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a standing stop/down


Guest kimkathan
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Guest kimkathan

How would you go about teaching/re-teaching a standing stop? the sam young dog I'v been dealing with came with a standing, "stop" (different from "lie down" as I want her to drop). Looking down the road and learning from my past dog this would be very helpful in penning and shedding. By working with her so much on balance and circiling and teaching her "down" now when I tell her to "stop" she will stop, but then automatically lies down. I would like to maintaing the standing stop, but am unsure of how. Should I just stop her and then get her moving right away to keep her on her feet?

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Guest aurdank

Hi,

 

I prefer a stand to a lie-down, even at the pen and shed (here I simply back the dog off to relieve pressure). My older dogs had lie-downs first and later I put a stand on them, and if I hit their stop whistle too hard, they'll go to a lie-down instead of the stand (my younger dogs don't have a lie-down at all). If your dog has a stand in its memory bank, it shouldn't be hard to put it back on. You might try reminding her first on leash away from stock. Walk a few paces; stop yourself and say "stand". She ought to stand, and if she doesn't, but lies down instead, lift her by the tummy to a standing position and repeat the command. Do this a couple of times and then go to sheep in a round pen or if in a field, you'll want to work in a circle. Have her flank either way, and go in a circle; at some point just say "stand" or "stand still" to emphasize the point. If she lies down, pick her up as mentioned earlier and repeat the command. If she has a lie down whistle, give a softer version of it; it should make her slow tentatively and then say "stand" until she does (you can later make this softer version her "stand" whistle). If she just keeps circling, lie her down with a "lie down"; walk over to her in a stern way; she may get up and retreat from this pressure. When she does, say "stand", "stand". Keep walking at her until she does stand. As soon as she does this, walk back silently or say "good girl" but relieve the pressure, and she will make a connection between the verbal command and the action of standing. If she doesn't stand up when you walk over to her, say "on your feet" "get up" in a stern voice; she probably will get up then, and then say "stand". With my older dogs, if I give a stand whistle, and they lie down because I hit it too hard, I give a quick walk up command followed by a quick stand whistle, which they ususally then take. If they don't, I'll say "get up", "stand still", and then they get it. With them I've evolved a method of giving two short toots for a lie-down (which since they have it already, I try in limited ways to make use of, usually if they're not listening well and I want to reinforce a correction) and one short toot for the stand. The stand command keeps them working and thinking, keeps them focused on their stock ready for the next action, and it keeps the handler alert. The lie-down can relieve pressure at the pen or shed, but it is usually taught to novice handlers so that they can break the action altogether and gain time to think about what to do next. But eventually, as one becomes more advanced, one's reactions become reflexive, almost as if they can be deemed instinctual (though of course they're learned), and this is something that doesn't happen very quickly (in my opinon) when one relies on a lie-down as the only or even main stop command. Admittedly, advanced handlers may use the lie-down in this way, but usually (in my opinion) when they're working their dogs mechanically (something I think we should try to avoid).

 

Albion

 

I'm away this weekend and will be off e-mail until Monday. Have a nice weekend.

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