How often should I work?

[Guest SheTriesHard]

I've been lurking, and I finally decided to post because your introduction made you sound like a kindred spirit. I'm pretty new at this, and I suspect I'm older than you were when you started, but still I was encouraged to read about you. Just to give you an idea about me, the name I registered under is what the clinician I usually go to said when somebody asked him about me.

 

I don't have my own sheep, and I don't have a personal trainer. I do go to clinics whenever I can. I'm lucky to have a nice person with a flock of sheep living near me, and she has told me that I can come to her place and work with her sheep whenever I want. (She only has the sheep to train her dog with--it's really a cattle farm.) But she says she doesn't know enough to give me any help because she hasn't been doing it that long herself.

 

I don't mind working on my own, in fact I really like it better because I don't get so flustered when nobody is watching. But I don't seem to be making a lot of progress. Sometimes I think we're getting better, but sometimes I think we're not getting anywhere at all, and I can't tell what makes the difference. Anyway, the person who hosts the clinics that I go to (not the clinician) has been telling me that I shouldn't be working on my own at all, because I don't know enough and I'll just be creating bad habits and confusing my dog. She thinks I should only go to clinics, but that would mean we'd only get to word a few times a year. And I'm really and truly fascinated with this and I want to keep trying.

 

So my question is, Am I really doing more harm that good if I work on my own? I have a video and several books to go by, plus what I see the trainer do at the clinics. I just can't believe I could make any progress if I only work at clinics.

 

I know this may be an impossible question for you to answer, but it's an even more impossible question for me to answer.

[Guest Penny Tose]

I think you raised a great question. My response is: go ahead and work your dog. Chances are you will make mistakes. That's not a big deal.

 

If you lived near a trainer, I would say to get lessons and work your dog by yourself as well. Since you don't live near a trainer, go to all the clinics you can and work your dog. Get some books. Subscribe to the magazines. Get some tapes. They won't help all that much. Imagine learning to ride a horse or a bicycle from a book or tape. Still, you can get some pointers and work your dog.

 

The operative thing is to work your dog. You want to. Your dog probably wants to. Try not to turn off your dog because if you do then you'll have to get another one. Try not to ruin your turned on and still working dog because if you do you'll have to get another one. Try to train your dog so that it becomes competent and reliable because if you do you'll have to get another one just because you want one. Try to train your dog to be stellar because if you do you'll definitely be wanting another one.

 

Life is short both for humans and dogs. Life is also short for sheep so be respectful of them.

 

If your dog will cover sheep and is not a big gripper, then you can't get in too much trouble...er, I shoudn't have said that because an infinite number of things can go wrong.

 

Let me try again: the only caveat I have about starting out completely by yourself would be with a dog that won't cover and is a big gripper. Even if the dog will cover and is not a gripper, if the sheep are very flighty and in a big field, you may find yourself haplessly walking from one end of the field to the other with sheep forever out of reach. Sheep can be quite cagey about this and will read a dog's competence. If that happens, you and your friend should get some other, heavier sheep. She doubtless has a stock trailer, and you can go in on buying new sheep together. You will also be able to change sheep as necessary.

 

Also make sure someone knows where you are when you are working the sheep in case you fall in a hole or take a short ride on a sheep before thumping down on a rock.

 

If you train by yourself with minimal help, then you will be in an enviable position. If your dog trains up unflawed, you can say, "I had to figure this all out by myself." If your dog doesn't quite pan out as hoped, then when people are talking about ruining their first dogs, you will be able to say, "I had to figure all this out by myself."

 

Penny

 

<small>[ February 13, 2005, 02:09 PM: Message edited by: Penny ]</small>