My Best Friend, Flow

I got 'em!

I love it when dogs are smooth, and fast, and Tam-the-man was all about the flow today. I kept it short, and let him have his sheep. Most of what we did today was simply wearing sheep to me. Tam loved it, making big sweeping arcs from side to side, shortening the distance as he tired. I walked, and walked changing directions as I went, occasionally giving him a steady to help him slow down and stay on the pressure.

After a while, I put my back to the fence letting him hold sheep to me. He dove in once, which earned him a growl. After that I was more vigilant encouraging him to tuck in the ends without gripping. When the sheep stilled at my feet, Tam would come to a stop and I would say "stand" at that moment introducing that command.

I much prefer "stand" to a lie down, because I prefer never to take my dogs off their feet. I think it takes they're power away, and inhibits balance. Of course, the dog has been bred for balance over hundreds of years, and I trust they know better. A very common sight at a trial is a hand repeatedly lying a dog down where the hand thinks balance is at the exact moment that it changes. That's got to be confusing to a dog.

I finished today with flanking drills, but this time added a whistle to my voice flank commands. I trained Star on voice and whistle simuntaneously, and it worked well, so Tam will get the same treatment. Tammy was confident, fluid and quite happy at work today. A potent combination for a sheep dog.