The Power of Intent

Fina whelped 7 pups yesterday afternoon. I walked into the room where the whelping box is setup late yesterday and Song slipped in behind me. Song is undeniably the Queen of the house. She needs only a cold stare to send Fina slinking off to a corner. As I walked in Fina looked past me at Song and showed her teeth. Fina was nursing most of the litter at the time and never moved. She was calm, dead serious, and completely confident. Song came no closer. I shooed Song out of the room and closed the gate. Fina calmly put her attention back to the array of pups attached to her. Fina never questioned her ability to stop Song. Song never questioned Fina’s commitment to defending her pups.

Many years ago I had a Thoroughbred mare named Scooter. Scooter was low man on the totem pole in the pasture, always giving way to any horse that chose to push her. I was concerned when first turning Scooter back into the pasture group with her new foal. I watched as she went out, her filly trotting at her side. The other horses all trotted over to see the new arrival. Scooter stopped, laid her ears back, and looked at each of the other horses in turn. None came closer, and eventually all went back to grazing and gave Scooter and her foal a comfortable berth.

In both these examples the mothers had the tremendous commitment of maternal protectiveness. They were completely willing to back up their message with the full force of their mental and physical beings. Yet neither mother made dramatic gestures, outward signs of the seriousness of their meaning. They were completely understood by whatever subtle body signals, eye contact, or energy transfer that animals use to communicate. They communicated more with mental intent than visible gestures.

This ability to transmit intent is a big part of working livestock with dogs. We need to remember that even between species animal communication is far more sensitive than ours. I first started herding with my big Belgian, Sundog. I went to a clinic in our early days where there were many green dogs. The sheep wanted nothing to do with these dogs and were jumping out of the pen. Several sessions had sheep jumping despite the dogs seeming fairly controlled and unassuming to the human eye. When I walked to the pen with Sundog, a good deal taller, bigger, bouncier and more forward than the other dogs that had worked, we all assumed the sheep would sail out over the fence and be gone. Sundog was a further along in his training than the dogs that had worked so far. Despite his size and forward work he was good to his sheep. We walked into the pen with Sundog forward and staring at the sheep and they never even looked to leave. I sent Sundog to gather, which he always did too close and too fast, and the sheep came off the fence to me as he rounded them. He was working fast so the sheep were moving quickly, but they were relaxed. Despite all the outward appearances that had the humans, including several experienced handlers, predicting the sheep to be afraid of this dog, the sheep read this dog’s true intent. He was there to gather the sheep to me. There was no thought of gripping or diving, no thought of driving them onto the fence, none of the mixed messages and confusion that green dogs inevitably transmit. He was clear and committed on how and where he was going to move the sheep and they relaxed.

The term “puppy power” refers to the effect on the sheep of a pup’s lack of control. The pup does not need to actually do anything egregious to show the sheep that the controls are not yet in place. The sheep read this lack of control very accurately even when a young dog walks onto the training field in an outwardly calm and obedient manner.

Green dogs are hard on sheep, even if they are not prone to trying to grip. Green dogs are unclear about what they want the sheep to do. A green dog may begin a gather and then as soon as the sheep begin to move the dog will panic, run to the heads to stop the stock. This lack of consistent purpose makes it harder for the sheep to comply and feel safe. Intent is not simply intent to work quietly or do harm. Intent is a plan for the movement of the stock. Watch a young dog trying to get mild mannered stock off the fence. Most young dogs start by coming in too fast, not sure of their job and not giving time for the stock to move. Cornered by their own speed, the fence, and the unmoving stock, they peel off the fence line and end up holding the stock to the fence. They were not clear on the job in the first place. The handler steps in and either takes the dog on a line to lead them along the fence, or uses their body pressure to keep the young dog slower and on the fence. Yet the sheep don’t move off easily even when this green dog is in the right place. These same sheep float right off the fence when an experienced dog goes to move them off. The experienced dog is clear on its purpose, mind and body working together to move the sheep off the fence. The green dog is unsure of what it is trying to accomplish, how to accomplish this job, and unsure if it even wants the sheep to “escape” off the fence. When that green dog is jogging nicely along the fence to scrape the sheep off, parts of that dog are considering other actions. The intent is not clear to the dog, therefore not clear to the sheep.

Moving uncooperative stock is another facet of sheepdog work where intent is a dominant factor. A dog with confidence and a sure and ready grip can walk onto the stock quietly and the stock will likely not test that grip. The stock reads the intent of the dog to move them even if it requires force. Allowing and teaching young dogs to use force appropriately builds their confidence. The dog needs to know what it will do if it gets to the stock and the stock either fights or simply refuses to move. If the dog is sure of the next step it can move forward with confidence, transmitting the options to the stock. These dogs are less apt to be questioned in the first place because the stock knows the grip is there. The same holds true of dogs that grip from tension or a predatory nature. The stock senses the underlying grip, but on these dogs the stock also senses the lack of control. Sheep tend to move off these dogs with alacrity, worried and trying to keep a good distance. A dog with little or no grip, but a great deal of courage and determination, is also able to move the stock as it will come forward communicating that determination and intent. Though this dog may not meet a charge, it will continue to work the stock until they comply.

Dogs that work with determination and a clear purpose will communicate their intent to the stock in ways that are obvious to human handlers and also in ways that we do not perceive. We tend to assign more importance to the factors that are clearly visible to us, and forget that the most subtle communication is often the most powerful.