The Beginner

This is 2 year old Keen's first time on sheep. Stacy Winkler from Pawsitive Action agility sent me this video made when she brought him by for an instinct test. He had never seen sheep before and at the beginning of the tape it really shows. Initially, he has no idea how to deal with the sheep or with me, but after a few minutes of fearful reaction, he settles into the work, begins to balance and move off the pressure of my body.

I worked with this dog for 10 minutes or so, then gave him a rest and another 10 minutes. In that time he established balance and learned to take direction from me. He began to respond to my voice alone whenever I gave him a "hey" if he became rash with the stock and this is a really good example of what's possible even on the first try.