Back from the Viklund clinic....3 Great days spent on sheep and with 'white board' discussions as well being amongst a wonderful group of enthusiasts.
Sure cant beat getting away for a wkend like that.
BALANCE... key to stock work...if you and your dog 'truely' understand this essential element then things fall into place rather nicely be it doing obstacle work or driving. I spent the wkend in the large round pen with Sting and Dare working on this. As a handler I was letting the girls come up abit short on balance and allowing them to do so. I needed to see the balance point with more precision than an 'area' and help the girls find & keep balance. Sting found and held the line better than her sister Dare. Perhaps because Sting has had more time on stock and isnt as pushy as Dare...might feel it easier.
Once Dare settles into a thoughtful pace she is on the money.
As a Breeder , I couldnt be any happier with the work ethic of the dogs bred by me who were also attending the clinic with their owners....
JR & Carolyn, Meg & Jackie, Ralf, Evo & Terry...WOW , great jobs you've done with your dogs ! !
Now to find 'balance' at home with our busy lives and fit training in.
Training sessions at home for me will start working the sheep in smaller groups so the dogs have to be more precise. As well will work on the different balance exercises ie ) wheel
ASCA trial first wkend in July....gosh can we be ready in time for the once a year trial ?
It's interesting, Terry was mentioning this as well. I noticed Impulse was coming up short on her balance a couple weeks ago, and I remember Dave talking about it at the last clinic I went to of his (maybe the cattle clinic?) on how easy it is for the dogs to come up a bit short. So, tiem before last I pushed Impulse to go farther and hit the proper balance. All of a sudden the second time out the next weekend she is understanding "there", she is getting to the proper balance without me having to ask her (and I've stopped sucking the sheep to me as well), and actually working a lot better. I can change sides, move around my stock and she adjusts and holds balance, even as it has to adjust based on the draw and as we get closer to it. I think it FINALLY *felt* right to her and everything fell into place. These clinics are just invaluable to point out such little things that make such a big difference to our dogs.
ReplyDeleteSo true
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