Humbled

[kelpiegirl]

Recently, when training my dog, I was wholly humbled. When you are new at this whole sheepdogging thing, you spend a lot of time just learning the basics yourself. You work on basics with your dog- and you, and try not to make a mess of things. At some point, you feel that you have *finally* "gotten it", and feel that now you can really progress with your dog. If you have a harder dog, that's when all of a sudden you find that you are no longer getting exasperated, and your dog just seems to do what you ask- you note to yourself that you see the bigger picture better, and your timing is better, so maybe that is why? The same sheep who used to run into you, squishing your feet, and leaving you with dirt smears as they crowd you, no longer do that. Everything seems easier some how. Of course, there are times when things go kerfluey, but on the whole, you have come a long way. Then you challenge your dog- ask he/she to do something that they have never done. Not only do they rise to the challenge, but they blow it out of the water. The dog reads the sheep's minds. The dog knows just where to be, and when, and knows when just a slight bend of the body, or lifting of the paw, will suffice, when you the "handler" didn't think it would. It is times like these when I am truly humbled- I see then that my dog may have been trained by me, but she knows more about sheep than I ever will.

[DTrain]

Recently, when training my dog, I was wholly humbled. When you are new at this whole sheepdogging thing, you spend a lot of time just learning the basics yourself. You work on basics with your dog- and you, and try not to make a mess of things. At some point, you feel that you have *finally* "gotten it", and feel that now you can really progress with your dog. If you have a harder dog, that's when all of a sudden you find that you are no longer getting exasperated, and your dog just seems to do what you ask- you note to yourself that you see the bigger picture better, and your timing is better, so maybe that is why? The same sheep who used to run into you, squishing your feet, and leaving you with dirt smears as they crowd you, no longer do that. Everything seems easier some how. Of course, there are times when things go kerfluey, but on the whole, you have come a long way. Then you challenge your dog- ask he/she to do something that they have never done. Not only do they rise to the challenge, but they blow it out of the water. The dog reads the sheep's minds. The dog knows just where to be, and when, and knows when just a slight bend of the body, or lifting of the paw, will suffice, when you the "handler" didn't think it would. It is times like these when I am truly humbled- I see then that my dog may have been trained by me, but she knows more about sheep than I ever will.

 

Niecely put kelpie, have you ever watched a handler at a trials who was still and quiet, gave very few commands and very seldom repeated one and placed in the middle of the pack. The dog was confident and careful and appeared to work knowing the job perfectly and placed in the middle of the pack. But when all was said and done this handler appeared to be very satisfied and the dog appeared to be very happy. This is what I strive for, a working relationship with my best dog and it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

[kelpiegirl]

I prefer less whistling, and more dog thought. Of course, what I prefer, and what the sheep need may be different I have seen some rather quiet handlers do very well too- they have dogs who are just plain in it at all times- working every minute, focused and ready to perform flawlessly what is requested in a nano second. I do love it when the dog has the sense of where to be for the shed- when to lay off- how far. At the pen, a dog who knows what the goal is, and even through your fumbling, is rather like a train steward putting his hand out to help you on the train, there for help just when you need it, but not pushing you along. I just love good dogs, and I love seeing good dogs and good handlers make a course look rather like a driving test for a professional race car driver

[DTrain]

I prefer less whistling, and more dog thought. Of course, what I prefer, and what the sheep need may be different I have seen some rather quiet handlers do very well too- they have dogs who are just plain in it at all times- working every minute, focused and ready to perform flawlessly what is requested in a nano second. I do love it when the dog has the sense of where to be for the shed- when to lay off- how far. At the pen, a dog who knows what the goal is, and even through your fumbling, is rather like a train steward putting his hand out to help you on the train, there for help just when you need it, but not pushing you along. I just love good dogs, and I love seeing good dogs and good handlers make a course look rather like a driving test for a professional race car driver

Kelpie, if not for stupid sheep we would all have great dogs. I have a dog that does a shed and pen perfectly much of the time with little work by me. He also does a look-back without being asked. I bought this dog and discovered this by accident while learning to work with him. I did a shed with him for practice without a pen. As soon as he made the shed he was gone like a shot for the rest of the sheep. I had to remind myself to ask him to down the next time. I found out later that he was often in a working situation where he needed to do a look-back. I find many ranch raised dogs know what to do, he is a joy to work with.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

I love to watch the progress of a young dog, right through maturity with such handlers. Every word placed, every action, to help the dog learn to control the stock in each new situation they face together - it's worth its weight in gold. You can see it grow from a teaching relationship, with the dog relying on the handler/trainer, to a partnership.