Trials...: Puppies!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Puppies!

Over the weekend we went to visit Andy and his dog Sookie, and her 6 week old puppies. Sookie is a black and white smooth coat with a very nice disposition. The sire is Skip, also a dog with a nice disposition, who is a short-haired tricolor who comes from Dirk, our former trainer who is now in Belgium and headed to the World Finals to compete on the Belgium national team. There are 5 puppies total, 3 tricolors and 2 black and white.

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Definitions

Gather: The dog goes out to the field and brings the sheep to the handler.

Outrun: The first part of the gather. The dog runs in a wide arc to the far side of the sheep.

Fetch: After the outrun, the dog brings the sheep to the handler, ideally in a straight line.

Drive: The dog pushes the sheep forward in a straight line, but not towards the handler.

Flank: Circling clockwise (come by) or counter-clockwise (away to me) around the sheep.

Balance Point: The point of maximum control over the sheep. Usually, the dog is on the opposite side of the sheep from the handler.

In-Balance Flank: A flank command that sends the dog towards the balance point, putting it in a better position to control the sheep.

Off-Balance Flank: A flank command that sends the dog away from the balance point. This is harder for the dog to accept because it must give up control.