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The first thought that came to my mind was also a leather leash - and to check out the Farm Diggity page. If you want a leash constructed with climbing rope, I saw a lot on Amazon, but check out https://www.mountaindogproducts.com/shop-our-leashes/ They have a forever warranty.

Note: I am not a vet, so..... But if Maple were my dog, at this point, I would continue to watch her closely for the next 24-48 hours for the same behavior or something else that doesn't seem right. If the behavior is not repeated, IMHO it is just simple idiopathic episode. But if she were to repeat it, I would definitely want to see if there is cause for concern. Unfortunately, sometimes we never get an answer. I recently had an episode with one of my dogs in which he had a normal day and evening of eating and pooping. Then around midnight, he was whining enough to wake me up. I took him outside, and he immediately started frantically 'grazing' on the grass for a few minutes, then he pooped, but because it was in the dark, I couldn't see if it was normal or watery. I wondered if he had an upset stomach which caused the grass eating, but I hoped he was done. Not so. About 2 hours later, he woke me up again with insistent whining and wanted to do a little bit of grazing, but no pooping. Weird. Then about 90 minutes later, he woke me up again. Went outside, but didn't really do much, no grazing, no pooping. Totally mystifying, and my best guess is upset stomach due to ???? He has been normal since.

Yes, I think that I would try to smooth out the dog's behavior and anxiety with meds so her mind can calm down enough that she CAN think and train. It sounds like that in certain situations, she is over threshold and can not be 'calmed' out of it using traditional methods. Thank you for help this woman and her canine bestie and thank the woman for sticking it out.

Just curious - in what context will these commands be used? That is, how do you use them in a sequence? I am trying to visualize why/how they are used since I do not use such commands -- not to say that they aren't valid, just not what I am familiar with. Having said that, choose whatever word will make sense to you so it is easy to remember AND one that doesn't sound too much like another command (as you have already discovered) or their name. (I was going to name a puppy Cuff, and it was suggested to me that If I did, the dog could be confused when herding and I asked for a 'Come By' because the beginning of the words sounded so similar.

Happy to hear that the weave pole problem is 'fixed'. Maybe it was your attitude?

Lovely tribute. What wonderful work you have accomplished, and I know Rooster is saying "Thank You" too. Best wishes for a long life with Rooster.

The Treat & Train used to be called Manners Minder, if that helps. And yes, move the last 2 poles so they are wider and she doesn't have to bend her body as much to finish the poles. She should know to continue 'weaving' past the last pole. If the last 2 are wider, she still has the 'landmarks' of the poles, but it is easier to complete the task. Gradually move them back towards the center. If she starts popping out again, it is possible that you have narrowed them too fast. Return them to a wider position so she has a >90% or 95% success rate, then narrow again. (Note: try narrowing by a very small increment so she hardly notices)

Does Piper pull out if you are running with her along the poles, or is she more likely to pull out if you are moving away from the poles to get to the next obstacle? Personally, I don't think that putting her on a leash is helping. The goal is to teach her that her job is to finish all the poles - whether you are running along beside her or are at a distance. If you have adjustable weaves, or are using poles stuck in the ground, one option is to open up the last 2 poles to make it easier for her to finish the 12. I would first proof going to the end of the poles (distance, pulling away, etc.) to make sure she understands that she has to finish all 12 while you move away. Then you can start GRADUALLY closing the last two poles and continue with straight on path or proofing distance and pulling away. Another option - if she understands what a Treat & Train is (the remote-controlled treat dispenser), use that to see if she will drive to it and finish all 12 poles. If she is still popping out, try opening the last 2 poles as suggested above. Obviously, you can also reward with a thrown toy - keep the toy in the hand away from the poles so the dog doesn't see it. I haven't had great luck with that because my dogs KNOW I have a toy and will focus on that. My timing has to be incredibly precise (which it usually isn't) to use a throw toy successfully.

Coming back to this thread. I would love to experience a working-bred Kelpie, but I wouldn't know how to find one here in the States. I know someone with a couple of them, but they are very shy and anxious, so I am thinking that there may be a split of working vs. pet similar to the BC breed.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-dogs-tilt-their-heads-new-study-offers-clues-180978980/

I enjoyed that. Thanks for posting.

I am of a similar mind as terrecar. If a dog is invading her space, she has a right to tell him/her to back off. Even if the other dog seems friendly to us (as humans) s/he may have been rude and inappropriate with the dog-dog interactions. It sounds like your dog may not be super confident. I also recommend reducing the amount of time at dog parks, and if you do bring her to dog-dense play areas, definitely try to monitor the situation and not let her fend for herself.

These dogs are smart enough to differentiate surfaces - i.e. she will know to be careful jumping with slippery hardwoods, but should have no hesitancy (if not injured) jumping with grass/dirt/sand underneath. So no, being on hardwoods would not 'teach' her to not jump under other conditions. If she is injured (ileopsoas strain or tear, or spinal wrench or...?), it is perfectly logical that she could 'jump' lower heights, which she probably mostly steps over, but avoids the higher heights where she has to elevate more because that can be painful.

Sorry to hear this. My first thought is that she may have an ileopsoas tear. Her hesitation to use her rear for 'explosive' actions (jumping) is a giveaway that there is an injury. As you probably know, BCs are excellent at masking pain, but she does seem to be giving signals that she is in pain. If she lives on hardwood, there could have been a time when she slipped and strained a muscle or joint. Or an injury could have happened at any other time. General vets do not (usually) have the expertise to diagnose sports injuries. (Ask me how I know.) I definitely recommend finding a certified orthopedic vet that is specially trained in this area. I don't have a link in front of me, but there are on-line lists of orthopedic vets to help you find one in your area. Good luck.

I have tried Tony McAlister ABCA, Tony McAlister border collie, ABCA news Tony McAlister. Nothing wrt to this topic. Please help.

Can anyone expand on exactly what the behavior was that resulted in this action? Falsification of registrations?

Since Braden is 1.5 years old, what other training have you done with him? And how much? If you have done too much training requiring a lot of focus on you, which is then rewarded, Braden may be defaulting to that type of interaction with you -- checking in with you a lot for reinforcement that he has done the correct behavior. Take this with a grain of salt because I am not an expert in training for herding (but have done a little and one dog is a little like Braden) -- you have to try to break the habit of him looking to you for approval. Since it sounds like he will not go in and attack the sheep, let him walk around the sheep with you, but if he looks to you, don't say anything. Don't encourage. When you encourage, you are strengthening the 'looking for approval' habit. Try to break the habit of him looking to you by not responding. Just keep walking around the sheep and see what he does. He must learn to focus on the sheep and think for himself. Just my 2 cents - for better or worse.

Yay. Very tricky.

LOL

I understand. Fast dogs demand distance handling. With my first agility trainer, she taught a style that didn't use much distance handling. (very few rear crosses, no layering) She kept encouraging me saying "you CAN get there for that front cross". Oh Heck no I can't. Torque and I were extremely frustrated. Then she tried running a short sequence with him one day. HaHa. After that, she understood and was more on board with layering and rear crosses.

Super distance handling. You should be proud of Team Molly.

Congratulations.

Ditto

Voted and confirmed via email! Good Luck.