gameonborders

Thanks. I do have someone I am working with but due to some unfortunate circumstances we haven't been able to get a lesson in recently...I have been trying to keep Addy on her feet more and that seems to be working.

Thanks so much for the advice. I only have 6 sheep of my own to train on. I can try to go to some places that are about an hour or two from me to work some larger groups, but I won't be able to do that very often (1 or 2 times a month). Should I stop working my own sheep for a while or can I still train her some at home in between our trips to other places?

Newbie Question: I am trying to learn the art of training and trialing sheepdogs with two very different dogs. My older dog, Grit, is very pushy and I have been spending quite a bit of effort to teach him some patience/pace. He likes to immediately get up from a down and start pushing on the sheep. My younger dog, Addy, is not nearly as pushy and seems to have naturally have patience and pace. The problem I have recently started having with her is that she won't get up from a down. Some days are better than others but if she is told to lie down or lies down on her own for more than a few seconds she gets "stuck". She has a lot more eye than Grit. She does better if I send her on a flank, but if I am just having her fetch sheep to me as I am walking around the field she'll tend to get "stuck" if I stop her. My first thought is to just avoid letting her lay down for too long to avoid her getting "stuck" but I don't know if avoiding the problem is the best way to fix it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks for the replies everyone...though I am not sure that I have a much clearer understanding than before . Since I am such a novice at reading stock, it is hard for me to know when my dog is blowing off my "lie down" command by immediately getting up and working again and when he is right because the sheep caused him to have to move. I will certainly keep all of this in mind as I work with him and try to get better at reading the stock. Thanks again for the help. I am glad I have found this resource as I am sure this will be the first of many questions

I was introduced to dog events through obedience competitions. In those events, I can see a clear end to a down. My dog is supposed to lie down when I say and stay there until I give a release cue (in my case "Break") or I cue another behavior (such as "sit" or "come"). Since I have begun working my dog on stock, I am not seeing the same clear distinction telling the dog when it is allowed to get up from the lie down. It seems handler's ask for the dog to lie down, but then the dog gets up on its own at times. I understand that I want the dog to be thinking and reading the stock and making decisions based on those things, but it seems confusing to me (and my dog). When I ask for a lie down, I get it, but quickly my dog is up and moving again. He will get up if the sheep move, I move, I say something, etc. So what do experienced sheepdog handlers do to make it clear to the dog when they are allowed to move and when they should stay put? Should my dog only be allowed to get up when I ask for a flank or walk up? Or should he be allowed to get up if the sheep start to leave? Thanks in advance for any advice. We are training for our first trial and I would like to make sure that both my dog and I are clear on the meaning of "lie down" before we get there. Angie and Grit

I was introduced to dog events through obedience competitions. In those events, I can see a clear end to a down. My dog is supposed to lie down when I say and stay there until I give a release cue (in my case "Break") or I cue another behavior (such as "sit" or "come"). Since I have begun working my dog on stock, I am not seeing the same clear distinction telling the dog when it is allowed to get up from the lie down. It seems handler's ask for the dog to lie down, but then the dog gets up on its own at times also. I understand that I want the dog to be thinking and reading the stock and making decisions based on those things, but it seems confusing to me (and my dog). When I ask for a lie down, I get it, but quickly my dog is up and moving again. He will get up if the sheep move, I move, I say something, etc. So what do experienced sheepdog handlers do to make it clear to the dog when they are allowed to move and when they should stay put? Should my dog only be allowed to get up when I ask for a flank or walk up? Or should he be allowed to get up if the sheep start to leave? Thanks in advance for any advice. We are training for our first trial and I would like to make sure that both my dog and I are clear on the meaning of "lie down" before we get there.