toney

Sometimes dogs trained in handler centric sports have difficulty taking their attention off the handler and onto the sheep, where it belongs. They consider this disobedient or rude behavior. Having someone else work the dog on sheep while the handler stays out of sight can kick start their interest sometimes. The handler can be gradually introduced back into the mix once the dog has keened up on sheep.

The idea of " flooding" to desensitize an animal to an emotional trigger can sound over the top. And while doing the packed pen exercise Julie suggests might fit the definition of flooding in a certain sense, it's not actual flooding in practice. I put my open trial dogs in the packed pen occasionally to remind them in a passive non confrontational manner that quiet behavior equals quiet sheep. I use it with puppies to become comfortable and relax when in close proximity to sheep. It helps them when I need them to clear a trailer of sheep or push sheep out of a small pen neatly and without a fuss. Border collies learn best from the sheep. By putting him on a cable or leash and allowing him to realize that he's not going to work until he has the right attitude won't torture him. Nor, if he is as keen as you say, will he lose his initiative to work sheep. His attitude for whatever reason is wrong. In the car he knows he is going to work sheep so his adrenaline starts to increase. By the time he hits the farm he's already forgotten about you and is too charged to work correctly. I believe this has become a learned habit and now will be difficult to break. He gets in with the sheep and loses his mind. The idea is once he calms down in the packed pen you reward that with a little working in the pen- calm flanking on a leash. Bad behavior means he stops working and you go sit and read your book again.