To herd or not to herd? Advice please
 ) except for the occasional dart in to nip at a sheep.   In the end the instructor had me put her on lead and just get her to follow the sheep and if she lunged she had to drop. He suggested that I work her like that the next few times we go. He is still convinced she will be fine with more practice at self control and he loves her drive. For the next week or 2 after herding Tiggy was very naughty. She ran away a lot to chase other dogs and she chased Rastus more often and wouldn't come back when I called her. She was also very silly at her agility class and wouldnt listen. I havent been able to get to any more herding classes since and Tiggy is doing really well at agility and working off lead without running after other dogs, although she will run away and take the tunnel if its close enough, its her fave. I'm wondering whether I should just stick to agility and not get Tiggy all riled up and crazy with the sheep especially as we can only get there once a month or so. What do those of you with multiple dog sport experience think, should I persevere with herding with the aim that Tiggy learns better self control or should I accept that she's highly movement reactive and stick to agility? |
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hmm, it sounds like she gets too wound up, and then has residual undesirable behavior  If it were me, I guess I would focus on her obedience and agility. As long as she stays in good health, she can always do herding later in life, when she is more "mature"  Then you will (hopefully) have better obedience and teamwork skills between you and she will listen better too.  |
| I have no experience with herding or agility, but it does sound like you need to hold off on the herding if you want to excel at agility. It also sounds like the herding makes her naughty in everyday life and that Rastus may appreciate her not herding for awhile  |
| Mim - if you were able to go more frequently I'd say push through it and you'll end up further along in all events in the end. But once a month doesn't give you a chance to really work through her issues. So I guess it comes down to can and do you want to haul her butt off to herding 1-2 a week, or is that just not practical? I basically ended up making that choice with Sybil last fall and I hate to say this but she's been improving in agility in leaps and bounds ever since. Maybe that's a coincidence, but...? As Dawn mentioned Tiggy is just a baby and you can always go back to herding later. Kristine |
| Mim...I am having the same delimma with Heart. I think I am going to concentrate on one 'sport' at a time. I want Heart to finish her last leg in Ex Rally. We have 2 meets in the next couple of weeks to accomplish this. Once she has her RE title, I have decided not to go on to her RAE, just because I want to concentrate on OB. I would love for her to get her CD in OB, at least. Then I would like to concentrate on Agility. I think she can get a title in a JWW and Standard, I am not sure FAST is on HER agenda, since she is NOT (fast at all). And since she is 4 now, I think after all of this, assuming I can get a title on her in each,,,,then I would like to get involved in Herding. I am thinking that Dino will do this, since he seemed to enjoy being in the pen the last time we went to practice. Huggs to Tiggy~~~~~~  |
| Mim...I am having the same delimma with Heart. I think I am going to concentrate on one 'sport' at a time. I want Heart to finish her last leg in Ex Rally. We have 2 meets in the next couple of weeks to accomplish this. Once she has her RE title, I have decided not to go on to her RAE, just because I want to concentrate on OB. I would love for her to get her CD in OB, at least. Then I would like to concentrate on Agility. I think she can get a title in a JWW and Standard, I am not sure FAST is on HER agenda, since she is NOT (fast at all). And since she is 4 now, I think after all of this, assuming I can get a title on her in each,,,,then I would like to get involved in Herding. I am thinking that Dino will do this, since he seemed to enjoy being in the pen the last time we went to practice. Huggs to Tiggy~~~~~~ |
| Mady is the same way, just so excited to get to her sheep. We have stepped up working on basic obedience. Once a month is perhaps not enough for Tiggy to get her sheep fix. We have been having almost the opposite issue, doing both herding and agility, and have dropped agility for now (even though we prepaid for lessons) as it just wasn't working for us. We are going to try it again, though, once Miss Mady stops behaving like a maniac. |
| Thanks for the advice everyone. I was kind of leaning to giving herding a miss for now. The place we go to doesn't run classes even every weekend let alone twice a week and currently I couldn't get there twice a week anyways. Rastus will definitely appreciate a Tiggy who hasn't been herding, although currently I am walking them separately as Tiggy makes Rastus totally stressed when we walk together and they seem to bring out the worst in each other.  Tiggy is going so well at agility and our instructor is really pleased with her progress, so I think at this stage we'll do one thing well instead of more things less well. |
Concentrate on the Agility and keep going with that Herding can come at any time later when Miss Hypo everything needs chasing settles when the brains grow and the excitement settles down with the agility work and her listening to you as you guys advance in agility. Which you have so far   Maybe she needs a visit with Syd, I still laugh at there encounter at my place, I could see in the tigsters expression, I wont be herding big boy I'll just suss him out and behave.   Take one thing at a time and try herding later in the year, winter now and so much fun "NOT" cleaning up the tigster after a muddy herding madness. Especially with fairy flosses full coat!!! Controll and concentrate on one aspect before trying again when spring blooms in upside down land the herding.We know Tiggy has a full on natural instinct there with those sheep, Oh and birds and small dogs at the park etc etc But take one thing at a time otherwise madam is getting confused at WOO HOO chase those sheep or darn it, I have to listen to momma while in training for agility. You'll get there with both regimes, just concentrate on one aspect at the moment with spunky she has brains, clever girl.  Told you she was too smart for her own good.  She makes me laugh and definately needs working but one thing at a time, till she grasps controll and not selective hearing when all worked up.  |
| We're having the same issue with Mady except the sports reversed. Thinking of not pursuing agility for now and just concentrating on herding. She is doing really well at herding, the agility course we got into was just not a good fit and we're dropping it after just 3 classes (of 6). I don't know if we should be looking at other agility options at this point, but I definitely want a good focus on herding. |
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