"Crisis" or Opportunity?

We were working dogs in the field yesterday, and I sent my not yet ready for Open dog out to bring in the sheep that had decided to drift on home. She had a nice outrun, out and back behind them, up a hill and through brush taller than she was. The sheep however, wiley critters that they are, knew the dog was out there behind them and had lost sight of them, so drifted towards home. As it happened, they drifted into small valley, and she couldn't see them when she thought she had come up behind them.

Sigh. Young dogs being young dogs, the sheep had slipped past her and headed for home.

So, was this a horrible training session? A crisis? or an Opportunity to work on a problem?

I'm sure we've all heard someone say how upset they are at their dog, something he did, or didn't do on a particular day. But, lets look at it differently? Aren't mistakes our dogs make, showing us either a hole in our training? A hole in the dog that we need to work on? Maybe a lack of confidence in our dog? Something that we are doing that needs to change?

If work at home always goes "right", it's like a block of dominoes, one of the foundations is going to get pulled out one day when we least expect it, and there goes the whole stack crashing down.

Instead of getting upset with ourselves or our dogs, why not look at this as an opportunity?

We all know, things are going to happen and go to heck one day, and I'd just as soon it happen at a time when I can deal with it, instead of in a sheepdog trial, or, when I'm helping at another ranch.

Work on the problem, or recreate it, after "sleeping on it". You might find you welcome these Opportunities as a chance to work things through with your dog. Look for the possible problem areas, and don't be afraid to challenge yourself or your dog!

In the case of my dog, I did get to work on a "look back", and it did, I hope, teach her to keep a better eye on her stock, instead of counting on them always being where they were when she left my side. I'm still "sleeping" on it, as to how and what I'll do in the future with her, to prevent it happening again. And yes, I'll "recreate it" at some point, to see if my ideas worked. :-)