Learning to Focus on Ourselves

When we learn to ski we are forced to consciously concentrate on our own movements. It is exhausting mentally. It is the same with learning any new skill. We have to slow our minds down and focus, pay attention to our movements and actions and look inwards to consciously push ourselves to the goal we are working towards. Whether it is keeping our heels down when riding a horse, or bringing our head above water last when rolling a kayak, actions that are not natural require us to completely break down our automatic responses and think carefully through every movement. We are clumsy during this process, our responses and actions are slow. It is difficult and frustrating to work through teaching our body and mind to work in a new way. It takes some time to accomplish. It is only when these newly learned actions become second nature that we can stop focusing on them individually.

Unlike skiing or kayaking, when people handle a sheepdog there are three parties to the work. Learning to pay attention to the stock, while keeping sufficient attention to the dog to be able to react to the dog’s work is a project in and of itself. This environment makes it easy to focus on the dog or the sheep as the source of problems, forgetting our own actions. Our movements, demeanor, and words are every bit as important to the overall success of the work as anything done by the dog or the stock. More importantly, our movements, demeanor and words are the only things we can control. We cannot improve on the dog until we can control and improve our own actions.

The classic example is sending the dog on a gather. Most green dogs will crowd the sheep. Green handlers will push into the dog to force it out. It is the most natural reaction from us, and indeed there are times that stepping into the dog is appropriate. However the best way to get a dog to relax and kick out wider is to step back and take the pressure off. It took years before I would naturally step away to take pressure off in this situation. I needed to set aside a piece of my consciousness to focus on my own path, making sure I gave space instead of crowding. I needed to focus on myself to improve the work of my dog.

Another skill that eludes those who focus on the dog is calm. For most of us staying calm in the face of chaos is a learned skill. The first instructors I had exposure to, Cheryl Williams and Kathy Hughes, had a great ability to maintain and transmit calm when the situation invited frenzy and panic. I would picture them in my mind when going to work a dog, willing myself to mirror their relaxed demeanor. This is very much a Zen thing for me. It did not come easily and requires maintenance.

Your dog is dependent on you doing your job. If your dog is not improving at a reasonable rate, odds are you need to do something different. To do something different you need to take a hard look at yourself. When you are completely focused on your dog you are unaware of your own performance. It is easy to keep focusing on the performance of the dog, never improving yourself so the dog can improve, then getting more frustrated with the dog leading you to focus more on the dog.

Appreciate your own role. Stop worrying about the dog and put your energy into yourself. Listen to your words, notice your steps, your body language, your timing. Teach yourself to listen closely to your commands if you want your dog to listen. Teach yourself to move appropriately around the stock if you want your dog to move appropriately. Teach yourself to be calm if you want your dog to be calm. If you are truly paying attention to yourself you will feel clumsy, movements will be delayed. That’s part of the learning process. If you are not feeling awkward and slow then you are not really focusing on yourself and not making the changes that will take you forward, make you a dog handler, and bring success to you and your dog.