Herding
Herding instict test/vallanlagstest, Støde, Sweden, 10/9-2011
Resultat:
Interesse: 4
Naturlig evne: 4
Mental utholdenhet: 4
Samarbeide/styrbarhet: 3 (Inngår ikke i snitt)
Snittpoeng: 4
Godkjent!
Dommer: Tony Söderlund
Herdingcourse at Mære July 11-13th 2008.
Instructor: Karin Söderberg. Helpinginstructors: Olav Tiller and Torfinn Sivertsen.
Friday we had theory with Karin.
Some mainpoints:
- Work with the dogs weaknesses
- Do not let the dog herd other things
- Leadership (practice recall, sit etc.) Always come up with something new to practice
- Startup at the age of 6-8 months to find out how the dog is
- Start early, but wait until the dog is fully grown until training herding fully
- The dog is "best" when it is 4-6 years old, because it has more experience then
- Sounds: when the dog is going to balance - psssh, and smacking when it goes in towards the sheep
- Animalsense - senses how close de should/has to go to the herd, some are born with it, some learn it
- Tools: langpisklongwhip, roadpole, plasticbootle with gravel, voice, herdingcrook, plasticstick, growling
- No violence!
- Keep the dog in the car until it's turn, especially if it stresses and watches the action
- Practice most what the dog finds hardest
- Have a goal with the days training
- Finish with what the dog finds easiest
- Recall and a stop is most important to have before entering the ring
- All dogs are a righty or a lefty. Mine's a righty.... Practise the other way so the become tosided. If the dog's a lefty it'll 90% for sure go wide right turns.
- Should the dog stand or lie down? A dog that stands doesn't loose the pressure, but it's difficult to make them freeze. Young dogs should learn the lie down first.
- Short and long commands - le (walk a bit) - left (go all the way around) - ri - right
- Learn the split when they are 1 1/2 years old, the latest!
- Practice inside a round pen instead of outside, learn to be calm with the sheep
3 excersises:
1. The dog shall walk straight towards the sheep and stop, (do not yell) short commands le/ri + forward
2. The dog shall walk around the sheep (that are next to a fence), right, left and go straight in towards the sheep from any point on the circle
3. Balancing, the dog shall find the balancingpoint when you walk in front of the sheep, and the dog in back, and you make turns
Saturday we started the day with going in the roundpen with 6 sheep inside. Humbla was stressed out, and the first round didn't go so well. I practised "calm" and "lie down" before we went in for the second round, but she was still wild. Olav waved a plasticbag on a stick towards her, and afterwards she was magically transformed. She calmed down, and it was possible to talk to her and she listened. She walked calmly around the sheep in both directions and was very good for the remainder of the day. We barely got to start with balancing too.
Sunday it was full speed ahead again. She got to se sheep that came running down to the pen, then the took off again, new round of fetching them again, then those sheep were changed, they were a little mean, so a new round of fetching... STRESSED out dog as a result. Probably should have been in the car, but it was sooo far away. First two rounds she worked very swiftly and had her ears closed. Third round she was calm again. We didn't come as far as the day before, sadly.