Lately I seem to be reading more comments from people who think a “ranch dog” is better than a “trial dog”. Or a trial dog can’t do the job a ranch dog can.

When asked … I always answer with yes, no or maybe.

I’ve heard and seen people brag how good their ranch dog is and those trial dogs could never “get er’ done”. All the while … their dog is doing nothing except harassing the stock .. and they think that’s  a dog working “naturally” while those “trial dogs” have to be told every step to take.

I don’t disagree some dogs are started and trained on nothing but 3 sheep and total precision. They are never left to think, act, or work on their own. They become “little machines” with perfect obedience but can only work in “trial program” mode.  I’ve personally seen “those type” win a trial and then couldn’t exhaust their own sheep … because THAT wasn’t programmed into the dog (or the person apparently :@). Do I think that would make a good ranch dog – no. BUT, I also don’t think that makes the best trial dog either. It might look good as long as the sheep are cooperative but if sheep decide to bolt back to the set-out at 600 yards – “more than likely” that dog would never be able handle it. Those “type” of dogs usually don’t do well with big trials and “double lifts” either.

If you start training a pup for perfection instead of trying to “carve” a rough draft of the end “product” … what you end up with will be so thin and weak it can be easily broken. So, let a young dog BE a young dog — don’t try to start with finesse. However, it’s just as important you don’t let him “run amok”. If you train for nothing but all fast action and brute force you will have a hard time putting the finesse in later on. Sometimes novices seem to believe if a dog is hard running, chasing and biting the stock – that must mean the dog has power … usually its just the opposite.

A rough draft does not mean chase livestock with tail flying in the air. It means working stock with more push than what you need for trial circumstances but with calm purpose. It does not mean “anything goes”.  Neither people nor dogs process information or learn anything when their brain is in a frenzy.

A lot of people confuse a handler giving information to a dog (whistles to a dog) to making a mechanical robot. It’s NOT the same thing … giving information (verbal or whistles) is NOT necessarily making a dog “just” obey. Remember Information is power and it doesn’t necessarily mean you are trying to control his every move. Example: If you give a redirect on an outrun … you are giving the dog information that will make his life (and the sheep’s) easier. A cross over starts a dog in the wrong frame of mind and usually upsets the sheep. So, that “one redirect whistle” gave information that solved a lot of issues before they ever came up — for a ranch dog OR a trial dog. Sheep on a ranch don’t like to be “buzzed” by a dog tight on his outrun anymore than a trial sheep do. Might not bother them as much because they are so dog broke (or use to that particular dog but it IS still is unsettling).

Some novices also seem to be just as confused about pressure. They seem to think pressure/correction is all negative and thats not how they want to train their dog. Pressure (when done right) is nothing more than information.

However …. A dog needs to FEEL he can control the pressure … if he feels he has no say in the matter he will either give up or blow through it. He needs to know when he’s RIGHT pressure is OFF … when he’s WRONG pressure is ON. He learns that he is in control of that pressure by giving in to it.

The same can be said for information — it can be used to make you two a better team or used to control the dogs every step. It all depends on how you decide to use it.

I’ve always said it’s much easier to find a good ranch dog than it is a good trial dog – but there is no reason you can’t do both with the same dog if train correctly. It’s just easier to train for ranch work than it is trial work (basics are the same but you don’t need all the “bells and whistles”). Good top class trial dogs are not easily “come by” but I bet 90% make great ranch/farm dogs —  BUT I sure don’t think it goes “the other way”.

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.

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!

While working a dog I have in for training I ran into a problem that seems to emerge as a common thread running through numerous dogs I take in. The problem child I was referring to is a really nice yearling bitch that has a lot of potential with an amazing amount of natural talent. We were having a beneficial session working on balancing and the basics of reading sheep. I laid her down, called her off to set her up in order to send her again. I do this quite a bit – so young dogs don’t associate “That’ll do” with the dreaded “not being able to work anymore”. Then out of the blue she decided not to come when called. So the rest of the training session became one of calling the dog off and working on her “coming when called”. I didn’t stop this exercise until she was controlling herself even when I wasn’t standing right next to her. This is a major prerequisite for a dog – it has to come when called. When I say coming when called I don’t mean coming when he has exhausted every reason it can conjecture up not to.

I often wonder if people realize how much time trainers spend teaching basic discipline to dogs? During the years I have taken dogs in I have depleted training hours teaching dogs such basic things as their names and coming when called. Novice people need to realize that just because a dog looks at you after you have said his name 20 times does not mean he knows it. In the same vein just because a dog finally comes after being told to 20 times does not mean he will come when called! I see this as a big hole in novices training. They think the dog is doing what it has been told and it is not. It’s doing something it was told when it felt like doing it. It came when it finally got around to it not when it was told. This is not a trained dog, it may be a semi-conditioned dog, but is not trained.

If you are paying someone to train your dog to work sheep your money would definitely be better spent on sheep work than having the trainer teaching your dog what his name is. In my estimation Border Collies need owner guidance more than any breed, that is if you want to have a functional relationship with him. The reason for a Border Collie needing this attention and direction is because of their intelligence. A dog this bright requires interaction with his owner. If he learns to listen and mind when told, both you and the dog will appreciate each other more because both will know what is expected of them. Dogs do not resent discipline, they need it and become unsettled if they don’t receive it. I think this perception is one beginners have a difficult time understanding. A dog feels safer and more confident if he know his pecking order in the house. The majority are much more comfortable if they feel someone above them is in control. I could relay hundreds of problems that occur when people do not perceive dogs’ actions accurately.

I had one dog in for training that eventually was put to sleep for aggression against people. When he first came here the owner permitted him to lunge at everyone that walked by. The owner thought he was trying to correct this behavior by saying the word “no” but not once did he truly correct the dog or give any body language indicating he was displeased with the dog. (Another way of putting it was the correction did not fit the crime!) I worked the dog on sheep and corrected him hard and fast at the very beginning so he had respect for me and I didn’t have a major problem. He was a strong willed dog and you could never let up or he would take advantage but if you kept on him he would listen. I had him in for training off and on for a year. During this time he behaved once or twice in an aggressive manner with me and he was immediately and very strongly corrected. It didn’t take him long to understand if I wasn’t feeling threatened and being aggressive, he was not to behave that way. He was fine here but whenever he went home the aggressive behavior was once again being rewarded (not on purpose, I’m sure!) So, unfortunately he matured into a very combative dog, that eventually was put down. I have another example of a Border Collie that was left at home all day long by himself. He soon learned how to jump the fence so he could go down the block to visit and play with school kids. He would come home before his owners so they never knew he was leaving. However the day came when he discovered girl dogs and didn’t bother to come home on time! He was another one that was put down because he was impossible to confine. Neither of these cases are about people not caring for their dogs, quite the contrary, they care, they just don’t understand. These are usually the people that have their dog in the house with them and although they love their dog they have never demanded anything from him. They let the dog get away with murder customarily because they are not sure how to discipline correctly. Students are always saying to me “why is it that my dog listens to you and not me…tell me the words to use”. There isn’t a word that will fix all your behavior problems. It is a total package of body language and the dog knowing that you mean what you say. Often people tell a dog one thing with words and their body is saying totally the opposite. I will undertake to give an appropriate illustration of this. If for instance, you are saying the words “lie down” and simultaneously patting your leg while backing up. The words being spoken are lie down but what is being communicated in body language is a very strong come to me. This is a detrimental mistake that beginners make saying and doing are not the same thing. Just because you say the same words as the trainer does not mean the dog will respond in the same manner.

If you will take the time to observe dogs interacting with each other it will be time well spent because you can learn a tremendous amount about dog psychology. Understanding dog behavior will benefit the union between you and your dog. Observe when a lower ranked dog growls and notice not one dog in the pack even blinks an eye. However; let the pack leader growl and every dog around is suddenly on their best behavior even if they weren’t doing anything wrong! Both dogs growled (said the same word) but the difference between the two growls are that there would have been consequences to the pack leader’s growl and believe me all the dogs know it. The subordinate dog’s growl was all “bark and no bite” and the dogs have no trouble distinguishing between the two. This example is the difference between a dog electing to listen or ignore a command. They have to accept it as absolute that if they don’t respond when told to do something there WILL be a correction, each and every time. I want to repeat EACH AND EVERY TIME. This means that you have to stop and correct a dog not just when you feel like it but every time you tell him to do something and he doesn’t comply. For example, let’s say you have told your dog to come and he doesn’t. So you repeat the command … what message have you given him? You have just communicated to him that he is safe ignoring you at least once. Then depending on how many times you repeat yourself will decide how many times he will be comfortable dismissing you. In other words, if he comes on the fourth time you’ve called him, four times is the number of times you don’t enforce what you say. This will be his comfort zone knowing he is safe in blowing you off at least four times. Then, of course, he will start pushing that number higher until he will eventually not come at all. This scenario will happen in all aspects of his training if you keep allowing him to not regard your words as absolutes. The first rule of training is never say anything you are not ready and willing to back-up with a physical action. When I say a physical action I do not mean striking a dog. I mean pressure enough to make the dog stop whatever he’s doing and try to figure out what you want because you (substitute pack) are more important than what he was doing. Depending on the dog and how sensitive he is will dictate how much pressure will be needed to give a correction. If you watch a dog fight you will observe it usually sounds worse than it looks. Listening to all the snarls and growls you would expect to find holes in the recipient of the attack. Very seldom do dogs resort to getting so physical they harm one another. Nevertheless, be assured they might not leave teeth marks on the skin but they leave no doubt on the other dog’s mind they meant business! People get confused when told to discipline their dog believing it means getting rough with a dog. It isn’t how rough you get but how well you get your message across, how consistent you are in your discipline.

In another context you could look at this as a matter of respect. Your dog needs to believe you mean down when you say it even if he is running full tilt after sheep. If your dog won’t down 2 feet from you, do you really think there’s a chance he will 200 yards out? Start up close and stay up close until he is reliable 100% at hand. I see people go to the post with their dog on a leash. If when you are walking to the post you can’t trust him to listen to you … are you hoping the further away he gets the better he will listen and mind?

OK, you say you have the idea, now how do you fix it? Set it up to happen so you can work on it when you are not doing other things. Don’t wait until you need control in order to find out you have none. Let’s start with what I started this article with “coming when called”. Most people say come and when the dog doesn’t they go get the dog and pull it to where they wanted it to go. Good idea not to repeat a command but bad idea to go and make the dog go somewhere by holding him. He wasn’t minding… he was being controlled. In other words, he had no CHOICE so he couldn’t choose to come. He has to learn to control himself and to mind because it is not acceptable not to. Yes, you should have gone over to him but then you should have corrected him, let him go, and called him again. This gives him freedom to choose to come. Don’t start this in a 20 acre pasture or you will lose…he has four legs, you only have two. So make sure you start in a small area. You are working on his “mind” and trying to convince him coming to you is in his best interest. Again, you do this through the mind, not by physically hitting him. When I say you back it up with a physical action, I mean you walk over and correct him again if he doesn’t come to you. A correction is anything from, when you are walking to him, he cringes and comes running to you …. up to grasping him behind the ears and shaking him. Watch him and judge as you are walking toward him, if he is cringing when you get there…..that’s enough discipline…don’t shake him. If he is smelling the ground when you get there, he is ignoring you and needs a stronger correction. This is usually a problem that begins early so pay attention and begin working on it when he is just a pup. Most people wait until they have a problem and then start worrying about it. It happens with all pups so just plan on it. Go places with just enough distractions to help you get your point across and not enough he won’t be able to focus on you. You want to make sure you start in a safe place where he can’t get hurt if he tries to run away. Plan ahead in order to find a place he can’t get away. It can become a habit if he learns that the way to avoid discipline is to run. You can use a long line to help convince him you have the ability to correct even at a distance. You need to build up in his mind that you have super natural abilities.

I want to touch on another reason some dogs won’t come when called and that is they don’t feel safe in coming. Someone has “intentionally or not” disciplined them for coming. Watch your timing and as I mentioned earlier if you are walking over to discipline him and he comes up to you cringing don’t pick him up and shake him at that point. The reason being you would be communicating to him is it is not safe to come to you. You always want your dogs to feel that you are going be there to help them. I bring this up because this will come into play later on in his training. If when he is working a sheep that turns on him, he will need to know you are on his side. He needs to think of you two as a team and feel like you would be there to come and help. If he is afraid to come to you this is a sign your timing is off. So, make sure the correction fits not just the crime but also his response to your disciplining him.

However (it seems like there is always a HOWEVER doesn’t it!) you can’t have him coming to you when you tell him to down. This is a different issue than being afraid to come. This is an issue not of “timing” but of “pressure”. If you tell him to lie down and he starts to run toward you, you need to put pressure on him to back him away from you. The minute he stops his forward motion, you stop putting pressure on him and repeat the down command. This is a dualfold problem…on one hand you have “yes, he isn’t doing what he was told” (which was to lie down,) but the other hand “why isn’t he doing what he was told?” Is it because of confusion? If you have a desire to be a good trainer you need to discover the difference. There is a consequential distinction between a dog disobeying because of confusion or one disobeying with defiance. Both need to be mended but require different approaches. When working on confusion you need to resolve certain communication problems. When dealing with defiance, you need to determine why the dog is challenging you.

Sold as a trial dog with a litter back: We bred her to a son of Aled Owen’s Roy (that I imported) and I have received encouraging reports on how well the pups are working. I’ve seen 4 “in person” or on video … always a pleasure to see how a “cross” turns out.

Click on picture to enlarge:

Her outruns are wide and deep, she’s looser-eyed but with the right amount of feel for her sheep. Has plenty of “walk up” and needs to work on her pace (prefer that to begging ”walk up – walk up” :@) Sheep are respectful of her but not afraid and move smoothly off her. Although a pushy bitch that needs a firm hand to keep her “in line” - she’s not a hard dog.

Click HERE for a short video of her working.

PEDIGREE (click to enlarge)

“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?

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.

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” doesn’t 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

“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.