No, it’s not a mistake! Sending the dog the wrong way will improve its flanks.
Subtitles: French*, Spanish* or English, click CC on viewer (*translation errors).
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VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Make flanking fun for the dog
A sheepdog flanking around a flock of sheep in a large field.
Use a technique we call ‘sending the dog the wrong way’, to get your dog to flank wider!
One of the most common faults with trainee dogs is flanking too close to the stock.
A good example of the dog working calmly, and giving the sheep room.
Close enough to control the sheep, and far enough back to keep them calm.
How teach the dog to work calmly and keep back off the sheep.
Watch ‘Calm But Firm‘, ‘Give The Sheep Space‘, ‘Backwards Is The Way Forward‘, and ‘The Outrun‘.
What exactly is ‘Sending The Dog The Wrong Way’?
Showing how the dog should react when the point of balance changes in – ANIMATION.
As the dog moves towards the point of balance we give the command for the direction it’s going in – ANIMATION.
The dog’s encouraged to flank around the sheep by the changing point of balance – ANIMATION.
The exception to the rule
As the dog’s training advances we’ll expect it to ignore the point of balance at times.
Showing how a dog has to work ‘off balance’ to get sheep into a pen – ANIMATION.
Watch ‘Sticky Dogs’ for help with dogs which become fixated with sheep.
Showing a dog taking the longest route to get itself onto balance – ANIMATION.
The dog must learn to temporarily ignore the point of balance at times.
How to get the dog to work ‘off balance’ (the wrong way) – ANIMATION.
A great example of sending the dog ‘the wrong way’!
How setting the dog up to go the ‘wrong way’, affects the point of balance.
Getting too far ‘off balance’ for the dog’s ‘Away’ outrun.
A replay with detailed explanation of what went wrong with Tess’s outrun.
Watch ‘Tess In The Open Field’ to see this training session in full.
Watch a good example of teaching the dog to work ‘off balance’.
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Make flanking fun for the dog
One of the best ways to get a dog to give the sheep space when it’s flanking (or casting) is to use a technique we call “sending the dog the wrong way”. Once you can achieve this, you and your dog are well on the way to producing quality work – but it’s not easy.
As with so many other aspects of sheepdog training, once you understand why the dog is reluctant to go “the wrong way” it becomes much easier to train it to do just that, and the dog’s flanks will widen out.
WATCH NEXT…
Flock Work | Back to the top
Calm But Firm
Give The Sheep Space
Backwards Is The Way Forward
The Outrun
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