Donald McCaig Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Dear Doggers, All dog worlds are insular and sheepdogging, is no exception. Whatever one's insularity it is worth considering that others, every bit as intent and dog savvy as our compatriots, may be able to teach us. Dick Russell, who never trained a sheepdog in his life, was one who taught me.http://thedogmanmovie.com/ Donald McCaig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rufftie Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 what a wonderful man and a wonderful life. i'm sorry i never got the chance to meet or train with him. although in a linked article it does show him with a border collie and sheep, saying "come by". hope his proteges spread the word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennyT Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 He owned at least two sheepdogs. He never managed to train one, that's a fact. At a clinic, I heard him lie about not ever owning one before the second. He was called on the lie because he didn't realize that the person who owned the dog after him in 1987 was there and spoke up. He may have been a wonderful pet dog trainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donald McCaig Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 He was. Couldn't figure sheepdogs out. Insularity. Donald McCaig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyberdog Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 I am currently starting agility and stock work. My dog is 8 years old, and I have no plans to trial her. We do it for, " the love of the work" My stockdog friends discuss the absurdity of using treats during obedience while my agility friends insist thay I play games with Rocket after working stock to make it more fun. Insular is a good word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEC Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 I am currently starting agility and stock work. My dog is 8 years old, and I have no plans to trial her. We do it for, " the love of the work" My stockdog friends discuss the absurdity of using treats during obedience while my agility friends insist thay I play games with Rocket after working stock to make it more fun. Insular is a good word. Each activity/discipline seems to have its own accepted reward(s). IMO, the conventional wisdom for each dog-activity may be right for the majority of dogs. They are usually worth a try. Nevertheless, as every pet or performance dog owner knows, each dog has an individual personality. What is a reward for one, may not be of interest for the next. I say, discover what your dog likes, whether it be food treats, play, verbal praise, keenness for the activity itself, or something else. For parts of some activities, a little well-placed sternness often-times moves things ahead. Over-arching any training method, is the question of how the trainer feels about it, whether it fits his/her philosophy, and of course whether it is working well. How a person trains his/her dog is almost always a personal thing. I believe, in dog training discussions, it's healthy to keep an open mind. Wish I had known Dick Russell. From what I read in the links provided, he was a wonderful accomplished dog/handler trainer. -- Kind regards, TEC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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