Smooth Operator

Two years ago at this time I had three puppies, all within a few weeks of the same age.  Foolhardy.  I was smitten with Ruth, an adorable and brazen youngster.  Her bloodlines were producing consistently well and she was full of promise.  I had Cass, a young pup of my breeding, very handler soft but bold on her stock and thoughtful.  Then there was Marcus, the little prince, sired by my Levi and looking quite nice. 

As they grew I became more and more enamored of Ruth, but she was not clear headed.  On stock she glazed over and had trouble thinking and working with me.  She was also difficult in the pack, relentlessly working other dogs, or digging when she had no one to work.  Ruth went to be a goose dog.  Meanwhile Cass was looking fabulous.  Cass has a lovely way behind stock, bold as brass and oh so eager to please.  Cass was my new wonder-pup.  But Cass is very sensitive, making it hard to train her without teaching her to do nothing at all.  We make progress together slowly, Cass and I. 

Through all this Marcus looked good enough.  He can be a stubborn little guy, lost in the work and often really can't believe I'm foolish enough to want him to go left when right is right.  He tends to want to run wide and is not as sure of his stock as Cass.  He's a little dog.  I call him Mighty Mouse as when he races out on an outrun you can almost see his fist in the air, wide collar looking like a cape.  Marcus has yet to truly grasp driving as a concept, not being happy pushing stock away from me.  We continue to work on these problems, and the wall flower Marcus is stepping onto center stage. 

What is it about Marcus that is so appealing?  He is smooth.  Really smooth.  He transitions from flank to walkup, from fast to slow to stop to fast, all done with no notice of the change.  I used him for setout in May and had a chance to really watch him work on his own.  He'd slide in between the setout pen and the just released stock like a snake slithering along a garden wall.  Quick without being abrupt, no space taken, just there.  When he stops he settles to the ground in a smooth and quiet motion.  When he gets up it is the same in reverse.  He turns off a direct walkup into a flank with no discernible change to his frame or cadence, now he is walking up, now he is flanking.  You do not notice the transition.  Every movement he makes is calculated on its effect on the sheep.  In this way he keeps his sheep quietly directed.  Despite having a bit of edge, Marcus can settle stock.  He can clearly redirect sheep without any perceptible change in their pace or demeanor. 

I still have both Cass and Marcus.  Both are just over 2 years of age.  For now both are staying here so I'll get to see how they continue to improve.