Pushing Forward
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit...Aristotle.
I love this quote, especially in regards to stockdog training. I was talking with a student the other day and they where wondering why where were doing a particular exercise. It was a basic exercise to get the dog to understand not to impinge on the bubble of the sheep - or not lean on the sheep's flight zone.
This was important as this particular dog wanted to drive forward whenever she hit it. It didn't matter what she was asked to do, she was going to go lean or go into it. When she fetches, when she does an outrun, when she is asked to stop, when she is asked to flank. She can barely contain it on a drive.
I asked the student to notice how the dog interacts with her. Whenever I see them, usually once a week, all the dog does is push her around, push into her space, push her back, she keeps pushing on her when she's asked to back, push on her when walking, or being asked any sort of command or cue. This is all done before they even get to the sheep pen.
When they get on sheep, the dog does exactly as she does normally...push on the sheep. The Handler's struggle is often met with frustration because of the dog's strong desire to push on her and/or the sheep. If the dog doesn't understand to NOT push on their handler away from sheep - it will be 10xs harder to get this dog to "give" on sheep. Especially when giving isn't apart of her everyday world - OFF sheep.
So, for this dog, pushing is a habit. She is excellent at it. What is needed is for the dog to learn to be less pushy and more giving.
Herding is a balance of all things. You want push, but not all or nothing. You want lightness, but not to the point of no movement forward. You want cover, but not to the point of the dog not letting go of the heads. You want grip, but not to the point of - all the dog does is grip. You want a dog to bend, but not so much that it will not walk a straight line. You want a dog to be able to circle around pressure, but not collaspe into it or go orbiting out to the moon. You want the dog to walk straight, to push into the pressure...but not lunge or avoid the pressure. It is all about bringing what your dog has and centering it. Too much of one thing, means it is weak in other areas.
I've included my Training-Learning Circle= it helps people understand the relationship and interactions of the major components of herding- deeper than flanks, driving, outruns, etc. The very foundations from which to build everything on.
Stop, Push, Go, Give & Control. To me, push is the force behind the dog - and go means - literally walking forward. You can have a dog walk forwards with no affect on the stock.
I call this my Training - Learning Circle
This set is when you have a balanced and centered dog -
Complimentary cycle - go clockwise
From a STOP - you need to PUSH
From a PUSH - your next step is GO
Once GOING - you need the GIVE
Once GIVING - you have CONTROL
Once you have CONTROL - you'll have a STOP!
Here it is in a better herding context = From a Stop - your dog first needs to push the stock - before he actually walks (Go) to the stock. Once the dog is walking and pushing, you need your dog to "give" or not to impinge on the bubble of the sheep. Once the dog Gives, you have control - (speed, rate, directions) and most importantly - your dog will Stop without resistance.
This next set is when these foundations skills are lacking.
Hindering Cycle - counter clockwise
No Stop = No CONTROL
No Control = No GIVE
No Give = All GO
All Go = All PSUH
All Push = No STOP
If your dog has resistance to stopping or doesn't like to stop at all - this means there is NO control. Lack of control comes from lack of GIVE in the dog - If the dog has no GIVE, then all he can do is GO. All Go leads to more push - if the dog is continually thinking go and push, then there is no room for a stop.
Here's when you have too much of a good thing - Take Away
Too much STOP deteriorates GO
Too much GO diminishes CONTROL
Too much CONTROL takes away PUSH
Too much PUSH diminishes GIVE
Too much GIVE leads to too much STOP
If you overwork your stop - then your dog is hesitant to move forwards on his own.
If your dog has too much GO, then that feeds into you having less control.
If you have too much control on your dog, then the dog usually loses his push - he can still walk, but the push is gone.
Too much push eats away at your dog being able to give to the pressure - because all he wants to do is push into it.
IF you put too much give in your dog, what usually happens is a dog becomes sticky - hesistant at moving forward freely - inclined to stop more than anything.
Too much STOP = All GIVE
Too much GIVE = No PUSH
Too much PUSH = No CONTROL
Too much CONTROL = No GO
Too much GO = No STOP
Here again, what feeds the stop - GIVE. If you work on the stop then you are also working on give - if you don't work on pushing - all you have is give. Too much give will take away the dog's push. Too much push means not enough control. Too much control and the dog is not able to freely move forward. Too much go - directly conflicts with stopping = your dog fights you for the stop.
These are meant as a general guideline. There are so many factors that influence how a dog works stock. These are meant to help you figure out how to balance and center your dog.
Say for example you dog isn't pushing - that means there is too much control - and too much give. So you need to loosen up on the control for a bit, leave out some stops and get your dog to impinge on the bubble and be less giving. That doesn't mean a total lack of control or just flying into the sheep - remember centered and balanced. Not too much or not too little.
Hopefully, when you find yourself a bit frustrated in your training session, these little helpful hints will help you figure out a plan to move forward on!
Good Luck!