After a couple days of driving, I was curious to see how badly Porter's fetching & outruns had eroded...
Aside from what I posted on Wordless Wednesday, he didn't do too badly there either! I mean, he was a little too tight, a little too straight, a little too pushy, but that's usual for Porter fetching :) I had to run him off a few times, but he settled down.
Before I forget, and so I have it on the blog for eternity, I'd like to make note of a few of the things I learned at this seminar...
"Only 'A-Type' personalities do herding." I guess because of the control & perfection required. All the little pieces fitting together. I wouldn't know anything about that... :)
"Dogs are stressed when they don't understand the rules." Give them rules to follow, teach them the rules, keep them consistent, and they are more than happy to oblige.
"At some point you have to trust the dog to do what you say." You have to quit pressuring them to be right, but show that there are consequences when they are wrong. You can't prevent every error or they will never learn. It has to be their responsibility in order for them to acquire thoughtfulness.
"Enforce what comes out of your mouth." If it didn't come out of your mouth, then it's your fault :)
And the biggest take-away I had from the weekend: "You create an addict, then you make them a slave."
I thought about this constantly for the first week. Then on & off again for the last few weeks. Of course, she meant it in relation to turning your dog onto stock & having them work for you. But I related it to agility as well. Then I related it to myself doing herding. I'm still thinking about it...
Hmmm, I'm thinking on that addict/slave statement too. I'm thinking it applies to us as much as to the dogs!
ReplyDeleteWell done with Porter and Stout! It's exciting to see how much progress you're making!