PET CONCERNS

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May 29:I tried Nell with the sheep, but they wouldn't run because she wouldn't walk toward them. She hasn't gained courage enough to work sheep yet.

My duck pen is a round, woven-wire enclosure, three feet high and 30 feet in diameter. In this I put four ducks whose wing feathers were trimmed so they couldn't fly while I was using them for training (the feathers do grow back). First I had Nell heel to the duck pen, where I put the long lead on her. Then we walked around the outside of the pen, and I made her lie down a lot. (It takes some work to get a dog to lie down consistently around stock.)

It is the border collie's instinct to keep stock lined up with you (to keep them in a line between you and it). I used that instinct to teach Nell two important commands: way to me (move right) and come by (left). I got in the pen with Nell lying down on the outside and said, "Way to me, Nell." I moved the ducks to the dog's right and Nell moved right to keep the ducks lined up with me (see Fig. 1). I moved the ducks to the left and told Nell, "Come by," and Nell moved to the left. I used a 12-foot bamboo fishing pole to move the ducks.

All of this training took time.

July 31:I worked Nell at the duck pen with me on the inside and Nell on the outside. She was excited, and it was hard to get her to lie down on command. She was doing pretty well toward the end of our session.

Aug. 1:I put Nell inside the pen with me and the ducks today. I had to practice having her lie down before I did anything else in the pen—she was so excited. She did well at keeping backoffthe ducks.

After I got Nell used to being in the pen with the ducks, the ducks and I moved to one side of the pen, and I sent Nell right and left by saying "Way to me" and "Come by." I kept her away from the ducks by running my fishing pole along her toes — she didn't like that.

When Nell was under control in the pen, I had her follow me around the pasture wearing the ducks to me. (Wearing is when the dog holds the stock close to you while you walk around.) I downed Nell on one side of the ducks while I walked to the other. I then walked backward a few feet and gave Nell the move up command. If she began to crowd the ducks too much, I downed her and told her, "Take time," and then repeated, "Move up." Soon she learned to slow down whenever I said, "Take time."

The Outrun

Aug. 15:I am very excited about starting work on Nell's outrun tomorrow—it is such an important part of her training!

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