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THE FOUNDATION
The three corners of the herding foundation are the stop, recall and stock ethic. If the foundation actually has six corners, then they would be the stop, recall, stock ethic, stop, stop, and stop. If you have a solid stop and recall before you even start herding, and use them when needed during herding, then the stock ethic will be easy to put into place. By solid, I mean I mean even if the stock is running away and without having to argue with the dog to make it happen. If you have a solid stop you can prevent crashes and all sorts of other nasty things from happening. Someone once watched my speeding bullet Klaatu as a puppy in a PT match. She came up to me afterward and seriously asked how I had ever trained such a fast dog. I told her it was easy because I had a solid stop on her so didn’t have to try to beat her and block her to stop bad stuff from happening. It also helped that I had bred for her to be a team player. A good stop allows you to work lighter stock than you could otherwise because it compensates for a dog not rating the stock.
In my foundation training, I never allow for the possibility of a crash. I use only heavy and well dog-broke sheep. If they try to get away, I let them. I don’t want to risk, my inexperienced dog screwing it up when she goes after fleeing sheep. In a small area, we go after them together. In a larger area, I have an experienced back-up dog that I send after the sheep. My iron clad stop will stop a dog just before it crashes. I never allow a dog to chase. If a dog is always controlled, he doesn't have they joys of crashing and chasing to compare it to and enjoys the controlled work. If allowed to chase or crash and burn on livestock, all future work will be compared to the thrill of crash and burn. Then, the dog will seek to experience again the thrill of chase, crash and burn.
This may sound to you like I don’t let my dogs do much in the beginning. Actually, I let them do whatever they want to so long as they work with a stock ethic. I just don’t let them into situations that could turn destructive to the stock ethic. I don’t care about the dog learning gathers or flanks. To me, those are post foundation work. The result is a dog that enjoys working stock in a controlled manner that once moved beyond foundation, soon surpasses the dogs that were allowed more freedom in their initial training. The latter are now bogged trying to overcome training problems created by being allowed to do too much too soon. Whereas, my solid foundation now allows me to give my dog a lot of freedom without worry that it will attempt to do nasty things to the livestock. I keep a fairly tight rein while my dogs are learning the parameters of acceptable herding behavior. Once they demonstrate they know the parameters, I drop the reins. My dogs are not mechanical. They know how to work stock and have demonstrated it at trial after trial.
Indeed, sometimes the way to start herding is to not let your dog actually herd. “Velcro” or “knee knocker” sheep cling tightly to the legs of the handler with out respect to the actual position of the dog. As the dog is not controlling their movement, they are not actually being herded!!! Yet, Velcro sheep are excellent sheep to start a dog on because they give you more control of the situation and make it less like that chases or crashes and burns will occur. Now some people will object to keeping dogs on Velcro sheep any length of time because the dog doesn’t learn how to actually work sheep. This is true. What he learns on Velcro sheep is a stock ethic. However, once he is moved to “real” sheep, he will quickly learn what he wasn’t able to learn on Velcro sheep. So, ignore those people who use that argument for this and other ultra controlled initial training methods.
The Zen Pen: A super excitable dog may have to be settled
by taking it on a leash inside a small pen ¾ filled with sheep. You walk the dog around the pen on a LEASH
(not a long line). Walk slowly, make dog sit frequently and hold the
stays for at least 15 sec, if not much longer. This is an exercise
in calmness. Think Zen. Talk
softly, praise gently. Pet your dog gently when it is stopped. Although the dog is not actually working
livestock, it is being taught how to act around livestock. For some dogs, they need this at the start
of each training session. For the really
excitable dogs, this will be their entire session for many sessions. Some will think this foolish to not let the
dog move livestock, but when you finally get to that point (in the same small
pen ¾ filled with sheep) you will have a controllable dog, which you wouldn’t
have had before.
I'll also work puppies in herding
because drives are not fully developed, and they're easier to control without
all the high drive. But it can back fire because puppies are sensitive
things. I also don't go beyond foundation level on a puppy even if it's
solid, because that's too much pressure for a puppy. I wait not for a
certain age, but until I feel that she is no longer googooly brained. By they time the drives are fully developed,
you have a good handle on the dog, and the newly emerged high intensity can be
easily worked with. However, if you are
doing German style/C course rather than versatile herding, then you want those
prey drives fully developed (which usually happens at 12-18 months) when you
start working the dog.
The order of
things:
Begin on Velcro sheep - when dog is doing real well on them; move on to very
dog broke. That is, docile sheep that
don’t cling to the handler in fear, but actually move appropriately in response
to actions by the dog. The handler can
put the dog on a stay and keep walking, and the sheep don’t follow. Stay on this type of stock until the dog is
solidly at started level. Then, start going to unfamiliar locations, but
still with very good stock. If dog does well under these conditions, you
can start easing him onto more and more difficult stock. Herding progress can and should be
slow. Don’t rush it or you may find
yourself creating training problems.
By solidly started,
I mean a dog that has the basic training to put on a smooth run on very decent
stock at a trial in a started or level I class. The handler is not
fighting to keep it controlled. To be
“started,” it needs to be able to flank - ideally square flanks, to know its
directional commands and to have a short outrun. Solid, of course, means it will do all these things without the
handler having to get in its face. It has learned them and does not need
handler assistance to be able to do them properly. I advise waiting until dog is at solid started for more difficult
stock because he has a good foundation of doing good work and won't go wild
with wild stock as an unsettled dog will. Also, you'll need the wide
flanks to successfully retrieve the escapes that will happen with the more
difficult stock. Don’t even think about
trialing, until your dog is doing nice work on difficult sheep because that is
what you are likely to get at a trial.
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THE START
To start a session, bring the dog in on lead and make him do a sit just inside the gate while you close it. Train it to where it is automatic. Never let him get away with breaking the stay. Your dog must understand that he works sheep only on your command. Then, walk him up to the sheep. Your dog must be walking on a loose lead. Correct him for pulling. Never let him get away with pulling on the leash. Then have him do another sit. Unleash him, then give him a general work command such as "watch your sheep" and go work the sheep. Never let him break this stay either. If you find him breaking as soon as the leash is off, affix a long line to the collar (preferably a pinch collar, correctly fitted to be "comfortably snug" – never ever use a loose pinch collar!) as well as the leash. The other end of the long line is tied to the fence or held by a helper. Position the dog so there's a few feet of slack in the line, but not enough to allow the dog to reach the sheep. When you remove the leash and the dog breaks, he will correct himself. If he starts to figure this out, tie him with a really light line such as that used for venetian blinds instead of a heavy long line. Don’t worry that your dog can’t work stock while attached to the fence. Working out the problem is more important than working livestock. Don’t skip steps in the training, it will show in the product.
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THE STOP
A stop command
should have a sharp tone to it because it must cut sharply through to break a
dog's attention. Both Stand and Stop fulfill this with their
"ST". When you use these two be sure to put the emphasis on the
ST for maximal penetration. Personally, I use Halt as my stop command,
emphasizing the last part of the word for sharpness. I expect only a
momentary pause in response to a Halt command, as this is usually all I
need. Either the pause in itself was what I needed or I follow it up with
a flank (or other command). Getting changes of direction from a dog on
the go is usually easier with a stop in between. If I want a Stay, I will
follow the Halt with a Stay. Sometimes, I use Sit after the Halt when I
want a Stay (and I expect a true Sit-Stay), but usually I don’t care about the
position they take so just use the general Stay command. My dogs normally
come to a standing halt. [I rarely use Down in herding because, that's
not how German Shepherd Dog's work. GSD's (and some other large upright
breeds) will much more readily take a Stand than a Down when herding.
People make it much more difficult by trying to make a dog Down when it will do
a Stand with much less resistance.] With Stay, I expect a dog not to
leave the spot, in herding I allow changes in position (i.e. the dog can sit
from a stand if it chooses) which one would not allow in obedience.
Hence, it is useful to have a different Stay (and Down, if you work downing
breeds) command for formal obedience and for herding. You expect
"intelligence disobedience" in herding. If you tell the dog to
stay but the stock break, the dog should break the Down and go after the stock.
I also use Wait which means something like don't follow or stay in this general
area (but you don't have to stay in this exact spot). Usually, I use it
to put he dog in a sort of time out, taking some pressure off the stock. [At home, I use Wait when I don't want my
dogs to go through an open door (i.e. not to follow me into the house, not to
leave the car, not to leave the yard while I'm transporting things out the
gate, etc. At the front door and from inside the car, I expect an
automatic wait, they are to never go out that door without a specific
command.)]
I've seen a lot of people use Down
for a stop. They seem to not expect the dog to Down, but only to
Stop. If your are going to use Down as a stop command, you should expect
the dog to Stop AND Down, otherwise your Down will go to bits. Better to
just use Stop and then let the dog choose whether to Down or to follow it up
with a Down. Incidentally, some judges are so arrogant to assume that you
expect a Down when you say down and will hit for disobedience if the dog does a
standing stop.
Basically, you want to train your
dog to stop on command no matter what it is doing. You do not need to be around live stock to
work on it. You start out under pretty
tame conditions then work up to more and more distractions. Start on a
short lead, and then move to a long line.
Eventually, you should be able to throw a ball and have the dog stop on
its way to the ball. It is important that you enforce a stop *every* time,
so make sure you are in a position to do so before you give the command. If you live where winter is so bad that you
have an off-season from herding, you should be continuing to work on your stops
during the off-season.
Enforce at the level appropriate for the temperament of your dog. If your enforcement isn't resulting in behavior change, you need to up the level. If it decreases enthusiasm, you need to decrease the level. Timing is important, give a vocal enforcement (aut!) at time of offense, then the physical correction (if necessary) will be understood despite they delay in your reaching the dog to correct it. Sometimes, the vocal is enough of a correction. If you are always consistent and have good timing you will have to give much lesser corrections than if you are inconsistent or have bad timing. Inconsistency will give you either a defiant dog or a confused unenthusiastic dog. Don't get mad. Don't dwell on a correction; Give it, wait 10 seconds, then go back to work as if nothing had happened.
Schutzhund has out-of-motion (stand, sit and down) exercises in its obedience routines. So, its training literature should be a good source of info on training the stop-out-of-motion for herding. Here's one schutzhund method for the heeling out of motion commands. Start with your dog heeling (or at least close to you on a short leash if it's not trained to heel). Walk, give your stop command then *suddenly* pivot 180 degrees so that you are now standing directly in front of and facing the dog. Your dog will stop when suddenly faced with a solid wall of handler. When your dog gets the idea, start increasing your speed (always gradually increase the difficulty) until he does it from a run. When he can reliably do it from a run every time by your side without you having to pivot anymore, switch to a long line and let your dog out farther from you while you two are running (or just the dog running, you can lunge him). When this is prefect from the full length of the line, drop the end of the line and proceed to the next level. Be playing with your dog and then, suddenly, give the stop command. Make it a game. Get the excitement level up high.
Here’s a hint for teaching your dog to be attentive to your commands. Once the exercise is trained. Go back to the very beginning - to slow and close - and start over using a very soft voice to give your command. The lower your volume, the more your dog keeps an ear open for your commands.
When I’m herding with a trained dog, and she does not obey the Halt, I give a sharp Aut! If the dog then stops, I make her stay for 15-30 seconds, enough time to let everything sink in and settle. Then, I send the dog back to work. If the dog does not stop on the Aut!, I give an Ouuuu (scolding sound), go over to the dog, take her by the collar, and lead her back to where I she was when I first gave the Halt. Once there, I yank her into a sit while saying ”I said Halt!” I then look the dog in the eyes and firmly say, “When I say Halt, I expect you to Halt!.” Note: I’m not yelling at the dog, just using a really stern voice and am really emphasizing the word Halt. I maintain eye contact for several seconds of silence. Then, position myself for a gather (or what ever is appropriate for what we are doing) and send the dog back to work. I’ll try to give a Halt again real soon. The dog should take it. When she does, she gets praised.
(See more on stop training in my STARTING GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS IN SHEEP HERDING article.)
If you have a helper (preferably an athletic type), you can put a long line on the dog and have the helper maintain hold of the line, run around the arena to keep up with the dog, and give a yank when the dog does not take a stop. This method actually works pretty well. You’ll get much faster results than having yourself run and catch the line and give a much delayed correction.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAISE
Always remember that training is a balance between correction and praise. Praise is important because it keeps the dog’s attitude positive. After you’ve given a correction, try to find something to praise the dog for. You must give back to the dog what you took away during the correction. You must not let you an incident linger as anger for the rest of the training session. When your dog finally gets something right, give lots of praise.
Being allowed to work stock is a strong reward for the dog. If he doesn’t do something right, don’t let him work stock. For example, if he cuts in on an outrun, don’t let him lift the stock. He only gets to lift stock when the outrun is done correctly. Don’t be afraid to end on a bad note. Do so dramatically. Be sure the dog knows he is being escorted to the crate or to the car for bad behavior. Let him stay there and think about what he has done. Dogs do think things over and can come back better the next time.
Although some trainers seem to think that it should be, working stock isn’t always sufficient reward. And for a dog that doesn’t respect the trainer, even praise is not a reward. However, for all dogs, praise also helps to define for the dog the dividing line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. For a dog that was previously running amok on stock that is now being rehabilitated, praise is extremely important. Previously, the dog thought these bad behaviors were ok (despite your ineffective efforts to get him to think otherwise). It is very confused on where the line is. It isn’t exactly sure what the correction was for. You must be very active in correction and praise with such a dog or else it will quit working. The dog did not quit because it “didn’t get to do what it wanted to do” as many trainers will say. It quit because it didn’t understand exactly what the “correction” was for. It’s afraid to go back to work because it perceives the trainer as being irrational: The trainer tells him to do something, he tries to do it, and then gets punished for doing so. By praising while the dog is doing acceptable work and correcting when the dog strays from acceptable work, you are bringing into focus for the dog the dividing line between acceptable and unacceptable work. The better you are at drawing the line for the dog, the faster it will learn, and the better its enthusiasm will be.
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THE CALL OFF
Setting up a stop into the corner
is also useful for catching dogs without call offs. (See the section on
stop training in a corner in my STARTING GERMAN SHEPHERD
DOGS IN SHEEP HERDING article.) If
you have a lot of trouble getting a stop, you may have to work the dog with a
long line dragging to help you catch him.
(Incidentally that's something else that can be worked on away from live
stock - call offs. You want a come out of a run. Again use
lines. Koehler's obedience book is
useful here). Remember to always praise
lavishly for a call off. SING That Will Do!! And generously Praise
all the way out of the arena. Leaving sheep must be made a happy
event. Never just leash your dog and walk silently out of the pen.
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