Reflections and Exploration

I've been thinking a lot about our trip to California. Reliving the fun, awe and inspiration leads me to ponder some of my revelations and how they apply to every day life with my dogs and client dogs. A deeper clarity of partnership, stock work, training and handling has emerged and seems important to share.

There are three main things that come up as important lessons: Foundation, Purpose and Patience. I'll explore each of these in the coming weeks, attempting to thin slice as I go...journaling this exploration in a way that offers understanding and a path to integration...well, that it my intention anyway!

These concepts are tightly interwoven into a beautiful tapestry that tells a story of  partnership. Separating them seems like it might be a bit of a challenge, and I am going to allow a natural flow of sharing, rather than try to organize these important concepts into tight compartments.

So, I started thinking about how all of our dogs were able to step out onto 180 acres of deep and continuous hills and so matter-of-fact do their jobs of gathering and driving in terrain and with numbers of sheep they have never before seen. I have to honestly say that I was blown away by how easy the dogs made it look. These are all young dogs, 2 and 3 year olds, with limited off-the-farm experience. Handled by a 'flat-lander', with no experience in this terrain either.

And, I thought about the consistent comments that were fed back to me when I shared this aspect of the experience with some clients and friends. Comments like: "well, of course they would do so well, you have prepared them for that all along".

My initial response to my own observations, and to the feedback, was that the dogs are clearly well bred and their genetics simply and seamlessly expanded their actual life experience to deliver the level of comprehension necessary to complete the tasks assigned.

And though I absolutely believe that genetics is a large component of this ability, I do also believe that a solid foundation and a common purpose played an equally important role. And, let's not forget patience.

So, I started contemplating the foundation. What exactly does that look like? Can I clearly define my idea of a solid foundation? That I can seems to be quite important -- for me, for my future young dogs, and for those who count on useful advice and coaching from me.

A foundation seems to be made up of the seen and the unseen. The seen is the easiest to identify: flanks of a good shape, speed and relevance; walking in to the sweet spot purposefully, keeping stock moving forward in the intended direction; responding appropriately to cues. The unseen is a bit more elusive to discern at times: understanding and reading the intention of the stock; mindful decision making based on those observations and blended with the intended task at hand; teamwork based on common purpose and trust.

All of these elements apply to both the dog and the handler.

All of these elements are equally important. All of them can be thin sliced into many layers. Need to be thin sliced. It's in the thin slicing that we can find and deliver clarity. Good Timing is based on thin slicing into the tiniest of details, and the briefest moments of time...where a brief head check is actually a gross movement and when a single second seems like an eternity.

So, that's what a solid Foundation looks like to me. Today. I know that as years pass and experiences stack up, my ability to thin slice and redefine will evolve and that is a really good thing!!