Notorious Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 Me and Rain had our first herding lesson today. (Instinct test) She picked it up and started chasing the sheep and turning them within the first 5 minutes. Our trainer said she did very very well and is very soft and should be very easy to train. Most importantly she had a blast. On to my question can somebody explain the differences more between like "softness" and other things like that? I'm sorry totally new to the herding game, and don't know all the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 If I understand it correctly, a soft dog is often more biddable but generally more sensitive - compared to a hard dog that is more likely to resist doing things "your way" and want to persist in doing things "his way". So, with a soft dog, you need to be aware of the sensitivity and not react to strongly when correctly or putting pressure on because you don't want to turn the dog off or force it too far off its stock. People who know much more than I do will give advice, I'm sure, but many may be busy this Easter Sunday and not back until tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Posted April 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 Ah ok. She wasn't at all afraid of them. Although at first she did want to eat the horses. She has always been very obedient. The explanation I received from him was basically shed soft meaning she's going to be very easy to teach and very easy to control. Here's some pics from today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmbc Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 I have generally heard soft as being sensitive, but being soft does not always mean biddable. and generally heard biddable means they are easier to train. I have one that is a soft dog, but she still prefers her plan to mine . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 I have generally heard soft as being sensitive, but being soft does not always mean biddable. and generally heard biddable means they are easier to train. I have one that is a soft dog, but she still prefers her plan to mine . Thank you. I edited my reply to reflect this. I do think that more sensitive dogs are often more biddable but not always, as you point out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 Yep, I have a "soft" dog. It just means he's sensitive to correction (the stock stick, raised voices, any sign of displeasure at all from me). I have to be careful of my actions, to always keep the experience positive for him, and his confidence up, without too much pressure to shut him down. ETA: He's also very biddable, but I don't think it's necessarily related to being soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivehill Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 Nice pics! Looks like Rain had a fine time. I remember thinking how nice it'd be to have a glossary of BC lingo at first, but the more you hang around the more it rubs off. Until someone brings up a new term you've never heard before and you find yourself googling random words... like "clappy". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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