39. The thinking dog!

Can dogs think?
Many handlers will say that their dog can think when it’s performing a task. They usually validate this by saying look how the dog is covering off or if some of the stock steps out of line how the dog will counter that and put them back in place. This really is not thinking per se, but more a reaction to training. You see this particular type of behavior with a dog who has very strong instinct.

A thinking situation would be: the handler is standing on one side of a fence and the dog is bringing the stock to the Handler. The stock can only go as far as the fence and without the handler saying anything, if this was a thinking dog, the dog would start to look both to his left and to his right. If there was an opening a little ways down the fence line and was visible. And the dog could see it from his position and he had started to move the stalk towards that opening and through the opening and back to the handler, that could be considered as thinking as the dog has reasoned the solution.

Another situation that may be akin to thinking: if you send your dog to locate stock, say they are located in the bush, and the dog undertakes a search. searching for stock may be considered as instinct. however, if the dog locates the stock rounds them up and brings them back out to a clearing, and then searches for the handler, and then brings the start to the handler this could be construed as thinking but more likely his instinct.

There are several books published on this topic. In most cases handler saying that he has a thinking dog generally is a little bravado in the case of the handler. It is more likely that they have a very talented, well trained and experienced dog.

38. Trialling vs Working – the conflict

I have made mention of this in a previous post. Where do you draw the line as far as a working dog with natural and well-established instincts and the trial ring where you are micro managing the dog.  I found in two recent trials, my dog was totally focused in bringing the stock to me as you would expect in a working situation but not necessarily great in a trial. So what is one to do?
The 1st trick is to begin to introduce some micro commanding. Slight direction changes, slowing down to a crawl and of course adapting to different sheep. Also you have to begin a transition to 3 sheep as most trials, particularly arena trial, use only 3 sheep. It is much easier to move numbers of sheep then it is to move and control 3 sheep. In the early days of trial training I will start out with 5 sheep and gradually reduce down to 3.
If your dog is a working dog and you do not want to take away the thinking side, which you usually find in non working trial dogs, your micro commands will have to be very subtle and use as few commands as possible.
In a trial you must micro manage the movement of your dog in order to compete successfully. This means maneuvering  around and through obstacles. Now a working dog will want to bring the stock directly to you with few if any commands. This is where the subtle commands come into play. But there is one other very important element in this complex puzzle and that is swinging the dog off of the direct path to you with minimum commands. I believe the solution to this situation is one of timing of your commands.
Timing is most important. As your dog is approaching an obstacle and you wish your dog to do a wraparound or clockwise or counterclockwise movement, you must be able to disengage your dog’s focus long enough to get his attention to place the dog in the correct position. This is a skill that is very difficult to learn and only comes with practice.
Another important element in all of this is the handlers depth perception. From is distance it is difficult to know if the sheep have gone by the obstacle. How do you over come this?  Two things: 1. Know your stock and recognize the signals they are giving off as they pass an obstacle and 2. Practice practice.
Training the cow dog for cattle trials, is as you would expect,  some what different, but yet similar. I will discuss this in a later post.