Back to Basics...again

I just came in from working with JJ for the third time today. The first session I played with some the technics I used on his mother, but I was not producing the results I wanted to see, so I put him up to ponder for a bit. I went back and worked him a second time, this time rolling back to some basic at hand work while taking special care to try to see what was going on with him. I noted that he was flanking nicely on the come-bye side, released pressure correctly and allowed me to place him quite well if he needed a little correction. Not so with the Away to me side, rather then releasing, he was speeding up, barging in and trying to evade my help. I opted to put him up for the second time today to ponder a little more.

I did some reflecting, asking myself how I got Jake to release pressure on his flanks, so much of what JJ does is simular to Jake, but JJ handles correction differently and handles his stock differently. When trying to help Jake he would lean in harder with a tendency to grip, JJ just speeds up when he leans in. When you correct Jake he would fly out then try to come in at a different place away from you, JJ just eases out and does not try to beat you but rather waits for you to leave or turn your back, more like his mother. Nothing like having a mix of the two parents personalities and temperments.

I opted to move some sheep into the oval pen (75x100) and put JJ back on the training cord. I then select a stock whip just to add some pressure to show him that I wanted him to move left or right. Everything was going great, come bye, walk up, there...I took some time to make sure that "There" was a "stop in your tracks", so that I could use the there to stop him on his feet as opposed to asking him to lie down all the time. We then switch directions, that was when I discovered that JJ did not want to give me his left side, he would try to spin to face me or lug in toward the sheep harder, as opposed to bending out when I applied pressure. Well, there was the problem I was seeing earlier in the day, but now I was in a position where I could quietly school JJ through it. No, not escape: No, not shut down; No, not bite the cord; No, not threaten Deb; No, not lug down; No not spin around; Yes, stop; Yes, move over!! With that JJ and I called it a day, or rather JJ, I have more dogs to work.

JJ showed me yesterday at the trial that he knew how to handle sheep, he gathered, he flanked and he drove, he also dealt with the pressure of ewes saying we don't want to! ...but he also leaked out of flanking into driving, then leaked out of driving to get to the head to stop the drive, followed by refusing to stop. Time to go back to some basic obedience, clean up a little sloppy work, hold him to some requirements and see where we are by the end of the week.