Thoughts on instinct, and not having any. lol

I don't think that herding is in the cards for me. lol. I am going to take Vito next time as not only is he my last chance, but he likes to chase and stalk things so maybe he might be interested...

Instinct is an interesting thing- the sheep guy "Tyler" was working an 8 month old BC when we arrived and it was beautiful. 6 months old and already he was able to shape her instinct into what he wanted. It was pretty incredible. After my failure with the two dogs I brought he let me work another young dog and it was pretty neat to see and feel the power of a dog who knows. THe dog I got to work was 6 months and had only been on sheep a few times. This trainer believes in teaching the dog balance and pressure right away and so my job was to keep her balanced and apply pressure (a raised arm, or two) when she was close, or if I wanted to change directions. It was interesting.

I think the problem with all three of the dogs I've tried is that A) they see sheep so infrequently it is hard to sustain interest B)I give my dogs shit for chasing things all the time (each other, the cat, deer, etc) C) Their age. Wicca is 6 and hasn't had a positive sheep experience for two years. Boone is 7 and as with all things in his life he isn't able to deal with pressure- even slight. Pixel is a young'n and theoretically with more exposure I should be able to spark an interest. She sure had it when she was young.

My friends Kelpie did very well and again he just has that instinct and with very little training he already has a good idea of what is expected from him. I thought he looked very good.



Herding is a sport that I won't ever get into seriously but it sure is interesting to watch and learn!!!