I’ve always had a propensity to view dog training as “art” – along the lines of taking and developing photographs. Before you ever “click” the camera you need to have a concept in your mind of the visual rendering you are trying to create.

Each work session is equivalent to taking “snapshots” for your photo album of a finished dog … hopefully “all the while” you are building these images into a panoramic view. The snapshots you take can never be replicated by anyone else’s but the “end product” (a dog working correctly) will still be recognized by sheep and handlers alike.

After you have enough snapshots you move on to the developing room. At the onset all you will see is a blurred image of a dog and sheep – but with work, time and patience the pictures become clearer and sharper until you have a physical entity to match the original image in your eye. “By the way” … the key word is “develop” not Photoshop:~).

Do the snapshots you are now taking measure up to the refined image you are trying to expose. Or do your snapshots portray a dog flanking tightly, flying past balance, not stopping or listening. If “this is the case” … the picture you are endeavoring to develop will never come into view. You can’t take blurred images and end up with a crisp, sharp picture. If you are only taking black and white shots you will miss out on that beautiful color portrait you see when a good open dog runs.

The key to a proficient finished dog is learning to take the correct snapshot exactly when it’s happening. Your timing will “make or break” how your dog’s portrait unfolds.

Let’s say you are working on outruns and your dog tends to run tight at the top. So, in an effort to widen him out – you have been giving him a stop and then a redirect. One day it “clicks in his mind” that when he hears the stop … he’s TIGHT and needs flank out. So, instead of stopping he goes wider … which is exactly what you have been trying to communicate to him.

BUT: instead of saying “YES … you’ve got it! That’s what I want”! (“There by” encouraging him to problem solve). You choose to make the picture “black and white” and focus on him not stopping. However; the problem is – he wasn’t thinking about stopping he was thinking … “got it” … go wider! So although you may have thought you were properly correcting him – you weren’t – because that was NOT his thought process. So, now instead of “developing” a dog that is confident in his ability to “figure out what you want and adjust accordingly” … the snapshot you just took is of a dog hesitant to think for himself.

That “split second” is the difference between a trainer and a great trainer. It’s not only understanding that these dogs do process, think and learn but it’s that impeccable timing that rewards him at the exact moment he was thinking correctly. Work with his mind not just his body *his mind understood what you wanted … but you were more concerned with what his body was doing*. If you give corrections in relation to what YOU are thinking instead what HE is thinking then you will never achieve a full color portrait. When you get to the developing room all your photos will be black and white or “at best” dull muted colors.

Good trainer’s snapshots are crisp, sharp, in focus with great “depth of field”. The corrections and rewards come at the most optimum time … “there by” building confidence between dog and trainer. Creating one of the most significant training tools there is … the confidence the dog acquires in his own abilities to think and find solutions to difficult situations.

So, if your finished image is of a dog thinking and working with you then you need to understand how to let it develop. If you don’t spend the time to get each snapshot focused … then you will loose that picture as if it was exposed to sunlight … fading until you can’t recognize it any longer.

However, there is good news.. A picture once developed is forever frozen (“that is” unless it’s photo-shopped :~)… not so with training. You can alter your final portrait by deciding to take different snapshots to add to your photo collection. So, “picture” in your mind what you want your finished dog to look like and start timing your “snapshots” to achieve that goal.

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.

This morning I was out training a couple of young dogs of ours. One is a 19 month old smooth coated female and the other a 15 month old red rough coated male. One was a delight to work and the other I walked away from the work session just exhausted. When I came back in the house I was dissecting the difference between them. They both have aptitude, both are well worth putting training time into but they are as different as night and day and I am biased as to which type I like. Through out this article I will attempt to explain the differences between these two and then to spell out the reasons I tend to prefer one type over the other. I will be comparing the two to give an idea how totally different two dogs can be even though they both have potential and a strong desire to work. An underlining reason for this article is to give some insight to people that might have only trained one or two dogs and don’t really have a feel for the different types of dogs there are.

Here is some background on the two pups. The male wanted to work at around 8 – 9 months old and was fast enough even at that age to start serious training. Some pups are too clunky and slow at 8 months so they aren’t capable of heading the sheep. This wasn’t the case as he was physically very capable of working but, and this is a very big but, he wasn’t emotionally mature enough to take the training. So I chose to put him up and waited until he was over a year old. The female was around 10 months when she first began to work and once started was in full training mode and we haven’t looked back since. What I mean by that is with some dogs it’s best to start them and then put them up and let them mature more before you really put pressure on them. You can start a dog and allow them to learn about sheep without putting a lot of pressure on. However, once you start serious training, for instance off balance work, it takes more pressure than a young pup can readily take. That being the case you would be better off waiting until they are capable of taking intense pressure before you continue with that concentrated of training.

The male is chase oriented and although the female is quite capable of chasing it’s done in a totally different fashion. He wants to work but doesn’t have the eye or natural about him that she does. He never bends off sheep and won’t unless I put that in him. She will go straight towards the sheep but will blow herself out…she can’t help it, it’s just in her make up. I didn’t train her to do this but I did cultivate it. When she chased I would fuss at her and when she backed off I would praise her. I will try to do the same with the male but will have to do more than just fuss at him. The “more” I am referring to is to MAKE HIM give (translated – mechanical training) when he gets close to sheep. The way I do this is by making sure each and every time he approaches his sheep I am always in a position to put pressure on him in order to back him off. I didn’t have to do that with the female because she felt the pressure of the sheep on her own. I didn’t need to be the one to tell her to get back, the pressure of the sheep told her. The male doesn’t have that “program” in him so I will have to insert it by repeating “get back” only when I am in a position to make him. This will be repeated time after time until I eventually construct a pattern that will be ingrained in him. (This is the reason I waited longer to start the male. I could not just let him work on his own because his “own” was nothing more than sheep chasing and he was not emotionally mature enough to take the pressure of me perpetually saying “get back”.)

One of the problems with this sort of dog is the time involved…since I am “putting” most of his skill in him instead of “developing” it’s much more time consuming. If this is your only dog then it’s possibly not a considerable problem but when you are working a number of dogs a day the difficulties multiply. When totally finished he might make a better trial dog than her but be assured I would rather have pups out of her than him. The obvious reasoning behind this – what she has is “natural” increasing the odds of her abilities being inherited. The male’s offspring would need a good trainer to get the best out of them. When you are breeding dogs the training doesn’t go with the dog only the natural!      

Now on to the main point of this article…the amount of time and effort it takes to train a dog. We often get calls from people wanting started and/or trained dogs. The thing that brought this article into focus was a call from a lady looking to buy a started dog. She described how much training she wanted the dog to have. She wanted a least at 200 to 300 yard outrun, set on its flanks and possibly the beginnings of a drive. Then she proceeded to quote the amount of money she wanted to spend and it almost wouldn’t buy one of our pups. This started me wondering if people ever think how much time it takes to train a dog. If we ever calculated it in hourly wages we would never sell any of them. I work dogs 6 days a week and could not begin to tell you the hours it takes to get one really running right. I am trying to communicate to a novice person all the effort put forth trying to mold a potential trial dog. I hope to achieve this objective by going into more detail about the two young dogs that I began the article with. The term “started” dog sounds so simple but if you will read on you will see that’s usually not the case. The examples offered are dogs with talent so you could easily double your training time on a so – so dog.

I will also endeavor to give you a notion of what I like and don’t like in each. I will start out with the male. He is a bold, confident and workmanlike dog with a lot of qualities about him that are exceptionally nice. He has a great nature and is people and dog friendly. He wants to please me and he has a great passion for his work. He’s not afraid of anything on four legs (or two) and has power to burn. On his first trip to sheep he ran through the middle and scattered them (on his 30th trip too I might ad!) These dog broke sheep knew for safety’s sake they needed to regroup and return to me. However, between myself and the flock was one lone sheep and a little red dog. The sheep figured “what the heck, he’s not very big – I’ll go over him”. Mistake! He met her in the air taking hold of a nose and he never flinched. For me he is not an easy dog to train because he takes most things personally and gets his feelings hurt quite easily. Since he’s soft you have to make sure he understands what you expect of him, but once that’s accomplished he will give 100%. If he thinks you are upset with him he will cop a bit of an attitude (substitute pout). You can work him for a long period of time without him becoming sour and I’m sure he would take to drilling without a doubt but I hate drilling and very seldom do it. He will walk on straight to his sheep and push almost to the point that he ends up in the middle of them. Unfortunately he will take a tremendous amount of time to train. I think (one never knows until you’re done) he will finish into a good dog.      

I owned both his parents and his father was natural – almost to a fault. His mother was a really good trial dog but was not a natural and in order to have her running correctly you had to do a lot of drilling, which is why I never really enjoyed her. The female on the other hand is naturally gifted and all I have to do is guide her talent in the right direction. This doesn’t mean she is without fault. She is extremely high strung and wired most of the time making her almost impossible to live with. She’s a bit unusual in as much as her tension does not carry over to her work – once she’s on her sheep she relaxes. It’s an uphill battle to stop her because she can’t stand to be motionless for a second. She wants to leave your side the minute she thinks sheep are anywhere in the vicinity. She has a stronger desire to “work” than to “please” so it takes a strong hand to keep her right.

However you have to be careful because she’s touchy and once she concludes you are upset with her she starts worrying more about you than the stock. In other words, she loses confidence easily so I have to make sure to encourage her immediately after I “get on her”. This particular fault is irritating to me at times. I prefer a dog that will do something even if it’s wrong as compared to one that slows up trying to evaluate whether you are upset with them. She’s quick as a cat and you better have your timing “dead on” or she will over run your commands. She doesn’t get along with people or other dogs (and would make a terrible pet) and I have worked hard to get her familiarized with people, dogs and horses putting out her sheep. She flanks just the right distance and when you “get hold of the reins” she has pace that won’t quit. When she started I was concerned about her power, believing her not to be an especially strong dog but since have changed my mind somewhat. Much of what I was reading as weak seems to be more trepidation about me … in other words we are back to lacking confidence again. The event that made me reconsider was watching her bring “wall to wall” sheep out of a barn. She had to go over … through … under …etc. the sheep in order to get to the opposite side and push them out – all accomplished without once biting.      

Though she will run in and bite, she doesn’t yet have the confidence to walk up and take hold of a nose. On the drive she will hold a line better than some of my finished dogs. She is a gifted dog and ranks up there with one of the best I’ve ever started. You can never be sure how they will finish but I couldn’t ask for a better beginning. She is a joy to work. To summarize … The basics of what I look for and the repercussions when these basics are lacking.

1. I think first and foremost I want eye and balance …
The male has very little of either but does have enough to keep his sheep together. He has NO PROBLEM with push but I will have to constantly work on keeping him at the correct flank distance as this will never be natural with him. The female will need to have her confidence worked on more than her balance. The male will take a much longer since he doesn’t have the built in flank distance and I will have to put this is in him and we are talking a very time consuming program! If he had any less eye I would be truly concerned as I really prefer a dog with a little more eye.

2. Power …
This is a hard one! I’ve had dogs I watched sheep run off when they were young and yet when matured would take on anything. So, I try not to worry unnecessarily about this issue. I feel it can be developed to some extent. The male, as I have already mentioned, is not lacking and will not need a lot of work in this area. The female will need more work and encouragement before I will feel completely comfortable with her. One way I will accomplish this is by backing sheep in a corner and have her walk up and touch noses with the sheep and then teach her to “take – hold” on command. This will take some time but I don’t feel I need to rush it. I’ll make sure not to overmatch her with a sheep that will grind her into the ground and knock all the confidence out of her. I started her on dog broke (i.e. easy to move sheep) and will “work up” to sheep that have more resistance to them. I will let her go in and take hold if at any time she acts unsure and I will always be there to make sure I can help her if needed. I will do the same with the male even thought he doesn’t need it as much as she does.

3. Biddable …
I want a dog to listen!! This is of course of prime importance when you are dealing in trial dogs. It adds up to more than that because it is what makes working a dog enjoyable. If you have to fight a dog every step he takes then eventually it will take the pleasure out of working. You need a dog that wants to cooperate and help you, not one whose goal in life is to make yours more tedious. It’s difficult to explain because it’s not a tangible thing but you know it when you have it. Some dogs glance at you to say “OK now what”? Some just cock an ear to hear you better. It doesn’t matter how they do it as long as the message is “I want to interact with you”. It is more than “I want to work sheep,” it’s “I want to work sheep with you.” I sometimes think this attitude is one of the most important things a working dog can exhibit. If, when you put pressure on him (training is pressure!), he cops an attitude refusing to give 100% then obviously it is impossible to get the best out of him. If he carries this attitude to the extreme he will quit you. I am not talking about being unfair while working. This will cause even a reasonable dog to get “an attitude”! I am talking about the formidable amount of pressure it takes to train a dog to Open standards. If you think of the hours and hours it takes to get a dog to trial standards you will understand why most trainers are very choosy about the dogs they keep for themselves.

I hope this will give you a portrait of what occurs while trying to train a dog … all of the trainer’s thoughts on how to correct faults, the worries and concerns about how to best communicate to the dog and then the effort to bring out the best the dog has to give. None of this is included in the price of a dog but believe me it is there!

“Illusions of Control”

Control – just how much is enough? When does enough become too much. This is a common novice query. As usual, a problematic question to answer “on paper”. The first supposition most make is – “too much is when the dog quits” (but that “begs the question” … how did they quit – mentally or physically?) Actually there are circumstances and dogs that need to be pushed to “the quitting point” in order to get a message across. This is why it’s difficult to answer any question “in one dimension” – you can’t see the dog/handler interaction while attempting to “fix” a problem on paper. I’ve pushed dogs to the “quitting point” and they ended up “the better”. BUT, I also know WHY I’m doing it … “taking into account” when to do it, how far to push, and when to stop. This is the dilemma for novices – knowing when they should “push” an issue and when they should “back off”. Usually the dogs that benefited from being pushed to “the quitting point” were ones that had consistently “gotten the better of” their owners (usually novice) and needed to understand they couldn’t have their sheep until the trainer allowed it. Nevertheless … “as a rule” putting that much pressure on a dog is not useful. That’s why it’s so important to understand the “fundamentals” of control – how much is needed and what you are trying to achieve while applying it. To use control as “a power trip” will benefit neither you nor your dog.

I’ll give an example (that occurred years ago) of being “right but ending up wrong”. I typically work my dogs “free flowing” meaning I try not to down them incessantly but instead teach them to rate themselves with the sheep while working. Unexpectedly, I was noticing when I said “lie down” the dog would quit working. At first, I would “get after him” and send him back “onto” his sheep … but after it happened a few times (and “a big clue” … with different dogs) I decided that I must be communicating something unintended. So, instead of just “blaming the dog” I spent time trying to grasp exactly what message I was conveying.

The end result was a “two fold”. First, since I didn’t routinely use a down while working, when I did say it usually it was in context of calling them off (either to set up another outrun or to quit all together). However, the second reason was more important. When I did down them “on stock” it was usually an intense down. When calling them off I used a different tone – so in essence they heard it as “that’ll do”. If I wasn’t “in tune” with the dogs I might have punished them for something I was causing. By saying – “lie down” (in a softer tone than the usual down) and then saying “that’ll do” … they soon learned that the soft down was a precursor to a call off. So, to solve the problem I started using softer lie downs during the work session. A simple solution … which could have easily been made into a “confrontation for control”.

Not being in control is obviously non-constructive. However, not being in “total” control isn’t always a negative thing. With some dogs there are advantages to not expecting every move to be perfect. Novices do not have a preconceived “picture” of what they want a dog to work like – so they don’t have the desire to “handle” a dogs every step. They’re usually hesitant to “make” a dog do something and are more inclined to just let a dog “just work”. Where an open handler knowing exactly what they want would “demand” specific moves. . There are a number of dogs that are natural with a soft nature … good dogs but aren’t able take a lot of “cranking on”. These types of dogs usually work better with out a lot of “control” and since the novice isn’t continually demanding perfection – they are well suited for each other. I’ve seen dogs that didn’t run well in the hands of some top handlers become good dogs when handled by a novice. Why? The novice, not knowing enough to “get on them” made the dog more relaxed without all that “precision pressure”.

What’s more detrimental to a dog than too much control is too much control combined with bad timing. The dog never feels comfortable with himself, the handler or the stock. Dogs characteristically react to “bad handling” in two different ways. Some loose “heart” just going through the motions … obeying every command but not REALLY working stock. Some get so tense they run through every command (instead of turning off – they just go faster). Both “types” may have started out trying to comply with the trainer – but when the conflict between what their instincts were telling them to do and what the trainer was making them do – they lost trust. In essence it’s the same problem but due to the nature of the dogs you end up with two entirely different results. Fundamentally both were taught that nothing they did was right … some lost “their drive” and waited to be told what to do (or some just wouldn’t work). Others (usually the “high drive” kind) listened to the livestock more than the handler and started running through commands trying to keep control of their stock.

In conclusion: Dogs do need to have someone in control but the “controller” needs to understand this breeds amazing intelligence and instincts and work with these attributes not against it.

So the question Novices need to ask themselves – – – do you want to view “control” as management or power?

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.

“PRESSURE COOKER”
Recently while having a conversion with several Novice people I became unsettled with how they regarded the concept of putting pressure on a dog. The majority seemed to view pressure with a negative connotation and while I do believe pressure in the wrong spot/time can be detrimental — this is not the true meaning of pressure. So I thought I would write this particular article with the hopes of giving Novices a different perspective of “pressure and corrections”. While listening to the interaction it seemed to me the prevailing perception was “punishment” or the use of force to make a dog obey. I’m from a different “school of thought” and have a totally different point of view on pressure. I consider the purpose of pressure exactly the opposite of discomfort. I think pressure if used properly will relieve the dog’s tension of “the unknown”. It’s not possible to take all of the unknowns out of life but its easier to cope if there are “lines drawn in the sand” that allows you to know that, if and when, you cross those lines there will be consequences. Life is full of decisions and knowing what consequences lay ahead when making these decision helps not hinders.

A dog is no different in that if he knows where you stand you can begin to build a relationship based on understanding and trust. The principal factor in this is YOU have to know where you stand in order to communicate this to your dog. If you are “wishy-washy” one day and then determined on another the only thing your dog will receive from that message is “confusion”.

When Novice people think of pressure only in connection with correction and they are loosing a very valuable tool and need to try and broaden their concepts. Pressure can be as subtle as leaning toward a dog when you are standing at the post in order to communicate to him that the sheep are further out than he thinks. If done correctly a dog will learn you are trying to help him and view this pressure as guidance not punishment.

It is true correction does employ pressure however pressure can be used to keep the dog from getting a correction. Let’s give an example where pressure and correction interplay. Let’s say I have a dog I have been working with for awhile and he knows the basics so he understands what I want when I say down. On this day he is feeling his oats and decides to override my down command. If he’s not normally a hard dog I would remind him with a verbal growl. A gruff voice would convey that I’m not happy with what he’s doing. Now if a dog knows the rules he will feel safe hearing those words because they are there to keep him from getting into more trouble than he can handle. However, this particular dog and I are still working on our relationship and he’s not convinced that I will follow through with my verbal correction so he pushes harder The minute I know he is testing my corrections I go after him with so much pressure that he thinks (notice I said thinks… not does) about quitting. Just when he is more worried about what I’m going to do to him than what the sheep are doing, I release all pressure and encourage him back on to his sheep. Believe me – I’m still in the back of his mind when he does go back to the sheep but he’s in a much better frame of mind to listen to “lesser forms” of pressure. We have achieved a deeper stage in our working relationship. He knows where he stands and how far he can push. Because he knows there will be consequences, the next time the verbal command comes he will think twice before he contemplates ignoring it. This of course depends on the dog … some you spend a life time convincing others it takes only one session to make believers out of them. The point is they KNOW I mean business even if they are the type that tries to push “the envelope” all the time.

Trainers must correct and then let go (i.e. don’t hold a grudge) but this is only part of the picture. I think with most Novice people there is a major gap in understanding and dealing with the entire pressure issue. You must always remember don’t keep it on all the time. The most powerful thing about pressure is it can be use as a reward if used correctly. The reason pressure works is that it tells them “no” this is not what I want and then the release of pressure is “yes” this is what I want. Soon the dog discovers when it listens and obeys the release of pressure will soon come. Thereby learning true pressure is nothing more than a form of communication. However, if you keep pressure on all the time what you will get is a dog “on edge” and tends to “blow up” at any moment.

Lets use an non-dog related example … getting a glass of water. You have a water faucet in the house and you always have water “pressure”. You acknowledge it’s there but until the time it’s needed (you’re thirsty and need a glass of water) you don’t turn it on. If you left it on all the time your house would soon be flooded. You only turn it on, for as long as it takes to fill the glass, and then you turn it off until you need more water. In order to fill the glass you don’t need to turn it on full blast or it would force the water out of the glass but you also don’t want it dripping, it would take forever to fill the glass. I suppose you could get a glass of water if you just left the faucet running all the time but think what would occur when you opened the kitchen door in order to fill your glass. You would get a lot more than you bargained for.

Dogs often respond the same way if kept under constant pressure — that is by exploding. When pressure is kept on continually making the dog never sure where “the beginning or the end” is – they become a time bomb just waiting to explode. So, always remember “pressure on” – “pressure off” … just how much pressure depends on a number of factors, how hard/soft your dog is, what is the dogs attitude, (is he blowing you off or perhaps doesn’t understand what you are trying to communicate to him). Again, using our faucet example … If you try to fill the glass up a drop at a time the water will evaporate before you ever fill the glass (this is called nagging). If you “get on” the dog time after time yet never really ‘getting through’, in time, the dog will be too numb to listen to anything you have to say. You have to give the correct amount of pressure to accomplish your goal of conveying to the dog exactly what you expect. To “little” and the dog will ignore you … to “much” and some dogs will quit and won’t work at all.

I hear people say “oh that dog has had too much pressure put on it. But I don’t believe it’s just a matter of “too much pressure” (as most dogs can take a lot pressure if they know when they perform correctly the pressure will be released) but lack of consistency in using pressure. Consistency allows a dog to know where it stands and what you will allow and what you won’t. In other words it gives the dog boundaries. When a dog doesn’t know what is expected of him he can never be comfortable (with you or with the stock) and the end result is a dog that can “blow up” when you least expecting it.

So, Novices try looking at pressure in a “different light” and use it to your advantage.