Life isn't like a box of chocolates, it's like a dog training session . Some training sessions like some days are full of excitement and reward and some not so much . Life is on the variable re-inforcement plan.
I took a lesson with Fios a week or so ago with one of the local top herding trainers. She said that all my yelling was hurting Fios's feelings ! My God, I never thought to hear those words out of a big wig's mouth !! Made me think of the old saying : "I'll give you something to cry about !" Meaning me to the dog ! Since that lesson I have only been able to work the dogs a couple times. I am all about being the Fios whisperer now. This trainer also told me to tell teh dog whe he was doing a good job. Holy Moly , all I have ever heard from almost all the others is no saying "good" . Although it is apparently alright to enforce a command with growls and body pressure. I get it though, commands should not be loud or threatening. And it makes me happy to tell the dog's they are good:< ) Any way , at the end of the lesson, Fios was happy to leave his screaming Betty and go work with the nice quiet lady ;< ) Certainly worth working on . Although the possibility of a sound beating behind the barn might be full filling ! For anyone reading this blog and not knowing me, I AM kidding ..LOL
Today I took all 3 dogs to Norfolk to a friend's little farm to work new sheep. Well kind of new sheep , we have been there 3 or 4 times before. I was told that there was a new sheep in the group that didn't get the ropes yet and would split off and turn to face the dog but wouldn't actually go for the dog. looked like baby Huey to me. Looked young but was bigger than all the other sheep. And yes, she/he did all of the above. Fios did his ok, you do your thing and I'll work with the others so we had to keep going back to convince both Fios and that sheep that all were required to volunteer for service.
Peak for the most part would re-group the recalcitrant one. She has always been good at that. Zest used it for a bit of attempted flossing. I checked no harm done. Not even a puff of fluff in the air. She's a faker. My perfect Nyna left many a sheep painted blue (antibiotic stuff) after her training sessions ! Proving my life theory of never trusting anything that appears to be kind ! By the end of my time there, baby Huey was a willing part of the group .
It was most frustrating to see Fios go back to letting the un fun sheep get off duty and he didn't stop as well for me as he had the last 2 training sessions :< ( However, I did not resort to yelling and threatening with any weapons. Ok maybe I waved my mittens around some . At the end of my last session with Fios, I remembered Jan Weson's 'do nothing exercise' and look at the sky when the dog keeps moving about. Voila ! Fios stopped moving and well stopped!! Must be that poor sensitive boy can't handle my eye contact. But what the Hell if it works, I am doing it. Look skyward Ms. Betty, look skyward. If only Fios knew, many creatures have tried to tame the wild Betty and failed.
And lest Fios get the distinction of being the only dog to bum me out today; Peak repeatedly did her run off screaming act that I had not seen in along time and Zest did her try to bite sheep or Mom if you get frustrated enough. yea for me for heavy winter clothing layers.
In between the frustrating stuff each dog also had bits of brilliance. All are driving well. Peak is a super star in this. And Betty kept her cool and told them all they were such wonderful sorts of herding dogs :< )
This Star gazer is off to bed now to rest up for the other life lessons sport of agility tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment