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FLANKS, FLANKS & MORE FLANKS
May 28th, 2010 by TerryCategories: flanks, outruns, techniques
I have been droning on and on about the importance of the dog really knowing “right” vs “left” and the distance they should be from the sheep. Now I am adding “Squaring”. What are square flanks? Why important?
The flank is not always a circle. It is a left or right turn THE DOG MAKES in order to reposition self to advance on the sheep. When told to “go by” (left) the dog should turn into his left shoulder and go that way. When told to stop, he should stay at the distance from the sheep and not take three steps toward them. Same w/ the “Awee” (right) turn. Everytime the dog takes those fateful steps toward sheep, they move in reaction AWAY from the dog. Alas, there goes a straight line and the scoring points. Nearly 100% of the time when I am asked why the sheep are not going straight, it is the flank that caused the problem. When we square the dog, the sheep go straighter and the line of course is achieved.
This is all going to be so much easier to illustrate WHEN I GET THE CAMERA GOING! Yes, I purchased a very nice video camera and will be using it to upload the examples of all I describe. Some of us do better SEEING than reading.
I have promised my web genius, Tim, that I would produce a new blog each Friday. He is also making it possible for me to add video links so readers can SEE what I am describing. This should make this blog a GREAT teaching tool for all of you! Keep your eyes pealed on Fridays!
Continuing the discussion of flanks: how to turn those big circles into a simple “left, right” turn for the dog. Most of my discussion has involved making the flanks bigger, wider for gathering. However, the same commands are used to produce the drive. Most of my students think the challenge is getting the dog to push the sheep away from the handler to achieve the drive. It’s not. STEERING the sheep is the tough part. Just like you don’t drive in your lane on the freeway by slinging the steering wheel left and right, the dog shouldn’t be wearing big circles. Small movements are what keep the sheep in a straight line. How do we take those wide, beautiful circles into little, precise movements? Read and learn…
The other problem w/ teaching the drive is the dog doesn’t even KNOW THE COMMANDS! Most beginners use their body/stick to produce the turns, not realizing the dog is DEPENDENT on the body language. Therefore, as the dog begins moving sheep away, his back is to the handler and can’t see the cues. This causes the dog to turn around and look for direction; some dogs go all the way back to the handler. Makes it difficult to take sheep on a jaunt around the course.
The training for this is EASY but requires attention to your every movement.
First, when introducing flanks to the dog, REPEAT THE COMMANDS AS LONG AS THE DOG IS DOING IT!! ” Here it, do it” is the motto for good herding dogs. Once you think the dog recognizes the word, give one cue w/ the first command and then duct tape your arms to your side and keep repeating it. I guarantee the dog will stop as soon as you stop moving. You need your dog to take the command w/out moving your body. That’s the first step.
Next, start making the flanks of varying distances. Full circles, half circles, quarter circles; dog should be turning to HIS right and left. He should NOT angle toward the sheep or toward the handler. When this is accomplished, it’s EASY getting the dog to go toward the sheep. Don’t expect the “walk up” to always be STRAIGHT; sometimes the dog bends. I will address how this can be amended in upcoming blogs.
Tomorrow we are hosting an AHBA herding trial, along w/ a JHD . This is similar to the PT course in AKC. I wish to take a moment and address how best to run these courses as I have seen many a wreck that was unnecessary. Proper approach to the sheep would have eliminated much of the messiness of the runs.
First, the sheep used in tests are mandated to be of a tame and dog-broke nature, so they shouldn’t be easily panicked. I always put the PT sheep on a good pile of hay, away from the entry gate so as to allow the handler to enter the arena at a safe distance. Leave the dog 0n it’s “stay” at this gate and advance BY YOURSELF to the sheep. The sheep will migrate to the person if the dog is calmly at a safe distance. DO NOT WALK YOUR DOG TOWARD THE SHEEP ON LEASH!! I can’t tell you how many times competitors have walked toward the sheep w/ the dog straining on the leash, causing the sheep to run away. I observed one handler literally drive her sheep to a corner w/ her dog leashed, hoping to “capture” the sheep from running. WRONG!! Put yourself in the sheep’s hooves and see how readily YOU would stay in a trap w/ a prey-driven dog. It was a disaster and I had to run out to drive the dog away from the sheep. Another handler w/ a nice Corgi, chased the sheep around the arena w/ the dog leashed to his side and complained the sheep wouldn’t stop running! He would get w/in 15′ of the flock and off they would go!
When your dog is on a good “stay” and you have the sheep calmly eating from your pocket 
…send your dog around the sheep on the WIDEST side so as to get more distance. This requires a FLANK (read previous blogs). If the dog runs AT you or the sheep, your woolies will take flight assuming you have no control. If the flank begins properly; as in the dog bends AWAY from the sheep, the sheep should stay close and follow you around the course.
When the handler w/ the Corgi went for his 2nd run, I suggested he do it this way. Voila! Sheep stayed w/ him and they did a great job.
A word about “Dog Broke, Tame” sheep: they are DOG SAVVY!! They read them better than most people. If the dog is demonstrating even the smallest lack of control, they are flighty! If you go into the arena and your dog breaks from his spot and begins the chasing motion, they are gone! It’s the nature of the wooly beasts to SURVIVE! Everything about your dog’s attitude should be keen but controlled. I will be addressing the technique necessary in achieving this.
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!