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DRILLING CLINIC
October 4th, 2009 by TerryCategories: techniques
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
One of the purposes of this Blog is for educating herding enthusiasts on the aspects of training necessary for success. In this regard, I am filming a DVD to illustrate the first 6 – 8 sessions of training.
It’s all about the “flank”.
“Flank” is the technique enabling the dog to get around the sheep and establish control. It should not be within the “flight zone” of the sheep enough to produce a chasing response. It needs to just close enough to cut off all paths of escape, allowing the sheep to go in one direction only. Sounds easy? NOT!! It is the most difficult training technique to get across to both dog and handler. That’s why I am doing a training DVD on this only.
Most dogs want to make the sheep run. The more they run, the keener the dog becomes, the faster the sheep run, the keener the dog….you get the picture. In fact, most of the breeds of dogs we train here are “prey drive” dogs and the herding is only a by-product of that. If too much “chase” is taken away from the dog, the less happy they are in a herding situation. However, without a proper flank, the dog will NEVER CONTROL THE SHEEP! You can have the BEST stop on a dog and it won’t work to stop sheep.
The flank is also the premise for an outrun. It’s just much wider on sheep and farther away from you. The outrun should allow the dog to “sneak up” on sheep and initiate a calm, introduction (lift). This will set the tone for the relationship between prey and predator.
How do you achieve a good flank on your dog? Alas, a great deal of running on your part and chasing the dog away. The dog does NOT get the sheep until they are calmly moving the direction handler desires. Suffice to say, the dog doesn’t understand WHY he is being chased away so don’t be surprised at a lack of enthusiasm. However, if he is allowed the sheep again when he is NOT engaged in a chase behavior, the light bulb will turn on pretty fast.
Much more difficult teaching people this discipline. Most people just don’t want to use intimidation to make the dog move away from the sheep. They are hoping they get it. No so. Handler must FORCE the dog away from the sheep, wider and wider. When the SHEEP feel the dog is a safe distance, that is the contact point. Each dog and different sheep will make that distance a constant changing position.
We pride ourselves at this facility for producing the best flanking and outrunning dogs, of all breeds, in trialing today. That is the key to their success in gaining titles (AKC, AHBA) at a rate not seen at many facilities. Over two dozen of our clients have achieved Advanced titles, many becoming Champions. I have trained that number to aspire to the United Border Collie Handler’s National Finals and compete. I think our emphasis on the Flank Training is a key to this.
It doesn’t matter what kind of whistle you use, only that you can master the technique successfully. My fave is my Sterling Silver whistles; they don’t bend in times of trialing trepitude. The have a lovely low, quiet tone and yet can explode to a shrieking, penetrating decible for those “stock induced deaf” dogs.
BEWARE!! Not all silver whistles are alike!! The ones I have were individually made by a very great jeweler. Some of the ones purchased lack that precision of tone. I think they are made to small, so the air is forced thru the bevel and there is “squeal” to the tone. I don’t recommend you run out and buy a silver one until you are quite proficient w/ the whistle. The bone ones have been a good choice for some of my clients.