RoseAmy Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Fellow dog trainings Need some input. My little she-wolf dog is now 2 1/2. She's almost overkeen to the point of being highly excitable. She is one of those dogs that sheep just fear. Which has made training her harder. Example when I started her I was given 5 velco sheep that were at the point they would not move from any dog ..They scaled a 4ft fence to get away from her. Let me just say that she does not chase, has NEVER gripped, not even pulled wool, she has NEVER been challenged by a sheep..includes ram being removed from his lady friends, ewes with young lambs, even ewes worked while their lambs were left at the barn. As time has gone by she has realized that she needs to be way off her sheep and make very small quiet moves to keep the sheep calm..She has beutiful square flanks. Twice a month I load up some sheep and take the dogs to a friend 50 acres there she is wonderful, not a fence in sight, she's got room to get back and stay out of the flight zone. Even the fetches with a 450 yd outrun are very relaxed and controlled. In a small 4 or 5 acre field you can see her using the fences to keep the sheep under control. The problem is in a normal field..she doen't feel she can get back far enough if the sheep get to hurrying. So she will get amped up and cast around the heads..At which point she no longer "hears" and blows off the down. So after being corrected for blowing the stop..she starts to hold them with her eye..to the point she won't release them. I've been working on finding a happy medium (balance) between the 2. This past week I did some tough love and put her back on a line when she froze up I grabbed the line and popped the ground behind her with a whip and told her get up. Seems to help..However she will also do this on the fetch. I try to give her lots of different experiences..working 2 or 3 sheep, working the whole flock etc. I also try to train smart..using treelines, the lay of the land etc. to make her job easier to do right. Being the type of dog she is makes it hard even with well dogged sheep if I have to go out to correct her they peal off which doesn't make her to happy to listen. Hoping some of you with this type of dog will chime with some suggestions. BTW my feelings don't get hurt been doing this a number of years now, trained a few dogs to open, trial with some success and realize all I know will fit double spaced on the front of an index card. Rose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Meier Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 RoseAmy, have you done any shedding with her yet? Where she has to let go while staying in close proximity of the sheep and off balance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseAmy Posted March 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Debbie she loves to shed. It's due to the fact that she knows that sheep run from her and when she feels they are getting nervous she either "grabs" then with her eye on goes into a racing fenzy to cut them off. When she gets clappy I can get by the sheep and sssh her, give her a get up, clap my hands, crack the whip and she is frozen..BUT if I say hear she runs in. Like I said if she's in a small area there is no problem..when we work in the 50 acre field there is no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Meier Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 RoseAmy, what does she do when you set up drives that are not to a draw or away from a draw where she has to hold the weight of the sheep to prevent them for curling toward a draw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseAmy Posted March 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 RoseAmy, what does she do when you set up drives that are not to a draw or away from a draw where she has to hold the weight of the sheep to prevent them for curling toward a draw? In that situtation her line and her pace are faultless. She can hold a line flawlessly. And she can make adjustments to it just by moving her head. You know its just somehow helping her to keep herself reined in but moving when the sheep start getting a little quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Meier Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 A thought just came to me, if you can you get her to just figure out that if she stops when the sheep get nervous that she can maintain control, basically stop and allow the sheep to seek release and settle vs. running to the head and stopping. Could she be esculating their tension with her tension, maybe watch for that slight esculation and try telling her easy or steady? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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