Ducks have a very bad reputation in herding. I’ve often heard the expression “Ducks are Ducks” said with a big shrug and a smile by judges giving out awards at trials. It’s as if one accepts that ducks will be bad at trials. However, ducks do not have to be ducks.
Why
ducks are bad at trials:
v Ducks were worked poorly in the past and have developed a lot of bad habits as the result. Some of these bad habits are from having been worked by dogs that can’t cover and some are a result of trained in fear from having been worked with too much pressure.
v Ducks have thin bones, which fracture easily. Many of the odd behaviors you see in moving ducks are the direct results of injuries caused by dogs running through or stepping on or biting ducks. Or applying too much pressure and causing the ducks to bang themselves against fences. Or moving ducks quickly over rough terrain – they can’t lift their legs that high that easily and can get all bruised going over objects.
v Ducks that aren’t exercised regularly tire easily. In trials, ducks that aren’t “legged up” often aren’t cooperating because they are exhausted.
v Ducks carrying eggs have difficulty moving.
v Ducks are worked poorly during the trial. It’s alarming how many judges allow runs to continue when dogs are stressing out the ducks and doing things that can cause injury to ducks. The following dog that gets the overworked set will have to deal with a lot of residue stress.
v Unless ducks are exhausted or eminently about to lay an egg, the reason they refuse to move, no matter how hard the dog tries to get them to move, is because the dog is trying too hard to get them to move. That is, the pressure of the dog is keeping them froze up. Generally, backing the dog off will result in ducks moving. Keeping the pressure on won’t.
v Duck trials are held in very small arenas. Often limiting a dog’s ability to get as far off the ducks as he needs to be.
v The handler is in the wrong place and is blocking the path of the ducks or makes movements that scare the ducks off course.
v The handler does not understand the correct way for a dog to work ducks and doesn’t even attempt to make the dog work correctly.
How
to work Ducks correctly:
v Keep the dog backed off. The less pressure the better.
v Keep the dog slowed down.
v The above two rules apply to flanking as well as walking up. Too many dogs flank ducks way too tight and fast.
v Never let your dog run through or step on ducks! This frequently results in injury!
v Ducks have power steering. That is a small movement on the part of the dog results in a big response on the part of the ducks. You must be able to command a duck dog to move just one step and then come to an absolute stop. Many ducks need to be worked: one step to the left, stop/stay, one step forward, stop/stay, one more step forward, stop/stay, one step to the right, stop/stay, etc.
v If ducks crowd into a corner, don’t put pressure on them. If the corner is along sides 1 & 2 and you want the ducks to move along side 2, then back the dog off, but positioned along side 1 to leave side 2 open. When the pressure is relieved, the ducks will amazingly stop crowding the corner, look around, and then proceed along side 2. If they don’t move, back the dog off farther.
v A dog should only bit a duck when it is trying to walk over the dog, totally disrespecting the dog and actively trying to get past it. Or if the duck is attempting to bite the dog. But even then the bite should be geared down for a duck. A dog should never grip a duck because it is refusing to move. This does not work with ducks; it only makes them worse.
v Make sure your dog doesn’t come in tight and fast on the outrun. This puts ducks in a bad mood fast. You may have to stop the dog way short on the outrun to prevent this. Do it!!! What points you loose there will be more than made up for by the better mood of the stock. Too many dogs charge right through the ducks on the outrun. Too many handlers then complain about the resulting behavior of the ducks who may well be in pain from that maneuver.
v People are repulsive!!!! People have as much influence on ducks as the dogs do. Most ducks don’t want to go anywhere near a person. Be careful that where you stand doesn’t block the ducks. Be careful that your body doesn’t cause ducks to move when you don’t want them too. When wrapping ducks around a post, don’t stand at the post unless required to do so. You are a repulsive force!!! If you must stand there, recognize that you are a repulsive force and handle accordingly. Perhaps deliberately going for wide around the post. When doing a free-standing pen, set yourself up in a deliberate blocking position to cut off escapes. Don’t set yourself too close to the opening, you might be what’s preventing the ducks from going in. Remember, you don’t have to hold the gate at the repen on AKC A, in HTDI or at all in ASCA. So, just open it and then get out of the way. Unfortunately, you do have to hold the rope in AKC B and HTDII&III. There you may have to open the gate as much as possible and go to the end of the rope.
v Don’t work ducks under 4-months-old. They don’t have the maturity and thus stress too easily.
v Work your ducks only for brief periods. Don’t wear them out. Keep workouts especially short in the beginning when they are neither mentally nor physically used to being worked.
v Work your ducks regularly. Keep them in good physical condition. They don’t get much exercise when kept in a small pen. They work much better when in good shape.
v Remember that ducks have short legs that don’t lift that high. Try to avoid sending them over obstacles (steps, logs, coiled hoses, etc, ). When you MUST send them over objects, do so gently so that they can slowly and carefully pick their way over. Better just to maintain a presence on the ducks than to actively push them over objects.
v If you are going to rent ducks out for trial, work them very frequently. But again only for short session with rest periods in between. They need to be conditioned to the point of being “legged-up” (having developed leg musculature that comes from exercise) if they are to be able to withstand the rigors of a trial.
My other duck articles:
Tips for Developing a Duck Dog
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