One of my favorite sayings is “Don’t just do something, stand there.”
Sometimes, there is just too much happening while training your dog. No sooner does he pull up than the handler is pushing him off again, flanking him around her,e there and everywhere.
I like to allow the dog to find and hold the point of control so the sheep can settle and the dog can relax. There is no need to be constantly pushing him into position.
It is also important that the handler relaxes. Whether the dog has a stop command or not it is just a matter of getting between the dog and the sheep and holding him there. We want him to understand he needs to hold without pressure, so as soon as he is stopped, we need to relax and turn our body away slightly. Many dogs will see this as an invitation to flank off again. We may have caused this by putting too much pressure on after the dog has stopped, causing him to move off again to escape the pressure, or we have never allowed the dog to settle in position, so he thinks this is what we want.
We just need to chill. Pull the dog up, relax our body, let the sheep settle. If the dog wants to move off again, simply return to position and pull him up, being mindful of the pressure you are applying.
If the dog has become overly excited, simply stopping him for a few minutes can bring down his adrenaline and allow him to get back into thinking mode. If he is not thinking, then he is not learning.
When we are just walking with our sheep, don’t let the dog dictate the pace; we need to slow down so the dog learns to work at our pace, not the other way around. This is crucial for trialling or settling sheep.
When we start putting commands on, it is not necessary to chase the dog around. Keep it soft. Once he is flanking, remove the pressure, allow him to work, and think. A dog under pressure to flank is not thinking; he is just running on command. It might look great to have the dog racing around, taking the correct flanks, but if he is not contacting the sheep while flanking, he is not working properly.
And the saying goes, “Roll a smoke” Probably not politically correct, but most people know what it means. Just chill, and take a breath.
