practicing push/flurry

[Guest Lori]

A few months ago, you suggested having my young dog practice pushing sheep through challenging terrain as an exercise to help him gain confidence and a cooler head when the going got rough. We took the good advice to heart & suffice to say, my sheep have been forced to trudge through horrors that no self respecting sheep should have to navigate. As my own property has no interesing natural challenges, my sheep have been trailered about and pushed, pulled and driven through water, ice, ravines, brush, etc, etc. I've seen a progression from anxiety and confusion to *almost* a mature resolve in the way the youngster approaches balking sheep. We still have grips, but they are fewer and more fairly deserved. The variety in training has been great. We are both enjoying it, and it will continue to be part of our work outs.

 

As a follow-up, do you believe there is a value to training a dog to do a sort of flurry at the sheep on command? More than a walk up, but short of a grip? Or, do you think it unfairly confusing to urge a dog on and then ask for a stop?

 

Lori Cunningham

[Guest Amanda]

I'm full of admiration Lori. Now you'll be hell to beat.

I like dogs that deliver on deserved grips. If you get the enviable sort of control you would have, to ask for your 'flurry,' short of a grip, good on you. I have never quite achieved that. From a dog that has developed the sort of maturity you are describing, no, I do not think urging it on and stopping it, would confuse it. I would admire such work.

I am looking forward to admiring your work, the next time we are trialling.

yours

Amanda

[Guest Lori]

Oh great. My boy will prob. cross, then run straight up the field, bark, hump the set out dog, grip & ride a sheep off the field. I'll crawl off the field on my belly. Great.

 

Honestly, I know it's a work in progress, but seeing *progress* is very cool.

 

I've been testing the waters on the flurry thing, trial & error. One of the problems seems to be in order to stop a dog that is eager to come on, on the command, I have to start with him farther back than a real life need-for-the-move situation would dictate. If I start him any closer to the sheep, I can't reliably stop him and then I think I probably am confusing the issue, esp. since my post began with questions about cooling down a hot headed youngster!

 

Will keep messing around with it for awhile.

 

Thanks again.