Know When To WAIT

Photo Credit XPRanch Photography

I never thought about training a herding dog before I got Pyra, my Czechoslovakian Vlciak. I started looking at what kind of sports I could do with Pyra outside of conformation shows and we started working on nose work, NASDA, and obedience. I then thought about the energy level of the CSV, Pyra in particular, and started looking at sports that used more energy and were more for a “thinking” dog. So, we went to our first lesson in herding!

I will point out that this information primarily pertains to my experience with my CSV, who is sometimes stubborn, sometimes thinks too much, sometimes doesn’t want to work and sometimes is just amazing!

In herding, the first lesson typically consists of an instinct test where the dog/puppy is placed in a round pen or small pen with a few sheep to see what the dog does. Even breeds bred for herding don’t always automatically go after the sheep or have any interest in them. For Pyra, at seven months old, the sheep were very interesting, and she was able to move toward the sheep and make them move in both the clockwise and counterclockwise direction. These later become directional commands known as Go-by or Come-by (clockwise) and Away (counterclockwise).

There are a few schools of thought on teaching a stock dog to herd, but teaching a CSV is not common, at least not in the US. I’ve worked with four different instructors, some with national champion stock dogs, and they are all a little different in their approach, yet none had worked with a CSV. From these different approaches, I’ve tried to take the parts that work for my dog in order to make some progress in her skills and in mine.

I’ve heard that it takes about five years to train a stock dog. I am hoping that by the time Pyra is five I will be able to call her a “stock dog”. There is so much that goes into learning herding skills for both the dog and the handler. This includes learning about spatial awareness in relation to your dog and the sheep, learning how to hold and use a stock stick, learning the commands to ask the right thing of your dog, learning how and why sheep move the way they do, learning about tone and inflection when speaking to your dog, learning to be quiet and let the dog work despite the urge to give direction, learning how to read your dog and the sheep, learning when to back up and relearn something and finally, learning when to wait, Wait, or sometimes stop, is a command in herding when you want your dog to stay still or “hold” the sheep and not move toward the sheep. It’s used a lot! For me as a handler, wait has also been a decision I’ve come to at times when I think it’s best to not enter a competition or add a skill for Pyra because she isn’t ready. Relearning and waiting happens all the time for Pyra and I – mostly me, I think, as we build skills together and, sometimes, wait to ensure good progression.

As one progresses in their lessons, it may be of interest to compete in herding trials with your dog. There are a few different organizations where one can compete, but I will focus on American Kennel Club and the American Herding Breed Association. Both organizations provide All Breed herding trials. Pyra and I have been able to participate in trials from both organizations. There are different levels of competition in both organizations that allow for beginners or “started” dogs up to advanced levels. Additionally, there are different courses that can be completed in competitions.

AKC notes that in their herding program there are three test levels: Started, Intermediate, and Advanced, and three courses to choose from: A, B, C, with each course type focusing on various aspects of herding work such as versatility, control, and movement of stock in an extended area, or tending to the flock in an unfenced area such as a road or in grazing flock management.

AHBA notes that it has multiple class types for trial including Herding Trial Dog (HTD), Herding Ranch Dog (HRD), Ranch Large Flock (RLF), and Herding Trial Arena Dog (HTAD) titles, all with levels I, II and III. Titles are earned separately both as to type of course and type of stock. The different stock may include sheep, cattle, ducks/geese, goats, or turkeys. Progression of difficulty in the trial classes echoes the progression in the training of the dog.

Entering these competitions is much like entering any other competition; The trials are posted on the website for the organization, and you select a trial and the correct class for your dog’s training level.

Pyra and I have been fortunate enough to earn titles with both organizations. In the future, I am thinking about competing in large flock competitions because a larger group of sheep keeps Pyra’s attention and gives her more to do. Pyra, as a “thinking” dog, and I suspect this is a characteristic of CSVs in general, needs action and a goal/reason for the action. She partners and works better if it makes sense.

Working with a CSV, at least my CSV, has been both challenging and very rewarding. It’s important to have patience, have goals (like penning sheep!) that your dog can understand, and know when to back up, relearn, and WAIT.

Photo Credit XPRanch Photography

Resources

Ahba-herding.org

AKC.org > sports>herding