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Pressure problems


Guest Lisa Bass
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Guest Lisa Bass

Hi Carol -

 

I'm having some problems with getting a correct outrun and down from my young Pepper dog. She's 13 months old, I've been working her for about 4 months now, and we're seeing good progress, but she's got a couple of habits that I'm having trouble with.

 

First let me say that she's loose-eyed and at this point not terrifically assertive. She's quite keen to work, don't get me wrong, but she's not a pushy dog by any stretch. She will only rarely get sassy enough to try a tiny little grip - and when she does, it's the politest little grip you've ever seen. She always seems to be apologizing to the sheep for it at the same time she's doing it.

 

On the good side, she's very biddable and eager to please, and has great balance, flanks and is decently wide.

 

The field we practice in has heavy pressure from the barn, and during some of our earlier training sessions, the sheep got away from her and headed straight for it. Now she's absolutely dead convinced the sheep are going to get away, and she's bound and determined that that's not going to happen.

 

The problem is that she will rarely down at any point except when she is between the sheep and the barn. Say the barn is at the 12 o'clock position and I'm asking her to down at 9 when I'm at 3 - she'll look at me, then run to 12 o'clock, then down.

 

She also will not lift them from the correct position, but will lift from whatever point gets her between those pesky sheep and that darn barn.

 

The problem as I see it is that, in her way of thinking, she's right and I'm just a moron who's going to cause her to lose her sheep.

 

Now that she's got some experience under her belt, she isn't in real danger of losing her sheep any more - she just THINKS she is.

 

So what can I do to convince her that she can safely down and lift in the correct positions, without losing her sheep?

 

You may, by the way, get a chance to see all this for yourself in a couple of weeks - we're coming to the Julie Simpson clinic (can't wait!). Although maybe in a strange field she won't have the same sensitivity to pressure she does at home, since she won't know where the pressure is, who knows?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Lisa

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Guest Carol Campion

Hi Lisa

 

This sounds like a little bitch with a great deal of stock sense. Sometimes though all that balance and sense gets in the way of some training. In this case, I would be concerned about losing a "stop" on this dog. The more she keeps going when you ask her to stop, the more likely this could happen.

 

Without seeing the situation, and basing my answer on dogs that I have worked with that sound very similar, I would spend some time pulling the sheep directly away from the pressure-away from the barn- so that she is always in that position that makes her comfortable stopping behind the sheep. This should be a place agreeable to both of you!!! Make sure that you are only asking her to stop once. She may have gotten into the habit of moving on her stops and you might have to reinforce what "stop" means.

 

You might also take her somewhere else that has different pressure to work on her outruns so she isn't getting into a pattern of stopping in a particular place. She can learn to feel the sheep properly without the distraction of the pressure of your barnyard.

 

I have a little bitch right now that is almost identical. When I first started taking her to sheep, she was always bouncing back to that spot that she felt was right. I did just what I am telling you to do, plus I went back to a circle exercise and worked on just getting her to stop anywhere on that circle. The other thing I do is ask her to come off balance a lot so that she realizes that the world won't end if she does.

 

Try this and once yours is 100% in that exercise, start asking her to let go of pressure (flank off balance) on fetches. Also gradually start sending her on outruns that are needing to land her in a spot away from the place where she wants to be-so that she has to stop slightly away from that point that she aways goes to.

 

Make sure that when you ask her to stop that she does and let her sit there a few seconds so she is not in the habit of bouncing right up to do something else. Also, sometimes move yourself-don't stand stationary. You want the balance point to be moving and changing so that she learns to take flanks and stop regardless of where you are.

 

Balance and stock sense are a great asset, but these dogs need to learn to let go of it a bit and not to always use you as the center/focal point of that balance.

 

Another thing I have discovered is that many of these dogs relax and let go of this obsession with pressure as they mature. Start asking her to let go of it with these exercise that help will help. If you can, try to get to another place where there is not the same pressure-maybe a friend's field or a different pasture.

 

What you want in the end result is a BC that can feel that pressure and react when needed but that can let go of it as well.

 

Hope this helps.

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Guest Lisa Bass

Hi Carol --

 

Thank you so much for the advice. She's a nice little bitch - we might yet make a sheepdog out of her!

 

I am thinking in regards to the circle exercises that it might be a decent idea to go back into the round pen for awhile. There's not nearly as much pressure from the barn in the pen. Do you think that would be a good plan? Is there a downside?

 

Thank you again!

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Guest Carol Campion

Hi Lisa

 

Some people feel that round pens are for babies. I disagree. You can get a lot done in them. Often the sheep relax and there is less pressure in one so you can work on thengs like flanks without having t worry about the sheep taking off somewhere.

 

Of course, a pen shouldbn't be so small that it creates problems and keeps the dog too cloe to the sheep.

 

Mine is about 40-50 feet wde and about 60-70 feet long. I start my dogs in it and keep them there til I can stop them, call them off and get them easily to the other side of the sheep. It is also a great place to build a dog's confidence by having it take sheep off the fence, etc.

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