheep belong to him when another dog is in the picture. Also remember when a “put out” dog is holding the sheep (needed at some trials) the balance point is different. You need to get him accustomed to as many things as possible before you ever start trialing. Let him learn that even when another dog is holding “his” sheep they are still to be brought to you.

A major hurdle to overcome with Novice people is the tendency to work only dog broke sheep. Frequently these type of sheep come straight to the handler even when the dog is in the wrong position. Routinely at a trial even dog-broke sheep (especially since they don’t know your dog) will go any direction except straight down the field towards you. The poor dog, use to nothing except his own dog-broke sheep, is in for a shock coming in contact with these wild/fighting/heavy/whatever sheep and is liable to do anything. So take the time before you are under “trial pressure” to work different types of sheep. I realize it’s often difficult for people to find various types of sheep. However, the point I am making is, if you can’t then don’t get mad at your dog when the first time he gets behind non dog-broke sheep and they take off running and he goes berserk. Again, leave the post and go up to help your dog regain his composure. Don’t just stand there and yell. I realize Novice handlers are confused since they don’t see Open handlers leave the post but remember you are a Novice handler with a young impressionable dog.

Not only locations but also terrain is also a major consideration. If the dog has never run up a hill on an outrun you can take bets, even if he’s a good outrunner, he will be tight. So look around and find a location that has a variety of terrains and work him on it. Even something as simple as a shadow on the ground can make a dog run tight if he perceives it as a barrier. Set a variety of different situations up such as having to cross a ditch to run out correctly and then make sure he does. This means you need to walk out and correct him if he tries to cut in front of you or just runs tight.

These are just a few suggestions that might broaden your “dog’s horizons” before you ever go to a trial. We need always to keep in mind there would be no trials if not for the dedicated people volunteering their stock, time and energy. If we don’t treat both with respect we may not have any trials to go to. So if you are at a trial where your dog is just “chasing” the sheep, do everyone a favor, including you and your dog, go out and try to regain control over the situation thereby helping your dog, the stock and I’m sure the owner of the sheep.

WHAT IS BALANCE?

I have always been fascinated by the way a Border Collie works as compared to other breeds. I own and breed only Border Collies but I’ve given lessons on all breeds. I think my appreciation of the Border Collie has only grown by working with other breeds. I have students that have been working another breed for years to progress to a level that a Border Collie does in months. I also know, as do my students, that the other breeds will not do a 400 yard outrun, no matter how much training is put on them. I think the difference is balance. This is what allows the Border Collie to excel in working stock. I also feel that a lot of people don’t know what balance is. I hear people describe balance as the dog is at twelve (12) o’clock and you are at six (6) o’clock and that isn’t necessarily so. If the exhaust pen is at one side of the field then the point of balance might be at three (3) o’clock. You can think of balance as a pressure circle around the sheep, that if you hit that pressure point you are on balance. A dog trained correctly will hit that point and keep just the right amount of pressure to control the sheep. Balance is being in contact with the sheep, the handler giving the dog a direction but the dog is the one balancing the sheep. In other words, you tell the dog you are fetching and he brings the sheep to you. The direction you gave was toward you, the decision as to where the pressure point (or balance) was on the sheep was the dogs. If you are fetching and decide to drive, you flank the dog from a 12 o’clock position to a 6 o’clock one. The dog comes around to 3 o’clock, and flanks tight, the sheep will take off toward 9 o’clock, and the race is on. If the dog reads the pressure, comes all the way around on the balance, the sheep will almost stand still. Then you can start the drive without the sheep bolting the wrong direction. If the dog comes around and is too wide, the sheep again have a chance to get away. One day at a trial watch a run where the handler miscalculated a gate, and has to flank the dog way down low and then back up. You will see quickly the dogs that understand pressure and contact on sheep. This is what sets these wonderful dogs apart from other breeds in working ability.

So, you say how do you put this wonderful trait in your dog? You don’t! It’s either there or it’s not BUT you can bring it out or lose it by your training methods. I am confused as to why so many trainers don’t use this uniquely Border Collie trait. I see so many people train these dogs like they do other breeds that can’t read pressure on stock. If you have a trait that is so useful why not incorporate it into the training? I think there are a couple of reasons. One being, as in all good things, it takes time. You have to allow it to develop, you can’t push a dog and end up with one that has a lot of natural about it. I know some dogs progress faster than others but in order to learn how to work sheep correctly, it will take time. Another reason is people get all caught up in making a dog go “away-to-me” and “go-bye”, so this is the first thing they teach. This way they can see results quickly. If you spend the first two months just letting the dog learn about sheep and pressure, you don’t have a lot of commands on the dog and people want to be able to tell the dog what to do. It doesn’t matter if the dog is doing it correctly as long as they doing what they are told. Wrong! Just because you can make a dog go ‘left’ and ‘right’ doesn’t mean he knows how to do it correctly! The time you spend at the beginning will pay off in the long run if done correctly. I have seen people teach flanks by having their dogs circle around and around 50 yards off the sheep (or worse yet teach flanks with no stock !!). Yes, they are teaching a dog how to go in a circle but they are not teaching it how to flank correctly because they are not in CONTACT! So, what happens when this dog is 50 yards off his stock and the sheep decide to take off? The dog is not in a position to catch them. I also hear the argument that a dog will flank tighter at a trial than at home, so push him off to wide at home and he will be right at the trial. If he is reading pressure correctly, he will be flanking right at home and the trial. I might agree that a dog gets more excited at a trial, and will need steadying down. I don’t agree with push him totally out of contact at home and just a little out of contact at a trial. For dogs that are already started; to help develop more balance. Start with dog – broke sheep. Have the dog hold them up to you, if he pushes too hard, let the sheep break past and make him go collect them. I don’t mean let him go chase, I mean make him flank correctly, go get them , put them back together. Then try it again. You can put the sheep up against a fence and do the same thing of having the sheep break, and run down the fence. Make him go get the one that broke and bring it back. He has to learn there is a point at which if he pushes to hard — sheep break. There is a spot that will hold the sheep up against the fence.

Another way to teach a dog balance is to work one sheep. You need to be careful with a young or sensitive dog that the sheep doesn’t run over the dog. You want the sheep in an area where it can see the other sheep but can’t get to them. (If you let the sheep beat the dog and get to the other sheep it hurts his confidence.) Let the dog try to hold it up to you while flanking out correctly. I don’t mean you let the dog chase the sheep. You fuss when he chases it and praise when he is working at staying the right distance from it. You can tell if a dog is flanking correctly and on pressure; point; as the sheep will try to go one way, stop, spin and try the other way, only to meet the dog. If the dog isn’t flanking correctly then he will be chasing at the side of the sheep instead of trying to head them. You need to let him know that isn’t what you want. Fuss at him or stop him and make him flank correctly. I know it’s hard for a beginner to understand when a dog is flanking correctly or not. However; the time you spend watching and learning will benefit all the dogs you will train. It’s worth the extra time to let a dog develop naturally instead of making him mechanical. The other breeds have to be trained mechanically as they have no natural balance. So, you work with what you have. A well bred Border Collie is born with this ability and we should be developing it to the fullest instead of training it out. There are different ways to train out natural balance. One is to flank a dog drill like in circles – without regard to what the sheep are doing. I understand that a beginner is just learning his ”go-bye’ from ‘away-to-me’ and is trying to see if the dog will follow the commands. However; he will just be doing what he is told, he won’t be learning about how and why sheep move in reference to him. He needs to learn that every move he makes — the sheep react. How is he going to learn that if he is 50 yards off the sheep running in circles? THAT IS OBEDIENCE TRAINING ON SHEEP. Border Collies are bred to control sheep while listening to commands.. You can teach him direction without drilling him if you are willing to work with him. I realize there are times when drilling is needed in training. The difference between using it as a tool in training or as the main way of teaching flanks is a big difference. If you give him a flank when his instinct is telling him to go that direction, you will be working with him. When he is flanking 50 yards away from the sheep you are NOT working with instinct. You are controlling him.

Another way of making a mechanical dog is downing him all the time. You are doing the same thing as you were when you were flanking, you are keeping the dog out of contact. I hear people talk about how well the dog follow his sheep! I don’t want a dog to follow, I want him to take control and push them. If he does nothing but follow – he’s mechanical. This comes from getting him up and then downing him. You can’t teach a dog to work sheep if he’s laying down. I know there are times when you have to down a dog. (I thought Glyn Jones said it best when he said” a down is like brakes on a car – when you need them they have to work”— but you don’t drive with your brakes on!!) You need to teach him that he influences how fast his sheep go by how fast he pushes. It takes time but in the long run, its time well spent. You have to spend hours walking backwards teaching him how to pace himself and therefore the sheep. You can’t get the same results by laying him down every time he gets close to the sheep and getting him up when they have moved away. I see so many people never getting off dog-broke sheep. You need them to start with but you also need to go onto different sheep to further a dogs education. IF he flanks to tight on dog – broke sheep, they stand there. You try that on wild sheep and you will see how far along you are in your training. Those wild sheep will teach a dog to flank cleanly or he will lose them. You could spend hours teaching him to “Get Back” that a wild sheep could teach it in minutes. You have to realize that his first reaction might be to chase. You need to correct him and back him off enough that he gets in the right position to control the sheep . You don’t just stand there and let him chase. Another mechanical training method is pushing a dog backwards on a “get back”. I use the get back a lot in my training but I don’t push the dog out of contact. If a dog turns its back on sheep, and those sheep decide to take off running, what would the dog do? The get back is used to take some of the pressure off, it’s not suppose to take the dog out of contact. He is relieving the pressure, not taking all pressure off. I want to emphasize that there are times (as in drilling a dog) that I WILL push the dog out of contact. This is NOT the way I train, just something I do on occasions as a training tool. This is something I would like to repeat. I do things to an extreme to make a point. I don’t repeatedly do it , only once in awhile to emphasize a point to the dog.

I think another reason people train mechanically is they equate lack of balance with flexibility. They feel if the dog is well balanced he won’t be flexible. This is not the case, having a sticky dog is not the same as having a balanced one. I would like to end by saying I talk to enough beginners to know its HARD to see faults. When you first start out everything looks good. You need to spend time watching dogs and seeing the difference in working style. It is really important for all the dogs you will be working with. You need to keep an open mind and ask questions. Most people don’t mind answering questions when the intent of the person asking is to learn. It’s when we’re told instead of asked we tune-out. I think most open handlers enjoy a good question about the dogs. So, enjoy this time of learning and put your novice days to good use.

Basic Consistency:

I was out giving lessons today when something happen that caused to stop and evaluate circumstances and why some things happen as they do. The circumstance I am referring to … a dog I had been giving lessons to attempted to bite me. I am always very aware of a dog’s attitude when I go in to “correct” so luckily it’s seldom that I get bit. The reason I felt compelled to contemplate this particular episode was this dog has a very good temperament. I suppose if I was working with a bad natured dog I wouldn’t have been surprised and therefore wouldn’t have set aside any time trying to understand the reasons behind it. Ultimately when actions don’t fit a pattern it will cause me to spend a substantial amount of time trying to comprehend motivation.

I spent a couple of days trying to sort through the “thought process” that would have made him inclined to snap at me. I have never been unfair in my discipline nor have I been extremely hard on him – mostly due to the fact he never needed it. After a great deal of thought and observations the final conclusion I came to was complicated with many twists and turns.

The first problem I had encountered with him was he didn’t have a “come when called” on him. I put him on a long line and worked on his coming (does this sound like another article I did about paying a trainer to teach basics) because while his owner was telling me “how good he was at coming” I watched him meander over to her when called in his own sweet time. His attitude was, “I will come when I feel like it, not when you tell me to”. This is a passive – aggressive attitude, in that you can make me come but I will be in control by coming so slow it is almost like I’m not coming. The owner wasn’t reading this, but I was and what I was reading was a major power struggle with the owner coming out second best without even realizing it. By using the long line and a “choke chain” when I said come and he walked he was jerked once hard and the command repeated. The correction was well timed but quite firm because he knew what “come” meant (he was not confused ), he was choosing to defy by coming slowly. So the stage was set by me … working on coming.

During this same time I was working with a stand on sheep and he was beginning to take advantage by taking steps after I had given the stand command. So to help correct his cheating I decided to make him lie down when he chose to ignore my stand command. I asked the owner if he knew a down command and was assured he not only knew it but was very responsive to it. I told him to down … he didn’t …. I repeated …. he didn’t …. I then corrected him with a jerk on the collar. He ran toward me (this is a “hot button” with me I hate a dog running toward me when I say down!) so I put pressure back on him and corrected him with a jerk and a down command. I was rewarded with a lunge forward and a snap of the teeth. The response from me was a BIG TIME correction (more like retaliatory attack from me) as I laid into him until he was running away from me. I can not tolerate a dog coming toward me in a threatening manner PERIOD! I asked the owner again if the dog understood the command “down” and was again reassured he completely understood it but she couldn’t explain why he was behaving in this manner.

I thought about the best way to handle this situation and decided it was time she worked the dog in order to illustrate to me what her idea of “down” was. Well surprise, the dog didn’t have a clue what the “down word” meant. She repeated the command at least five times and then finally pushed the dog down at which time the dog snapped at her. As I observed her working with the dog I was paying special interest in the interaction between her and the dog. I had noticed their relationship before and had always believed she just didn’t have a handle on the dog. However when I watched in more detail I realized she was giving so many conflicting signals she was literally driving the dog crazy. I understood she was not doing this on purpose but “doing it none the same”. This is crazy making for dogs (and people I might add!) when someone says one thing while they are doing just the opposite and then punishing you for things you didn’t do.

The dog snapped at me because he didn’t understand what I wanted and he felt I was being totally unfair. He understood my come correction and took it. Then I told him to down but he truly did not know what that meant so he tried to come to me but was again corrected and in his mind corrected for doing what he was told! This was when he said, “Hey wait a minute this is not fair”. I can’t repeat enough to novice people just because a dog comes after you have said it 10 times does NOT mean he knows what come means! The owner kept saying he knows what down means but he did not know until she said it 5 times and then pushed him down. The correction she was doing was not wrong, but she thought the dog knew something he didn’t and then corrected him for not knowing it.

It is our job as trainers to try to communicate to the dogs not the other way around. We need to change over to dog language because we are suppose to be the teachers and they the students. I think people mistakenly try to relate to dogs as they would relate to other people and it does not work. However I do think dogs have a sense of what is fair play and what is not. If you discipline a dog correctly so he understands what you want he will accept it and go on. If you continually discipline and he doesn’t know what he did wrong, he will resent it, and depending on his nature, try to retaliate. This is where the snapping comes from it’s when the dog feels he is being tormented and nothing he does will make the harassment stop. This attack was caused by the confusing interaction between this dog and its owner. She was saying lie down numerous times pulling on the lead just enough to hurt but not ever enough to correct. This meant over and over again he was being jerked and never knowing for what. He was not being difficult; he had never associated the down command with a physical action. So every time she jerked he did not understand what she wanted — it would be like someone walking by and yelling in a foreign language and slapping you when you didn’t comply. After awhile you either get mad and slap back or you duck and run every time you see someone. We have to communicate to the dog what the physical action we want is and then put a word to it. Just because we say a word does not mean the dog understands.

I’ve had people come over telling me they have an obedience title on their dog. However when turned loose on sheep the dog doesn’t even know its name much less to come when called! Why? Many times it’s because the dog was programmed and if he wasn’t next to the handler the word down meant nothing. Some dogs only know how to sit or down when commands are given in a precise sequence. If you tell them to down and they are not standing next to you they genuinely don’t understand what you are trying to communicate to them. The physical action they have associated with that command is lying down when next to the handler. Before the letters come pouring in I am not saying all obedience people don’t have a handle on their dog, I am saying I have worked with a number of obedience dogs and many are programmed to only do things in a certain order. It’s not just obedience training as you can incur the same thing with herding. I have seen dogs on their home ground run wide and gather the entire pasture but when taken away from home run straight toward the sheep. These dogs are programmed to work an area. They are not thinking and don’t have a true understanding of what they are doing.

This is one reason a “trial” gives you a well-founded idea of a dog’s ability. Although the course (fetch & drive panels, etc.) tend to stay the same the dog doesn’t know every inch of the trial field as he does his home ground. This means he has to think and listen because each and every time it’s a new situation. Since he’s not on ground he knows and can’t rely on repetitive actions, he now has to look and think in order to find his sheep. This comes full circle right back to our not communicating to the dog what we want. You have to allow the dog to understand what you want in all situations and circumstances. You can’t assume he understands until he has done it consistently a number of times. The owner’s correct comment to my question would have been the old “he does at home”. In other words, I have never tried it in this circumstance (i.e. while he is trying to head sheep at full tilt) so I’m not sure. However, part, and I might add a large part, of the problem was she would never admit he didn’t know his down. Although it took her at least a half a dozen times to make him lie down it never dawned on her that she and her dog were not speaking the same language.

I want to give Novices an example of what I am saying. Let’s say you have been working on your down and think your dog has it “down pat”. You then need to try saying “down” when he’s not standing next to you but in the same vicinity where you were working on the down next to you. Then try it when he is not looking at you ideally he will be involved in something else when you say “down”. I think you will then realize it means something completely different to him than it did when he was next to you. The usual scenario is he will start to walk toward you because this makes sense to him – considering his comfort zone for “down” is in context to being next to you. You have to remember that is where he was all the other times he was downed. You can’t allow this, so you need to put pressure on him by walking toward him and saying in a gruff voice repeat, “I said down!” The amount of pressure needed will depend on the dog. Notice I did not just stand there and repeat the command letting him run to me. Instead I went toward him to let him begin to get the idea of “down”, not “down next to me”!

You can’t assume he is disobeying at this point, but you still don’t just let it happen … you correct him, but not too harshly because at this point he is still not sure of what you want. After you have worked on this awhile and he has figured out that down means to lie down wherever he is, you move on to the next step. You need to change locations so he’s not in a familiar area and will be inclined to be engrossed in his new surroundings. You wait until he is preoccupied with something else up to the point of being on a dead run …. playing or whatever. Then you will give your lie down in a voice he can hear, but not a gruff voice. If he doesn’t respond to you then you change the tone of your voice and go after him with your “what do you think you are doing!” It’s not what you say, but it’s the tone that lets him know you are not pleased. When he stops whatever he was doing you repeat the down. If he obeys then change your posture and your tone of voice. If he doesn’t down then you need to go to him to correct him and make him lie down with a gruff voice and a “listen” or whatever command you use to correct with. Again it’s a matter of doing it every time and changing your attitude to let him know what pleases you and what does not. If you don’t let him know what you want then you forfeit the right to get upset when he does not respond to a command.

I spend a lot of time trying to understand why I have problems with dogs. I don’t just immediately assume it must be the dog’s fault. I run things through my mind trying to understand what could have triggered the dog’s actions and what my part in it was. I tell my students if you have more than one dog with the same problem the common denominator is you so look at yourself and figure out what you might be doing to cause this problem.

I have seen so many dogs I have in for training “get over” their problem only to regain it after they go home. This alone will tell you most behavior problems are dual-fold and it is the combination of owner and dog that you have to deal with. I find it much easier to understand and deal with the dog than I do the owners. Dogs don’t tend to get as defensive as their owners so you don’t have as much to deal with. A lot of people seem to think if their dog has a problem the best way to deal with it is never admit it and it will go away. This of course will solve nothing and in the end only make things worse. I am a firm believer in confronting whatever the issues are and solving it before it gets any worse. Dog owners need to stop thinking in the terms of blame and address the fact that they and their dog are not perfect. If they will change their attitude enough to realize everyone has faults they can make it something positive to work on.

Lately I have been receiving a number of requests for information on lessons. This sport is growing by “leaps and bounds” as is the number of people looking to take lessons. Most are beginners, who aren’t clear on what to expect from a class format. So, I would like to unravel the mystery, to our novice readers, unfamiliar to the “working dog” world, so they may better anticipate what to expect from a lesson. I will also explain “what stage of training” their dog should be at in order to benefit the most from them taking a lesson (as opposed to the dog taking a lesson). So, here’s a little information on how I “start people” that have never been out before and various lesson pitfalls a student should be watching out for.

I’ll begin with a little background information as to “why” I began giving lessons in the first place. The main reason was the discovery that after I had trained a dog and sent him home, he would know what to do, but the owner wouldn’t. I didn’t think this was fair to either party, the dog or the owner so I started giving lessons. I personally find it easier to teach dogs than owners. This is not to say, I don’t enjoy lessons as they give me a different perspective than just training. I feel lessons have encouraged me to learn how to put “concrete actions” into “abstract words”.

A dog has instincts that I capitalize on, and by using this in combination with my body language, I can communicate to the dog what I want. A person also learns by “the doing” but he needs verbal instruction on the “why”. I can’t rely on just body language (and I sure can’t rely on the students instincts!) to get my message across. This means I have to analyze what I’m doing – what the dog is doing – then translate all this into words a student can comprehend. It compels me to think and I’ve always enjoy things that get me thinking. Teaching not only helps my students, but also helps me “sort in my mind” why I train the way I do and what I require from a dog.

I use to give lessons two or three times a week but in the last couple of years have backed off to only once a week. Because of my hectic life I have also slowed down on taking dogs in for training. When I do lessons I attempt to schedule people 5 at a time, so they don’t have to be here for hours on end. However; most people enjoy staying around, watching all the dogs work. Usually they observe each others progress and give encouragement, when needed. This helps teach them about a level they might not be on at the moment, but will need later on in their dogs training. I always encourage people to listen and ask questions not just about their own dogs but other students dogs as well. Students tell me it’s often easier to watch me help someone else with the same problem they have – apparently it’s simpler to concentrate when they don’t have to worry about where the sheep are or what their dog is doing.

I usually start the dogs, in a round pen, without the owners. (The analogy I always give is – it’s like trying to teach someone how to ride a horse on a horse that has never been ridden!) I believe beginning dogs are more comfortable when they have someone guiding them that knows what they’re doing. If they won’t work without their owner then I have the people come in with them and stand to the side. I have very dog- broke sheep that know to come to me. This helps me control the situation without getting in the dogs way. I spend time analyzing the dog before he is actually put on sheep. If I feel the dog is a “hard” then I will get on him as soon as he comes in the pen. What this accomplishes is keeping me“in the back of his mind” as he starts to work. The “soft ones” I talk to as they come in, trying to built confidence and trust. You can usually tell what they are going to be like by watching the interaction between the owner and the dog. I also ask the owner what the dog is like merely to double check my feeling. Most Novice people really don’t know what their dogs are like so consequently I end up going by my own feelings.

Pups all start differently, so no matter what your pup does try to not get discouraged. If your pup has very little interest in the sheep give him a little time – it may be as simple as he’s unsure if this is actually something he’s suppose to be doing. It’s also not unusual for a dog at the onset to chase sheep. This is the reason I have dog-broke sheep. It lets me control the situation without controlling the dog. A dog first starting out is not certain why I am getting after it, so I need to make very sure he understands he is being encouraged to work the sheep, and the only reason I am “getting” after him is he’s not working them correctly.

It’s important in these early sessions to try and let the dog discover sheep, as much as I can, on it’s own. He needs to learn how to read sheep … how to balance and what pressure is. He needs to have a chance to find out that what he does causes a reaction in the sheep. I try to keep the sheep at my feet so I can keep the dog pushed off them. Some dogs are rough on sheep simply because they are unsure how to move them so they tend to use their teeth instead of eye – normally this takes time and confidence to develop.

It’s hard to say how long we stay in the round pen. Some people work 2 or 3 times a week and progress quickly. Some come so seldom it’s hard for the dog to learn anything inasmuch as they are so excited just about seeing sheep they can’t control themselves. I move out of the round pen as soon as I feel the dog is trying to be in the right spot. I move out into an arena, with the same dog-broke sheep which helps me keep control over things. All the while, the sheep are staying with me because they know I am “safety” … the dog believes he is controlling them. This belief will build confidence that we will work towards increasing as we go.

I will move around the arena in figure 8′s as this encourages the dog to flank each direction, striving to stop the sheep from going around me. I want the dog in contact at all times. In the initial stages he’s frequently too close so has to flank continually because the sheep are trying to go past me due too much pressure. I don’t lie him down to relieve this pressure, instead I try to encourage him to figure just out how much is needed to push the sheep without upsetting them. Some dogs are natural at it and some it takes a lot of time and patience. I do feel this one of the more important “rungs in the latter” of training. If you get good solid basics on a dog, everything else progresses much easier. If a dog learns how to work sheep without being told every step to take, then even a novice person can handle him. Most novice people get out there and can’t remember their own names much less “Go-Bye” from “Away”! So, if the dog is accustomed to working on their own and knows how to handle sheep, then all the novice person has to remember is to back up.

Another common Novice mistake – laying their dog down every time it gets near the sheep. The end result is all the dog knows how to do is chase sheep. When the sheep respond by running, the handler yells lie down. The sheep slow to a walk and the dog is allowed to get-up and the chase is on again. I try to by-pass this by teaching the dogs in the very beginning – that it’s their responsibility to control the sheep. Thus when the novice person starts to work the dog, instead of me, they have a dog trying to help them instead of causing problems. It is easier for some dogs than for others but I always try to have the dog start as natural as possible. I also believe Novice people often get so carried away with “go-bye” and “away to me” the dog can’t take a step without them giving a command. I try to explain that “go-bye and away-to-me” are more than a direction. A dog can be going the right direction and still be wrong. If he’s running 90 miles a hour and not thinking, I don’t care if they did say “go-bye” and he’s going the right direction — he’s not going right! This seems to be a difficult concept for beginners because they are so thrilled that their dog “understood what they said” they can’t believe he could still be going wrong. You need to watch the dogs attitude, is he thinking? He needs to be thinking at all times. You can get in trouble before you even get the words out of your mouth; if he takes the command without thinking. You must insist not only does the dog go in the right direction but he goes reading his sheep and thinking about what he is doing.

I also think that an issue Novice people need to address is the monumental amount of time involved -that is if you want to be successful. I don’t mind people doing this part – time as we all have other obligations. However don’t get upset with your dog when he doesn’t work like an Open dog. You see the “Pro” handlers run a dog and think, that looks so easy. It’s not ! It takes a lot of time, work and dedication to make it look that easy. I’m not saying you have to put the same time and energy in as a “Pro” but that you can’t expect the same results if you don’t. You can’t work a dog once every other week or even once a week and have a dog that’s trial polished. I do respect the amount of time and money many students put in to their “hobby”. Many do it because they appreciate the enjoyment their dogs receive from herding. However; they also need to have realistic expectations and don’t anticipate their dog wining every trial. They look at the trials as proving grounds to what they have been working on at home. It gives them an idea of how far along they are and how far they have to go. In other words a trial is nothing more or less than a measure of progress.

In the same note, I would like to comment on another beginners mistake. They feel since they only work once a week they should work for an hour straight. If you work a dog past his “desire” to work you will burn a dog out very, very, fast! I see dogs that have lost the joy of working and are just going through the motions – because they have been drilled hour after hour. You should never work a dog to the point of where the dog sours. If you feel you have driven a long way and don’t want to quit on a bad note then stop and take another lesson an hour later. That will keep the dog enthused about working which is so paramount in keeping the dog working to the best of his abilities.

I would like to add another note of warning, in the last few years a lot of people have undertaken “lesson giving”. I don’t think everyone is qualified to teach and I believe one should be very careful about whom they choose as a trainer. Some people talk a good line but have never trained a dog to an Open level. If one is giving lessons and never run or trained to Open standards (I don’t mean I ran a dog in Open once) there will be large gaps in their training abilities. I will give an example of possible repercussions from an owner taking lessons from a person that hasn’t trained a skilled Open dog.

Let’s say a student has a dog running well in Pro-Novice and is attempting to progress to Open. Eventually he does accomplish this goal only to find his dog does not have enough push to finish an Open course. He’s confused since his dog did so well in Pro-Novice … but what he doesn’t understand (and more important nether does his instructor) is the reason! Not only are Pro-Novice courses smaller but they also use dog broken sheep so often a non pushy dog looks perfect. A more experienced trainer would have been telling the owner to try to put more “push” in the dog long before he even started the Pro-Novice class (even if it meant losing the Pro-Novice classes in order to cultivate an Open dog). The point I’m making is if you were taking your lessons from a “Pro-Novice” person they wouldn’t even know a dog needs more push in Open. An“Open” handler realizes the time constraints contained in an Open class. This is only one small example – there are many more. There is a world of difference between a Novice/ Pro-Novice and Open.

You also need to take into account that in order to give lessons you need to know how to train a dog and then proceed to communicate that information to another person. I think some people do a great job training their own dogs but aren’t good with people. Then you get into personality differences of which there are as many “types” as there are dogs and you need to see which trainer best suits you. Some trainers talk you thorough what you are doing wrong … some let you make your own mistakes and then and only they will help you … others wait until you come to them and ask. I think once you have found a trainer that “fills your bill”, you should stick with one and not jump all over the place.

After saying this I want to make a statement I feel is more important than just about any other in helping you choose whom to go to. There are basically two methods of dog training … one is you MAKE a dog mind (or “in other words” break it) … the other is you work WITH the dog cultivating the dogs abilities into a “partnership”. You need to pick the one that feels comfortable to you! Remember Classes are long term clinics.

On to clinics I believe the more you can attend the better off you are because the more knowledge you gain the better trainer you will be. Two words of CAUTION: First — I firmly believe a person putting on a clinic should have won a number of Open trials with more than one dog other wise “why pay all the extra money” for a clinic with someone that knows only a little more than you do? Second try and ask around about the clinic trainers methods. If you are not sure then go as a spectator. You can confuse your dog if the trainers’ methods are opposite to yours. You need to use common sense when it comes to training a dog. If it isn’t comfortable to you, don’t do it! I think the only difference between a clinic and lessons are the amount of time spent at each.. If you go to a clinic and do something to a dog once incorrectly it will not have the consequences that a lesson once a week for 6 months would — but it will have consequences! So again if you’re not sure go as a spectator. A great advantage to a clinic is you will be exposed to a lot of handlers problems that they have not been able to work out on their own. So you will hear different solutions to problems you might not be experiencing yourself but could in the future. It always helps to have a different perspective on things. I still go to clinics, usually as a spectator because I thoroughly enjoy hearing how other people train. The one thing that makes this sport so enjoyable is that you will never learn all there is to know. Things are always changing because no two dogs are the same – nor are the packets of sheep and to that you add a different location and the variables are never ending. I think I’d like to end with a comment … I believe the best clinics or lessons are the ones where the students ask questions. I always enjoy a good question and think most good teachers agree — that is what keeps things fresh and interesting.