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Outrun training
February 6th, 2010 by TerryCategories: outruns
Earlier I discussed the importance of “flanks” in your herding training. They should be wide enough to let the stock know the dog is there but not within the “flight zone” so that the dog can get into proper position to illicit movement desired.
The end result of this is the “Outrun”.
The outrun is a GIANT flank that allows the dog to get around the stock and begin the gather. Border Collies should have a natural cast to acheive the outrun but other breeds can be trained to do it. It takes more work, lots of chasing the dog wider but I have seen Aussies, Rotties, Aus. Cattle dogs, GSD, etc go in excess of 100 yds to do the gather. Having a great outrun will allow the handler and dog go to any trial and do well. I routinely train my clients and their dogs to prepare for a Border Collie novice trial, even if they are not a BC.
When pushing the dog to go wider, they usually look at their handler as if they are CRAZY. I mean, seriously WHY so wide??? Frequently the dog is looking WHERE to go, as in a geographical location, rather than AWAY from the stock. If there is a hill near the lift point, the dog will not want to go up it or around it. This is a GREAT opportunity to teach the dogs that terrain is NOT a barrier. MAKE them go around it. When you go do a trial with a tree trunk, small hill, rocks, whatever on the outrun path, the dog will not see it as a barrier and go TOWARD the sheep. From your training, you can indicate to the dog to go AROUND it, thus not getting too close to the stock. If you have done your FLANK training properly, the dog will know to go wider on the command.
You will NEVER be able to train a good outrun in a fenced, small area. The dog needs to learn the sheep can GET AWAY. I start ALL dogs in outrun training in an open field and yet when we first go into an arena, the dog almost always runs too tight. The fence puts pressure on them and they want to get tighter. However, it’s so much easier to get them to widen out if they have learned it in the field.
The outrun is the technique needed to get the dog into position for the “lift”. I will be discussing the importance of the “lift” in the next blog.
Interestingly, for the last several months I have been receiving emails, phone calls, etc. involving BEHAVIORAL issues w/ dogs.
I have been expecting this for quite awhile.
Thanks to internet and many publications about various dog breeds, people are doing research before getting a dog. This is a good thing.
However, everybody wants a SMART dog, thinking it would be easier to train and play with. What breeds are among the “smartest” that people are acquiring??
HERDING DOGS!
The dogs bred for work NEEDED intelligence to be able to sort out the tasks and challenges of a herding dog. Some had to use barking, biting, shoving, eye to accomplish this. They also have to react QUICKLY as livestock are unpredictable and need a dog that can be in two places at once. Great on a farm or ranch.
Lousy in Dog Park.
Now dog owners have dogs w/ these incredible herding behaviors that are destructive in a social situation. The more the dog attempts to “herd” other dogs, the likelihood of a dog fight ensues. After all, what dog wants another to nip it’s heels, grab at it’s face or force it into a circle w/ other dogs. This carries over into behavior on people, too. Many have told me of the holes in their sock and pants from puppies grabbing them. Of course, don’t forget the dog that wants ALL the children in the swimming pool, even nipping ones getting out.
So I get the unhappy owners who can’t take their dogs anywhere calling me for help. But does herding actually solve this problem?
Herding does two important things:
It gives the dog an outlet to vent this pent up need to keep animals together in a constructive and INstructive environment.
It also allows the owner to learn how to control this behavior. Herding is about discipline and obedience while they dog is in full drive. If owners can control their dogs on sheep, the dog park dogs are EASY!
So if you have a herding breed that is driving you CRAZY, train the dog to drive SHEEP instead!
Since I use this blog to illustrate what I teach in my regular lessons, I thought I would give you all an update on the results of my “drilling lesson” a couple of weeks ago.
After ONE week of 2 – 3 times schooling on their dogs, the results were amazing! I took several to the big field in Valley Center and the dogs obeyed better than ever. Less hesitation in their responses (both dog AND handler), whistle quality was improved, dogs ran the course with more precision.
The format for drilling is as follows: 5 minutes of flanks, stop, walk-up w/out moving sheep. If PERFECT, the dog gets to move sheep. If not, drill continues for another 5 minutes. Rest briefly and try again. The dogs caught on immediately and w/in one minute of the drilling started REALLY listening and not guessing or anticipating owner’s commands. Now that my students understand how to drill, the results are apparent.
I will be teaching another one in the next couple of weeks, as some couldn’t make the last one.
At the AKC trial one of my students placed 1st in Adv A. She is running for CH points so this was a great achievement. The other person finished her title and jumped to Adv w/ a 3rd place ribbon. (The trial closed earlier that expected and only these two got in on time)
Drilling WORKS!!
Soooo, I hope the importance of the flanks in your dog was branded into your brain from the last blog. However, what about your dog’s brain??
I am teaching a schooling lesson on Thursday to demonstrate HOW to train these flanks. It’s not enough that the dogs have a rudimentary understanding of clockwise/counterc.w. There has to be NO hesitation in their obedience to the directions given by YOU. You will never learn to handle sheep until you WATCH THEM. Watching to see if your dog is obeying your instructions doesn’t allow you to focus on the sheep. Your timing is off, lines askew, panels missed, all because you weren’t seeing what your sheep were planning.
Sheep are devious, wooly bastards. The more they are worked, the smarter they get.
The handler’s job is to prevent the wreck, limit the chaos. That is the definition of herding trials. The quicker YOU are in circumventing their plan, the more they have to take the correct path. If you are busy seeing whether your dog took the flank correctly or whether he took the “stop”, the less you are seeing the sheep. How do you ensure your dog’s fidelilty to instruction?
School, School, School. It’s hours of mindless training to get your dog’s mind in a receptive state. Muscle memory (ever danced?). Repetitive steps till they flow w/out hesitation. That’s what the dogs have to do. It’s good for handlers, too. The drilling makes the whistles more spontaneous and clear. I had four dogs on different sets of whistles. How did I keep them straight?
Drilling.
I would see the dog and hear the whistles in my head. Hours of schooling. The dog would have to hear the command and respond REGARDLESS of what the sheep are doing. Hours, hours of training.
Unfortunately, the instant gratification we have come to expect in our life isn’t pertinent here. I found I must have a small clinic to address this as my clients thought if they worked whistles for five minutes, drove sheep around, played w/ sorting, penning they would make a trial dog. No, it’s much hard work w/ monotonous, jaw-breaking, hyperventilating effort.
Oh, yes and much running around.
For my Intermediate/Advanced clients the rule is: for every 1/2 hr lesson, they need one hour of drilling.
I have been speaking more to BC owners than the other breeds. However, even they need this schooling. They can’t take as much as a BC in terms of pressure but they need the drilling, too. When these dogs get to trials, they need to be under more control that most BCs. It’s more difficult to get them to respond w/ speed but having them obedient is even more important. If the dog has any drive to work, the drill sessions are for them.
Hear It, Do It: That’s the successful handler’s motto.
Let me introduce you to one of my BIGGEST PEEVES!!
STUPID HANDLER POINT LOSSES.
This occurs when the handler messes up something so incredibly EASY, that points are taken off their score. Where does this occur the most often?
HANDLER POST!
I can’t believe the number of competitors who act like they are wearing cement overshoes at the post. They are frozen, afraid to move, in fear they will docked for handler assistance. They make their bodies the obstacle, not the post. One or two sheep go around correctly, one or two go the wrong way, all why the person is standing there observing. DUMB, DUMB, DUMB!!
The POST is the obstacle, not YOU! Take a position on whatever side is necessary to facilitate the sheep going the correct way. Block the wrong side w/ your stick or body! Don’t make your poor, little dog be at two places at once. The post needs to be “set up” before the sheep get there, ensuring the completion of the task smoothly. Don’t let the sheep think you are a “blob” of inadequacy, allowing them to rub up against you on the their blissful way to the wrong side. Let them know you are as powerful as your dog so they move AROUND the post, not coming to you.
Another important reason for this is found more often in USBCHA trials than AKC or AHBA. Just as in the “lift” the dog introduces himself to the sheep and sets the tone of the run, the POST is where the handler makes an impression on the sheep. If you take an authoritative pose, not allowing them to run past you the wrong way it tells the sheep you cannot be overrun. Guess where that pays off…..The PEN.
I have been renting sheep from commercial sheep operations for years and those sheep are flighty! Frequently they were more afraid of people than of our dogs. While practicing for trials, I found that the first encounter they made of me, carried w/ them for good or bad. I once had a student stand perfectly still at the post and make the dog take them around him. They went wide around the person and bolted for the field. When it came time to pen, they went wildly around the person and took off. Next time, I had the handler stop the sheep as they tried to bolt past at the post and steady them around, using himself and his dog as equal partners on the pressure. The turn was smooth but the REAL pay-off was what happened at the pen. When the sheep saw they handler, they stopped instead of running around him and the pen. Using the same equal pressure/partnership as the post, the sheep were placed quietly in the pen.
Now I know it’s not the same when using our dog-broke, knee-hugging sheep in the the AKC/AHBA trials but it isn’t that much different. As those sheep go breaking to ME, I drive them away enough to make a nice pass around the post. This allows my dog to get to the other side enough to make a quiet turn.
Stupid Handler point losses: don’t let this happen to YOU