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Flanks too square or someting


Maja

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Ok, so Bonnie makes usually nice flanks. That is, a come bye or away produce this release bend-out in her, which Is I think desirable and well done. But. Sometimes I want just a leetle bend-out, particularly when we are cross driving and I want to adjust the sheep's course a little bit. But Bonnie sometimes does not do just a bend-out-release movement but goes way to the back, sort of instead of being square it looks kind of like a shepherd's crook. I mean she goes straight out (increasing the radius quite a bit) far and only later turns. if the sheep are moving in the wrong direction, it is sometimes too late for her to alter the course the way I want.

 

I don't know if I am explaining this in any way that makes sense, if not I can make a vid of it. If anybody knows what I mean, i would be grateful for suggestions. Should I just wait for her to figure things out herself, or should I introduce a pull-in command? Or should I do something else? Right now, I just call her name.

 

Maja

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Do you have her on whistles yet? Give her a walk up, then a soft half flank (half whistle or half voice command) and see if she stays on better contact. The reason i ask about whistles is you could do the commands together almost like a chain. Try walk up-half flank-walk up almost as one command, and keep it soft.

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Thank you for the advice. No I don't have her on whistles yet, my whistling is not so good yet, though it has been my contention that she would do well on whistles (I expect that irritation is concealed easier in a whistle). But I will try it with the half-commands by voice.

 

Maja

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think she started doing funny flanks because I had (again) stressed her too much. Here is a movie from today with my friend's bonkers sheep. The fenced-in area is smaller than the sheep's flight bubble so it was nearly impossible to work with them. I soon asked to move to an open area.

 

But I think the movie shows here that Bonnie's flank's are naturally fine, and she does them well. The weird things I described earlier were, I think a result of over-correcting herself as a result of stress.

 

Please tell me if I am correct in regard to the flanks in the video - are they ok?

 

 

maja

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