brookcove
Posted : 3/5/2009 7:31:30 PM
you either have a really sharp dog or one that's totally inept.
Livestock working dogs are bred to do two things above all: problem solve, and work in close contact with people. If you start getting away from breeding for their actual function, you can start getting an inconsistent mix of these, extremes one way or another, or dogs that entirely lack either of these traits.
And once you take these two things out of a herding type dog, honestly they tend to be less capable in "doggy" things than any other type of dog. Consider how lost a dog would be that had the desire to do what you want but not the ability to figure it out, even if taught. I've seen Border Collies like this. Very sad.
Always try to resist locking eyes with any dog, even the herding breeds. They really don't want to stare into your eyes, they are watching to see if you can give them clues on what to do. The best thing to do is locate a place you do NOT want them to be and look there instead of at the dog. For instance, if you want the dog to lie down, glance at the ground in front of him before you give the command.
This does two things. the dog will sense there's something temporarily "wrong" about the ground in front of his feet and if sensitive, will avoid it. Two, you will see the exact moment that the dog is in the "zone" and can act - instead of staring at the dog and getting caught up in what it is doing at that moment, which can be distracting from troubleshooting a particular issue (like too slow of a down).
It also takes pressure off the dog. When you lock eyes with the dog, they think what you want is to stare into YOUR eyes, no matter what the command is.