Correction Thoughts

I was talking to a friend, who is also someone I respect when it comes to the training of dogs to live in the real world, and she said, "there is a difference between a correction that means "stop that" and a correction that means "give me something different".  Mind blowing!  That sums up my goals ...I really want a thinking dog, and with the thinking I'd like to have some responsibility to self correct.  Most of my corrections focus on the "give me something different" idea.

I'm mulling this over daily as I start my young pups.  They both are coming along nicely but every now and then the wheels fall off the bus.  For Jon, it's when I am working on new ideas like driving and he's sure the sheep are getting away.  That's when I see a little bit of tight flanking frustration. Josie is a bit of a rubix cube right now.  She's got a ton of come forward and is tighter on her away flank.  She is the dog that I am working on understanding the concept of "this correction means try something different."  I'm working towards the correction helping her find some answers about the sheep and how to work them.  It's a fine balancing line because the very last thing I want to do is add tension.  I also want to build confidence so I keep playing with different spaces and different sheep all in the effort to help Josie find some answers for herself.

Of course there are times when I mean "stop that".  I think a lie down for both pups is stop everything and lay yourself down.  But at the end of the "stop that" correction...I always want them to think about what is correct for the next move.  I have worked with trainers that have instilled in me the idea that the dog is allowed to pick themselves up from a lie down if their next move is correct.  I love that because it builds on my  "thinking" dog"  goals.

I worked Sal today gathering lambs, running them through a foot bath and then doing the same with my big ewes.  I don't really see that Sal has had much real work experience when I'm working her.  Sometimes it does not seem that she understands a job or perhaps more that she does not understand my training where corrections mean "give me something different".  Today was a glimpse that we might be coming together....at one point she was pushing lambs and a few had turned into her pressure. She went in to grip but my correction had her pull out of the grip but keep the pressure and cover.  It felt like an ah ha moment with her...time will tell.

On a side note, I am also continuing to work on my tones and levels of correction.  I'm super good at loud.....and hard...but am working towards quiet and a variation of the disappointed parent.  When I am training, it feels easier to be quiet but when the real work is on,  I'm concentrating, and things look like they are falling apart...this is where I want to focus on the quiet, fair, least amount correction that gives the dog the idea to try something different instead of the "you are in serious trouble" reaction.

The journey continues......

Seize the day!