Confidence Builder Suggestions Please

[HighDesertSpice]

My bc mix was initiated on sheep this weekend. She has a lot of enthusiasm, pursued the sheep around the pen like a banjee, but was upright the entire time. The world thinks she is a Beagle now. She did some other things like "peeled em off the fence", "cut in", "changed direction", et al. (Don't ask me, I'm new.)

 

Come to think of it, she runs upright in the dog parks too, UNLESS we are basically alone, and then I see that "hug the ground" low run. If this is primarily a confidence thing, what do you suggest to bring out the bc in her? (She is a herding dog mutt--the shelter pegged her as a bc, with possibly ha dash of heeler or aussie, and a bit of lab thrown in. She IS a quirky bc mutt. the volunteer-folks at the HS seemed to know her, so I may go back and investigate further....)

 

She did NOT work with any "eye" and if the sheep stood still, she basically barked until they moved again. Quite possibly not a lot of talent, but why not try to maximize what she does have! I haven't seen enough bc's working to know how to answer this question.

 

And i might add, she is acting like quite a little princess two days later.

[stockdogranch]

Upright is USUALLY a sign of not a ton of eye; or, the converse: the more eye, the more "style" or crouch-y style there is, generally. I don't know of a lot you can do to "build" eye, but upright is not necessarily a bad thing. Since the dog is mixed, it's not surprising that she's upright. I'd just be happy with whatever the dog does on stock, and learn as much as possible. In other words, don't worry what the dog LOOKS like working, just be happy that she works. I don't think there is such a thing as "bringing out the BC in her"--she is who she is. Being a mix, she is probably not going to be the next winner of the National Finals, but you and she can learn a lot together and have fun on the journey,

Anna

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

How much eye your dog has really doesn't have much to do with either how well she'll work sheep ultimately, or even how much Border Collie she is. My purebred Ben looks like a blessed Rough Collie when he works - it's a little embarrasing, actually. But he gets the job done. The little faults he have are not related to his lack of eye.

 

Eye tends to be the first thing a purebred BC loses when crossed with another breed. At least that's what I've noticed. But you can still have fun, as Anna has noted.

[HighDesertSpice]

Ok, thanks for the encouragement, Guys. We will have fun. It's interesting, that these "workout's" are typically followed by a calm day, and then the spice spikes --she's full of it today, the little corker.

[PSmitty]

How fun for you and Hailey! Isn't is a blast?

 

My Jack (also a mix) has only been on sheep once, and he was upright, with no eye, also. I know for him, this was not a lack of confidence, though he is a dog with many issues, he was at his *most* confident with the sheep.

 

 

Hopefully we've found a trainer willing to work with us, and we go back Saturday! I can't wait. Have fun with your experiences.