In the afterglow of having such a successful weekend I also started thinking about what the next step for us is. There are a tempting number of trials in the next 6 weeks however none of them are very close to home and aside from that I think that Diva and I have some work to do before we step into the advanced cattle arena. So what are my plans?
In regards to myself I need to go through some remedial handler training. It's funny how "we" work so hard to train the dog but often forget our part when push comes to shove. Time and time again this weekend I was reminded that when it came to working the center obstacle I was the weakest link in our team. There is a lot of thought and strategy that goes into being successful there and I need to work on my on the spot problem solving. When I did remember to capitalize on Diva's strong fetching and sense of balance I usually ended up with the stock being delivered straight to where I needed them. This was definitely the case on ducks and something that likely cost me getting that 2nd leg of advanced on Sunday. I also need to be more aware of my position and what it communicates to Diva as well as remembering to say what I mean and mean what I say ;-). The last thing that I am committed to working on is remembering that I need to keep all of this training light and fun for Diva. She is not a serious dog and I make leaps in progress when I praise vs. scold. Coincidentally I think this may also be something I should work on with my children ;-).
For Diva the things that I feel we need to work on between now and our next ASCA trial are her off balance flanks and coming into me without slicing. I would also like to improve on and proof her standing stop, which I needed on sheep and didn't always get (Diva likes to take a few additional steps). And of course we also need to spend a lot more time on cows building on her confidence and getting a real grip when needed. Unless she offers it herself I will probably wait until I am in NY next with Dawn to start working on her gripping. Hopefully that will be sometime early October and then again at Thanksgiving. In the meantime when I next get up to Amanda's to work her cows I plan on focusing on take pen work.
Fall also brings around a few agility trials so it's back to regular classes for Diva and I. Stock can be so fun for me and time consuming that I forget that besides a WTCH we are also chasing dreams of an ATCH!
Sounds like very good plans and realistic assessments of where you are. I might suggest a book that I'm currently reading. It's called BELIEVE by Buck Brannaman. While about the journey of training horses, it sooooo relates to our journery toward being a partner with our dogs in stock work. Today at my lunch break from work, I read a chapter that hit home with me, and from your post, it sounds like you might relate, too. The discussion is about "presence" vs. aggression (even scolding).
ReplyDeleteI'd also suggest the book, CUTTING: ONE RUN AT A TIME, by Barbra Schulte. It's about training cutting horses, but she, too writes in a way that makes her techniques relevent to our work with stockdogs. You might appreciate, like I did, her discussion on how to break down the run into component parts.
You're ending your trialing season on a very good note with much success. It is a nice place to stop, assess, adjust, and train for that WTCH next year.
Thanks for sharing your journey. I'm enjoying reading about you getting from There to Here.