Today we had 3 nice little helpful sheep in a small round pen. We have not put names on flanks yet but using body language and the pole I had both flanks happening reliably. Actually, he already had them, so there was a bit of adjustment at first where I just confused the heck out of him. But by the end he was anticipating my movements. I have a good down (most of the times on the 1st command, bringing the pole horizontal really gets his attention), and at the end of the 3rd run we started putting a walk up on him. But it turns out he already KNOWS that command. What the heck???? I just had to say, Odin, walk up, and he got up and came walking up, nice and in control. Of course I am a dolt and let him walk the sheep past me every time - note to self, stop doing that. But how does that instacommand happen?? I guess body language?
When I finally figured out what to do with my clumsy self enough to ask for a flank in any sort of a situation where it made sense, we discovered that he does not like to go counter-clockwise as much as he does clockwise. Maybe this has something to do with the OCD in his right shoulder (the flanks he likes puts the "bad" shoulder on the inside)? In any case, I know for a fact he can run any which way he wants so I had my first training challenge, how to force him to take that flank. If I got "tough" and banged on the ground emphatically, I could sometimes get him to switch and take that flank (I guess that would be away side?), but then he would come in close and split the one black-bellied barbados away from the other two dorset sheep. Then, it would devolve into some fast action until I could get my head back enough to lie him down.
So the trainer was yelling at me to "come at him" when he came around too close on that flank. I tried a few times and she yelled "Too LA-ate!!" each time. Then, I got it in my head to lunge at him sort of pre-emptively, and after that he went around just great! I was still conscious he liked the clockwise side better, but no problems getting him to take either side anymore and the splitting off stopped. I would sometimes encourage him a bit like "be sure and get everyone, now" feeling totally ridiculous, but he would swing out a bit wide, and, well, be sure to get everyone.
How does the correction I gave have any bearing on him changing his behavior on both willingness to take that flank and taking it correctly? My trainer knew he would respond if I could get it right, and it obviously made sense to Odin. I'm the only one left wondering how the two actions even relate, because "coming at him" wasn't anything like him circling behind the sheep (his immediate reaction was to take off way back and circle again to a comfy clockwise flank), and it happened in my mind out-of-context from the moment that comes later, after the turn of the flank, where he would split one off. It is a mystery to me.
He has not had much eye yet (very upright and loose, looks like a little sphinx in his downs rather than the normal border collie "crouch"). But today, I swear I noticed that the way he looked at the sheep had great effect on them, even if he wasn't crouching. I noticed this on some sheep across a field from us while we were just out getting water. I had to take him away from the water dish, where he wanted to stare at those sheep and not drink, because it was making them stop and they weren't paying attention to the dog that was working them.
Wish I had pics or video but I was way way too busy trying to pull my thumb out of my nether regions and keep up with a keen 16 month old. Next time, next time. He was so tired tonight too - I think he is thinking so hard while it is happening. I just can't express how proud I was of the little guy. He has such heart - I could see that already and Joyce could too, I think. She warmed to him greatly, over the course of the morning. He is a cute lil mofo:
...which she noticed.He wants to work with me. It is such a cool feeling.
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