Negotiations

Negotiations, originally uploaded by manymuddypaws.

Another herding blog post coming your way. Sorry to the non herding folks. ;)

Brit and Leo both have the same problem. Coincidence? I think not.

Dogs should bend off pressure. Especially soft squishy ones like Brit. Why then does she have a horrible outrun? Well because she doesn't take me seriously. Stick or no stick Brit is all about having a good time when there are sheep around. I try to be serious and "mean it" but I am not conveying that to my dog very well. I have a problem with all the "grey" in herding. Nothing is ever the same, the rules change, the plan changes, it's always different. So I get kind of wishy washy because I am trying to process it in my brain as to wether it was good enough or not. Meanwhile my dog has cut in on the sheep and they are running 100mph towards me. Instead of all that thinking and watching I need to act. And mean it. Be confident, etc. Louanne calls it "Purposeful." Apparently I don't have that. lol

I also worry about her feelings. She can be sensitive. But isn't as soft as I think. She can take pressure, and she can work through stress. Stress isn't a bad thing, I get it. She wants to work, and will continue to want to work. I need to keep that in my head. Less worry, more purpose. lol.

I can picture the outrun I'd like. But so far I haven't managed to get it. I hate being frustrated. So I'm going to buckle down and be "purposeful," no more negotiations. And I'll try to do that without a smile on my face, and I'll not watch my pretty dog make mistakes.

I'll let you all know how that goes.