training a stop

[pucksfurcoat]

Dear Bob,

I am working on getting an immediate stop on my 5 year old bitch. She has been allowed to take a few extra steps for years – yes SHAME SHAME SHAME on me, and I am really trying to make it better as it sometimes costs me dearly in tight situations. She is extremely biddable, but this has been allowed to go on for so long, it will take some real work to make it better. I have tried a few things. The most successful is asking her to lie down in a driving situation as the sheep move in a direction away from the exhaust. I tried this first with a long line, but didn’t really need it. I think this works pretty well because I am a presence nearby to enforce the down, and there is no “worry” on her part that the stock will “get away”. I have also tried working back in the round pen and leaning into her on a fetch when I ask her to lie down. If she does not lie down, I move into her and force her off her sheep. If I do this several times, it gets a little better, but not much. I recently got my own stock so I am, for the first time, able to work my dogs on a regular basis. The stock I have are pretty light, I might be better off with some heavier sheep for training in this situation, but don’t have much access to that type of stock. I understand that it will take me a long time to make progress on this issue, but would appreciate any suggestions you might have for me. Thanks so much!

 

Sonja

[RMSBORDERCOLLIES]

Dear Bob,

I am working on getting an immediate stop on my 5 year old bitch. She has been allowed to take a few extra steps for years – yes SHAME SHAME SHAME on me, and I am really trying to make it better as it sometimes costs me dearly in tight situations. She is extremely biddable, but this has been allowed to go on for so long, it will take some real work to make it better. I have tried a few things. The most successful is asking her to lie down in a driving situation as the sheep move in a direction away from the exhaust. I tried this first with a long line, but didn’t really need it. I think this works pretty well because I am a presence nearby to enforce the down, and there is no “worry” on her part that the stock will “get away”. I have also tried working back in the round pen and leaning into her on a fetch when I ask her to lie down. If she does not lie down, I move into her and force her off her sheep. If I do this several times, it gets a little better, but not much. I recently got my own stock so I am, for the first time, able to work my dogs on a regular basis. The stock I have are pretty light, I might be better off with some heavier sheep for training in this situation, but don’t have much access to that type of stock. I understand that it will take me a long time to make progress on this issue, but would appreciate any suggestions you might have for me. Thanks so much!

 

Sonja

 

 

Hi Sonja. Sorry I have been tardy in answering but my monitor went down on my computer and I have been a day or two getting the new one on line. Regarding getting your dog to stop, some of the things you are doing are good and will work but the main thing you need to do is stop asking and start telling her to stop. When teaching a young dog to stop and you will notice, I didn't say "lie down" I make myself as big as possible by holding up my hands and going at the dog so that she understands the "need" to do as she's told. In other words, "get her attention"! I think your 5 year old is probably past the stage that a long line would be much good but it was worth a try. Of course, consistency is the secret to good control on a dog, and that is what you need here. Now that you have your own stock, this should mean that you and your dog will come along faster. The light stock shouldn't give a problem when teaching the dog to stop as this is more an obedience issue than a work issue. One thing I do with most of my dogs when I am going out to train is I stop them either with a lie down or stand there on the way out to the training field a few times before we start training. I get them "ready to listen". When you get out to your training session practise your stops in all phases of work, even on the outrun so that you know you have control of the dog at all times. Send your dog on an outrun either way and when she is part way out stop her then give her the flank and let her complete her outrun. Don't do this on a routine basis as you don't want to train her to stop all the time, only when told to do so. Stop her in different places and at different times all the time so she doesn't get into a habit. Make sure you let her complete her outrun most of the time so she knows that she's doing things right. Stop her on the drive and on the cross drive and anywhere at any time. The way you do this is, like I said, by making yourself big, not just in stature but voice and whistle also. Call her name first (get her atttention) and then, in a firm and commanding voice (not necessarily loud but if loud works then use it) "lie down" or "stand there" or whatever you are using to stop your dog. If she doesn't stop you need to get out there to her and chastise her as this is blatent disobedience and has nothing to do with being a natural worker. She needs correction and then told to stop again and then tell her to "stay there" while you get back to your position on the field. I would work close to start with, probably 50 yards to start and then as you gain control move out further as she progresses. One thing to think about is the fact that there are some dogs out there that just hate to lie down and sometimes it is better, when they are young, to let them stand as long as they stop. The "lie down" can come later on when they are more mature. It is much better at times to give to the natural method of the dog when she is young than to fight for unnatural obedience at that time and possible cause the dog to get clappy in it's younger years. However, just to reinforce what I said earlier, the dog must do as she's told when she's told or she will never be in the right place to do what you want her to do. Don't accept two or three steps as a stop either. Stop means right there and nothing else. If you want the dog to slow down or steady we teach that by using a nice soft voice and use the stop in a long slow command rather than the sharp stop command. This long slow command will eventually develop into a steady command when we have the control on the dog. Be consistent and use as much pressure as needed to accomplish your task and she will come along. Remember, she is five years old and can take quite a bit more pressure than a young dog. She is coming into her prime and can really start doing a nice job for you now but you need to be the leader of the team which means that you can "read" her well and understand her and she knows what you want and understands that you are in control. Be patient and understanding but also be firm and determined and things will progress much better for both you and your dog........Don't hesitate to get back with questions regarding her progress as this will probably not be a one time thing. The stop is extremely important, probably the most important aspect of training and with some dogs not that easy to obtain. Good luck./......Bob

[pucksfurcoat]

Thank you SO much Bob! I will take your suggestions to heart and see how I do. I really appreciate your help.

 

Cheers,

Sonja