LOOK CLOSELY
Remember each dog is an individual and what I may relate, may be totally different for each dog. You have to know your own dog, read his body language and what he is displaying emotionally.
Now the most important thing to remember is you are a team. You don't want to let your dog know that you are someone to not trust and to seek safety elsewhere. You want to be that safety.
There are physical and emotional signs of a dog becoming unconfident. There are triggers that you as a handler can instill on a dog to bring about instant unconfidence, too. Triggers that the dog brings into training, too.
What we are going to look closely at in this article is really seeing signs of your dog starting to become unsure or loosing confidence.
Here are some very common signs of a dog starting to lose confidence, or already there. Read closely as you have all probably experienced these signs and didn't realize your dog's state of mind.
Cannot look at you ** Startles with quick motion ** Panics
Seeks another dog ** Seeks another person ** Rolls over onto back
Tries to leave pen ** Scales fencing ** Runs for vehicle
Crawls under fencing/gates ** Shuts down ** Can't obey commands
Will not engage livestock ** Eats poop ** Frozen in place
Won't leave your side ** Runs around frantically ** Disobeys commands
Pulls on leash ** Panics at the end of cord ** Tail tuck
Ears are flat against skull ** Runs away from you ** Cannot look at livestock
Moves in slow motion ** Hesitation
These are the aftermath of the dog loosing or loss of confidence. These are the manifestations of unconfidence already happening. You need to take a few steps backwards to dig for the real truth. Once these have already appeared, you need to know that it has gone on a lot longer. To give your dog the confidence he needs, you need to stop taking him to this level.
Just as most of the signs listed are for a dog not having confidence, some of those signs can also be from a dominant state of mind. A dominant dog can freeze in place, instead of moving from a command. That should not be confused with not knowing what you are asking or the dog being unsure. It is simply from being dominant and not having to do as you ask.
These are just some of the ways a dog can exhibit unconfidence. These signs are what most handlers easily recognize in their dog. BUT many do not attribute them as what they are...the dog not being sure or confident. Usually I hear - the dog is disobeying me, he's stubborn, hard headed...they don't realize that the dog is unconfident and really can't do anything else until he regains his confidence back. A red light should be going off in your head. It should trigger, a "hey, wait a minute" response. Let's see if you are unsure. Don't immediately go to pushing on the dog to get them to do something.
Most of these signs are usually seen in herding lesson, after herding lesson. You've taken your dog outside of what he feels comfortable with and now he's afraid, unsure and unconfident. He may be looking at you as some sort of axe wielding troll that he has a real fear for his life. You are not someone they want to be with. You are not safe anymore. So they seek a safer place to be...in their crate, the car, another person, etc.
Your ultimate goal is to have your dog seek YOU in times of stress, not run off. Work on that part of your relationship.
When the dogs do run off, or start to seemingly disobey commands, most people at this point are all about MAKING the dog do it. They don't recognize what the dog really needs at this point. Most dogs will do something if you make them, but their minds aren't into it. It shows, too. You want a dog to be happy and responsive and WANTING to do it. That means you have to start taking care of his physical and emotional needs, too!
If you noticed, I put HESITATION last. Most people don't even "SEE" this. That hesitation in your dog, was your first clue. Typically, with hesitation, at this point, most people are on a mission to push the dog harder to get the job done. The dog can perceive this as pushing him over the edge. The Handler's don't see the hesitation for what it is. The first sign of a dog displaying unconfidence. Sometimes you can work through it and tell the dog that yes, he really can accomplish this task. It's what the dog does afterwards to let you know if you picked the right action to take.....or not.
With Hesitation, it shows that the dog is unconfident. Many people just think that the dog is disobeying a command. Sometimes the handlers get obsessive on completing the task that it's now their mission to get the dog to do what they wanted. They are not looking at what the dog needs or wants. Sometimes it is just calling the dog back to them and reassuring them, petting them or "good girl" Other times it will be to back off completely - leave the dog alone or do something different.
What the dog does next will tell you if you where right or not. You have a 50/50 chance at being right. IF not, then you will, hopefully, recognize one of the other signs of unconfidence in your dog. Maybe eating poop is the next sign. Those two signs together may help you decide which way to go.
You don't want to upset your relationship with your dog. If he's not sure of what to do, picture the dog teetering on the edge of a cliff, he's looking into the abyss and you are about to shove him completely over! What kind of partner are you? You want to help your dog, not get him to distrust you.
What do you do now? Don't worry, just stop what you are doing and work on bringing back his trust in you, and recharging his confidence. Forget about the lesson, or the time on sheep. Help your partner!
You may have noticed that some of these signs appear to be dominant acts. Hesitation, not listening to you, frozen in place, disobeying commands...as mentioned before, you are right. YES they can be. That is why you must constantly monitor your dog for physical signs of Uncofidence or Dominance. A dog not listening to you because of UNCONFIDENCE will not have the same consequence as a dog in a DOMINANT state of mind. Two totally different consequences.
Start seeing and really looking closely at your dog. Dogs talk a wide and diverse language. One in which we totally lack the skills to converse with. The dogs can read us, but we have a very hard time reading them. It can be done. It is lots of work and observation, but attainable.
It's up to you to make your dog trust you, and help him to gain confidence in what he's doing. Once he feels these two, he'll start to be happy and will want to work with you. They'll WANT to do things with you.
The hardest things for people to see are the first signs of the dog being unsure. They usually blow right by it. Usually, in herding, the dog will pick up his pace and pushiness....or hesitate and go straight to eating sheep poop. Most people only realize something is wrong when that happens or when the dog makes an escape under the gate. The escape to the gate, the dog lost his trust in you. You have pushed him off the cliff.
To be more successful, you must LOOK CLOSELY and start seeing the first signs of the dog becoming UNCONFIDENT.
Jean and the Wicked Gang