This is what we’ve been busy all summer working on...

Some of you might remember me telling you how I started double teaming my dogs. I discovered this was a good way to bring up the desire in my Shorty dog. At first Shorty was telling Junior not to work and Junior would not get up from a down or would leave an area entirely. Yeah, Shorty wouldn’t work the sheep and be lieing there not letting Junior work. I felt like banging my head against a wall!

I would have to catch Shorty’s eye and tell him to knock it off and then boom, up Junior would pop, and automatically start working.

Sometimes, while I had Shorty on a down not working, Shorty would tell Junior he couldn’t cross his space with the sheep. I was purposely having Junior drive the sheep in front of Shorty and he just had to watch. Well Shorty again would some how tell Junior not to work in front of Shorty and Junior would quit, again I had to tell Shorty to knock it off and then Junior could drive them where ever. Shorty wanted Junior not to have the sheep but wouldn’t work them either. I think anyone else would have said this is crazy and stopped trying to work the dogs together.

But you know, it started paying off in mid summer. Shorty’s attitude started to change and he was becoming a more reliable worker and the two dogs began working in unision. I would use one to drive and the other to control the heads and sides. Once they got the picture it was so smooth. I would switch out the dogs positions. Sometimes Junior drove and sometimes Shorty did.

As natural workers Shorty tends to have wide flanks and tends the sides and heads naturally with little to no directions from me. Junior excells at driving, keeping the flow fluid and moving at the sheeps pace. This is the best thing I could have done with these dogs. To see Shorty working again makes me so happy! It was hard at first for them — handling the sheep, keeping me in the picture, and working in co-operation with each other.

Now those of you with a lot of sheep and serious work will not think anything of this. Here dog hobbists just never work a brace. There aren’t a lot of sheep and it is harder controling one dog let alone two. Now because of this experience if I had more dogs they’d all be out there with me. Whether watching on a down or in charge of keeping sheep from entering a certain area while the others worked.

As things became easier working both dogs, there were times that one dog would try to take all the work away from the other one. At first I thought that Junior didn’t know his flanks. I put him on ducks and sat down in a chair so I was less tempted to have body movements that would cue the dog. Then gave him a flank. The little devil got it right each time so...

Out on the sheep anytime the dogs didn’t take the right flank from me, that one or both would be sent all the way around in that tlanck forced to let go of the sheep and just keep circling around. Basically I was letting them know if you don’t take my flank we don’t go anywhere and you don’t get the sheep.

Some days I’d be making the dogs flank opossite each other in these big circles, around and around. The best part was they got it and when we went back to work, wow, what a difference. I should say that I would never would have figured out to do this without my mentors help. I am no genius dog trainer. But with my mentors insights progress has been fanamanal this year. I was curious to see if my dogs would be able to work on their own after working together thru this summer. Each drove a very nice trial course for me. I got a bit prideful because there were several folks watching.

Most folks doing herding where I live do it to trial. Some assume because I don’t trial with my dogs it is because the dogs can’t do the course. I still have folks come up to me and tell me I should be trialing. They must think I’m crazy because they don’t look like they understand when I tell them I just want to learn how to herd with my dogs. Maybe later sometime, but right now I’m too busy doing what I’m doing.

When I was out at places this summer, when asked to do some real work with my dogs, I could have cried. That is the greatest compliament that they could use my help. You see I think I want to do the work as much as my dogs! That’s what I really want I guess. I know there are some that think if you aren’t winning trials your training idea’s aren’t valid so many encourage me to be out there to prove myself to help market my book. Really what is there to prove, I just want to live my life. I know they are well intentioned and I love them for it but I am so furfilled doing what I’m doing. That’s what’s important to me.

I’m trying so hard to get healthy and sound because I love physical work. When I am sweaty and dusty and have finished a job with my dogs I am in heaven.



**************************

I was just thinking how I must be a different person now then 10 years ago, because my dogs back then at anytime I would be angry and use the F word would run and hide from me. Now when I get mad my dogs will cower but slink by me as it to placate me.