Training day away from home

Well, as Jock approached 3 months it was time to take him out into the world. Every month (usually) we attend a training day for people with their sheepdogs. At these days there are dogs at all training levels, as well as handlers, and you get one on one instruction with your dog.
It's a great socialising event for both dog and handler, and a great place to pick up tips, address training issues, and catch up on all the latest gossip. It's also a great place to watch well trained dogs do their stuff!

Jock was from a litter of 7 pups (I think) and most of them attended the day.

This is where the advantage of having only one pup comes out. Because I only had one dog to train, I was able to put the time into developing a relationship, and honing obedience skills with my dog. Also, as I have limited sheep to use, because I only had one dog to work, my sheep were not overworked and we also still had some energy left should we choose to do more.

On the day, Jock did everything that he had been doing at home. I still wasn't able to call him off the sheep, but I applaud his enthusiasm. I'd much rather have to slow a dog down, than try to vamp it up and get it interested.

Jocks brothers and sisters all had a shot at the sheep, and some showed more interest than others. All of these pups are showing great ability with sheep, and although at different levels, the basics are there, which is fantastic.

Training day saw me become more fluid in my movements. Rather than "jabbing" (for want of a better word) to put the rake in front of Jock to block him, I was able to move it there with minimal fuss and without upsetting him. I was also given tips on how to 'widen him out' as he likes to get 'up close and personal' with his sheep, often causing them to scatter.

Of course, from Jocks point of view, when sheep scatter, well, its just that much more fun, isn't it? hehe

At the end of the day, although he only worked for about ten minutes, he was absolutely exhausted, and fell into a deep sleep on the car trip home.