QUESTION 3

Q&A 1 Jackie Robertson asks:

Hi Roger, This may not pertain to your articles but a while back we had a dog named "Mick" that you said was loose eyed. I recently read that a loose eyed dog is somewhat low confidence and can have a tendency to fear bite. Can you elaborate or give some input on this kind of dog?

Jackie, I’m afraid I don’t remember the particular dog or when I would have seen him. I don’t know where you read about loose eyed dogs being low in confidence or “fear biters” but I certainly WOULD NOT agree with that as a general statement.

Loose eyed dogs tend not to be as much of a threat to sheep and as a result can many times be more effective in moving sheep than strong eyed dogs. This is especially true in our part of the country when trials are held using “range” sheep that are not used to dogs. The down side to the loose eyed dog is that they often flank a lot to create movement in the sheep and cause erratic movement or zigzag lines. Additionally, they tend to lack the “eye” necessary to hold sheep together in a nice compact bunch.

Personally, I see no connection between a dogs being loose eyed and being low in confidence. Low confidence levels can easily be as much “man made” as inherent.

I prefer a dog that is moderately strong eyed with enough eye to hold sheep together, give him a bit of “pace”, and produce a level of “style” to let the sheep know he is intense. But, not so strong that he is sticky or not willing to flank freely.

Q&A 2. “Nameless” writes:

What about moving up from class to class. Are there ANY regulations, anyone to MAKE you move up to the next level??? And when do you think one SHOULD move up, from Novice to ProNovice AND from ProNovice to OPEN???? I know this is a "touchy" subject, but one that should be broached. Thanks

This is a touchy subject, and one that I am probably committing political suicide to answer. But, since I have never been known to keep my mouth shut when I should, I will give MY response and opinion.

First comes the question about regulations concerning when you must move up from one class to the next. The direct answer to that question is that there are NO universal rules or regulations on this mater. Different local clubs, associations, etc. around North America each have their own set of rules and/or guidelines, but nothing is established for a uniform national requirement.

Prior to 1999 the U.S.B.C.H.A. Rules for Trials contained a section on “Class Requirements” which laid out “guidelines” for designating Novice Dogs and Handlers, Pro-Novice Dogs and Handlers, Open-Ranch Dogs and Handlers, and Open Dogs and Handlers along with appropriate course descriptions for each level. Additionally, a pointing system was set up to suggest when a person/dog was required to move up to the next level of competition and which level of handlers could compete in which level of classes. These Guidelines were pretty well thought out and were offered by the USBCHA with the hope that they would be universally adopted and implemented to create a uniform system throughout North America. That has never happened, and those guidelines were dropped from the USBCHA Rule Book when it was revised in 1999.

So, in reality, there are only “local” rules that vary from one part of the country to another that apply. When traveling outside your home area to compete you would be well advised to contact any governing “local” organization or trial host to learn just what their rules might be.

A couple of the original requirements DO remain as being universally accepted. 1. Once a dog is moved up to the next level it cannot move back down.

2. Once a Handler competes as an “Open Handler” they cannot compete in the Novice class with ANY dog.

It seems to me that now days there are two elements that cause, or encourage, handlers to move themselves and their dog up to the next level. These elements being peer pressure and determination to improve. Peer pressure comes when a handler-dog team continues to win or place highly in a lower level class and shows no intent of ever moving up. Handlers in this category are pressured by both same level handlers to get them to move up and by higher level handlers who know that they can improve and succeed at the higher levels. The determination to improve element is inherent in those who are truly training to improve and strive to be competitive at the highest level possible.

Others may choose to regulate trials they put on as they wish. For me, any trials I am responsible for will continue to operate under the “Guidelines” initially established by the USBCHA. (It might interest some of you to know that many years ago, at an annual meeting of MPBCA these rules were adopted as the “Rules for Trials of the Mountain and Plains Border Collie Assn. In spite of my frequent protests, the fact that these rules were voted on and adopted has NEVER been put in print in any of the MPBCA documents.)

As for my personal opinion, I feel that a person should be looking to move up a level when they able to complete the course at their current level with a fair degree of efficiency. Keeping in mind that all the while you are competing at a given level your training work at home should be going much beyond that level to include elements you will face at the next level and beyond. (Novice handlers should be training to add Driving work and proficiency, and etc.) I think every handler should have both short term goals and long term goals and be working toward those goals at all times. Let’s face it; if your dog is 4-5 years old and you are still in the Novice class you are not doing yourself or your dog any justice.

People seem to be reluctant to move up to the next class no matter what level they are competing at. Often the step to move up to the Open level is very intimidating. Trust me when I say that the sooner you move into Open the sooner you will become acutely aware of the special skills needed and the judgments you have to make that sets this class far apart from the lower classes. You almost need to experience these additional skills in order to realize that you have a new challenge to address. Stepping up to these new challenges is what really makes you a good handler and your dog complete.

I think I’ve probably stirred up enough discomfort for this time so I’ll end this discussion here. I’ll save my thoughts about people trying to compete long before they are ready as well as those about when and where Novice level trials should be held. If I haven’t irritated too many people by now perhaps someone will ask that question.

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