Balance

[Donald McCaig]

Dear Sheepdoggers,

 

When I started in this lunacy, too long ago, I thought balance could be understood in clock terms. Good balance was when the dog was at 12, I was at 6 and the sheep were in betwixt. I thought balance was genetic and sheepdogs could be bred for it.

 

Yes and no.

 

Yesterday Fly picked up our extremely dog savvy 16 year old ewes in their usual pasture – 500 yard routine OR. Two of these aged beauties lag behind and as they came closer I slowed Fly to bring the separatists but, of course, the lead ewes bolted for an escape gate.

 

I flanked Fly around and when she got to 8 oclock, the leader stopped. We had them all, speedsters and laggards.

 

The lead sheep stopped because she knew Fly COULD catch her though she HADNT. And Fly ran not one step further than she needed to control her sheep.

 

In a gross sense balance is genetic. Your Jack Russell is not going to run to the heads of sheep. gather and try to fetch them to you. But within sheepdog ranks – dogs that have this basic genetic drive - there’s a great difference and its not 12 to 6 clockwork – it’s how well they read sheep and can modulate their response to the sheep. (The young dog who understands where his sheep want to go but would rather get a little wool has lost every advantage his balance has given him.)

 

Had I insisted Fly go to the heads of those sheep she already controlled I would be – by Fly’s lights – pushing her off practical balance to theoretical – balance become obedience. While there are times during training when the dog must understand that sometimes I will over-rule her, in this case, Fly wouldn’t have understood why I flanked her to theoretical balance and she then lost her sheep.

 

That’s the second sense of balance: that important balance between my control and Fly’s control of the situation. She’s closer to the sheep than I am and can read them better than I can. She’s the better tactician but I’m the strategist. I know I want those sheep to pass through the lower gate not the upper gate they usually pass through.

 

In some circumstances – working out of sight – the balance shifts entirely to Fly. I might give her a walkup whistle to remind her where I am and that we’re in this together but all decisions are hers. In other circumstances - perhaps I need to grab a halfborn lamb’s extruded feet so Mama will submit - even the small tactical decisions are mine.

 

Yet another balance is companion/coworker. This balance is often easier for the dog to sense than its owner. Few to no sheepdogs react to companion affection (or its absence) when there are sheep to be worked. They don’t listen because they love us; they listen because that’s what works.

 

That said, I am convinced one can build trust and respect off-sheep and that while it won’t replace disciplined savvy training, it can make training easier.

Taking Fly on a book tour where she met hundreds of strangers in a dozen venues didn’t teach her anything about sheep but it did teach/reinforce her life wisdom and her trust that when she didn’t understand things, Donald did and would provide for her needs and, ultimately, bring her home.

 

Overtraining for trials and undertraining for life is a common flaw at novice sheepdog trials. You can’t meld sophisticated sheepdog training with a “furbaby” understanding of dogs.

 

When we first hear about balance it seems simple. It’s a kaleidescope.

 

Donald McCaig

[juliepoudrier]

Well said.

 

J.

[Tea]

This is important.

 

My dogs on stock loose in the fields and forests have taught me about balance and feel more than anything else I have done.

 

Because, done correctly I could dream in the saddle and know the stock are behind me, or in front of me. And not going too fast. The balance was in the dogs. By leaving them be it came out like sunrise.

And of course with the young dogs there were problems, but even those taught the dogs that problems created more work.

 

On the trial field when I first started, 4 years ago?

 

It confused me greatly this talk of the hands of a clock.-

 

 

So I am glad you write it down here.

[Sue R]

Wonderful. Thanks!

[Pipedream Farm]

Tea,

Hands of the clock is easier to understand for those without stock sense, it helped me when I got started. You learned stock sense during practical work, this job needs done and this is where the dog needs to be in order to get it done, I did not get my start with real work.

Mark

[Tea]

Oh, ok....I guess that is true.

[Tea]

in my work towards learning where stock goes, i made some pretty big errors.

[Pam Wolf]

There is also the component of balance of distance. some dogs are born knowing the right distance, others have to be taught to keep their distance.

 

But too many training for trials corrupt the balance. And many even breed away from it by wanting other things than work.

[Smalahundur]

There is also the component of balance of distance. some dogs are born knowing the right distance, others have to be taught to keep their distance.

 

But too many training for trials corrupt the balance. And many even breed away from it by wanting other things than work.

"Balance of distance", is that another term for pace, or do you mean something different?

Also your statement that too much training for trialing corrupts balance is interesting, could you explain that further?

[Liz P]

I take balance of distance to mean a feel for sheep. It can be harder at times to handle those dogs because they won't always agree with the handler. Some dogs don't have as much feel but are less likely to disagree with their handler, so can be driven around the course very precisely (and beat out a dog with better feel as long as long as the handler knows what they are doing).

[Pam Wolf]

What Liz P said. Most dogs with the distance component find pace more easily than others and can be slowed down too much via training if not careful.

[Donald McCaig]

Dear Pam Wolf,

 

 

Powerful dogs must learn to work further off from their sheep than dogs that sheep "like" ( more correctly: those dogs some breeds in some regions "like".) Every dog's default "pace" will be that which works on familiar sheep doing their routine work/trialing. Dogs that get to many trials must be able to adjust their "pace" to different circumstances -an unnecessary skillset in farm/ranch dogs.

 

Do you mean the handler's ability to slow or speed the dog's approach to sheep irrespective of the dog's "feel" for the sheep? Is this biddability what you mean by "distance component"

 

I am unfamiliar with the phrase. Clarify, please.

 

Donald McCaig

[Pam Wolf]

no Donald, the distance is natural in some dogs. Many of the old timers referred to this (as well as other traits that come naturally with this type dog) as "Method" Few dogs have it. Those that do are a joy to work with. Unfortunately poor training can undermine even the best natural abilities.

 

These dogs have a great feel for the sheep and an intense desire to keep the whole flock together and calm. There is little need to push these dogs out, perhaps a little in the very beginnings, but they find the right spot to move the sheep without guidance. Those I've seen and worked with have extreme heading desires and can be quite a bit different to train as sometimes you just have to do things backwards from what you may think

[Smalahundur]

Thanks Liz and Pam for your clear answers to my question.

[Donald McCaig]

Dear Pam Wolf

 

Er . . ."Method" is what the Old Timers and Young Timers call the dog's trained/experienced/skill set. No untrained sheepdog, however talented has a "method". Some dogs have a better feel for sheep than others as a result of genetics or training or experience: choose 1,2 or 3.

 

A "feel for sheep" doesn't seem to be strongly heritable and in some instances its opposite might be just what's needed. We've all known dogs who regarded any sheep resistance to their authority as a personal insult and some of these dogs were very useful on the farm and trial field too.

 

My own preference is the dog that has had British Hill experience, been trained for trials over here and had trialed on both coasts on range sheep, hair sheep and woolies. But that's theoretical: if you can't be with the one you love, run the one you're with.

 

Donald McCaig

[Pam Wolf]

Just because you haven't experienced it does not mean it doesn't exist.