@2015 Mary Peaslee

Leon Whitney described English Shepherds as “the most popular breed in America… seen on farm after farm throughout the country” in his book, How To Breed Dogs, published in 1937. Tom Stodghill, founder of the first independent English Shepherd registry, and Ed Emanuel, founder of the second English Shepherd breed registry, both promoted herding trials as a means of showcasing the working abilities of English Shepherds in the 1950s. With that history in view, the appearance of an English Shepherd (Peaslee’s Honey) on the AHBA list of herding trial champions in 2008 should be no surprise. However, taking into account the hurdles — mostly handler-related — that Honey had to overcome, her appearance on that list was little short of miraculous. Other dogs might have used such a milestone-moment to thank their sponsors; if Honey could talk, I believe she would have asked someone to buy her a drink… she had some stories to share!

MY JOURNEY WITH HONEY

To start with, Honey had the misfortune of being my second working dog. People often talk about the difficulties endured by their first dog, implying that lessons learned with that dog benefitted those that followed. Honey would dispute that. In fact, my determination to not repeat the mistakes I’d made the first time around meant that, (1) I ignored the fact that those two dogs were very different, and (2) I made a whole new set of mistakes. As my husband put it, I was out of one ditch and into the next on a regular basis when training Honey.

My first dog, Raven, is quiet and steady. She has a “less is more” approach to work – let her know what the job is and she will get it done without any fanfare. Honey on the other hand, lives by the Olympic motto: faster, higher, stronger; if a little is good, more is better. Raven is very diplomatic and exerts control with such subtlety that she sometimes appears to be off-contact when working; no one has ever had that thought while watching Honey! I could claim these differences illustrate the diversity in English Shepherds, but I think the lesson I learned from their differences has little to do with breed. To paraphrase John Wilmot’s quote about raising children, before I owned dogs, I had six theories about training dogs; now I have six dogs and no theories. Every dog is an individual!  There is no comprehensive theory or one-size-fits-all training formula that spells out what it will take to work successfully with any particular dog.

After poking holes in my theories about “how to train an English Shepherd”, Honey had to tackle the various excuses I hid behind to explain poor performance. This was a mighty job! The list of excuses I can generate to explain poor performance is endless: “she’s not an ‘eye’ breed”, “English Shepherds are supposed to be bossy”, “I don’t have time to train every day”, and so on.  It took several years and a very patient mentor to teach me that excuses based on breed or circumstance or temperament get in the way of solving what is often a very simple problem.  If you excuse (or expect!) failure, you are never going to find success.  Don’t over-think things; study your dog and the situation, picture your goal (sheep in pen, cattle walking quietly to gate), and get to work!

Fortunately, Honey was a good teacher. She questioned my thinking, tested my assumptions, and shot down my theories, but always with a heart that was 100% committed to me. That’s an English Shepherd!

LEARNING NEVER ENDS

It’s been 7 years since I wrote most of what is above; that’s almost half a century in dog years.  Those early lessons have survived the test of time, however.  In fact, I appreciate their value now more than ever… every dog is an individual; do not over-think things; no excuses.

The journey to three more herding trial championships has added a few new lessons, as well.  It may sound trite but you learn something every time you work with a dog; you only stop learning when you stop listening.  Working together requires listening… it is not about ‘being the boss’ or ‘telling your dog what to do’.  Raven and Honey told me this years ago but the third time’s the charm, I guess — Tupelo’s talent, and timing, and unbelievable ability to listen to me really drove the message home.  The reason we herd with dogs is because dogs see things we don’t see, they know things we don’t know, they can do things we can’t do; in order to respect and tap into those abilities, you must listen to your dog!

Sometimes listening to your dog leads to the realization that your dog is not your fantasy version of “what an English Shepherd should be”… this goes back to lesson #1 (every dog is an individual) but takes it one step farther.  And, I believe it contains a lesson that is critical for English Shepherd owners: being a “Jack of all Trades” does not mean your dog can do all things well.  In fact, most dogs will be “masters” at some jobs, competent at others, and struggle with a few.  Find out what your dog is good at and use that to full advantage.  Identify where your dog is weak and help your dog!  That is what partnership is all about.

As an example, some dogs are control dogs, they never lose their stock; maintaining contact and control is a given when they are at work.  Other dogs are practical dogs; control at any given point is less their concern than accomplishing a particular goal.  Those are broad generalizations. As you work with your dog, you will find that your assessments become increasingly refined.  Some dogs have the natural finesse and sensitivity to work with highly reactive stock; other dogs have the agility and power to manage rank stock; and so on.   Do not kid yourself that just because your dog is an English Shepherd, he can do all things well; and, do not fall into the trap of discrediting those abilities your dog does not have.  Your actual dog is not some abstract ideal but he is amazing nonetheless.

TRIAL TYPE?

English Shepherds are welcome to participate in stock dog trials sponsored by many different organizations.  The available herding trial courses cover a wide spectrum — there are cow dog trials, open field trials, ranch courses, arena courses, “3 sheep” trials, large flock trials, and trials on many different types of livestock.  There is no such thing as a “trial type” dog if by that you mean a dog that is bred to compete with equal success in all the available herding trials.  A well-rounded, well trained English Shepherd can successfully complete most courses, and in doing so demonstrate to people who do not know our breed that English Shepherds continue to be valuable, versatile, working stock dogs.

LOOKING AHEAD

My youngest dog, Howie, just turned a year old.  I am hoping that he will benefit from what his predecessors have taught me:

  1. Every dog is an individual
  2. Do not over-think things
  3. No excuses
  4. Listen to your dog
  5. Identify your dog’s strengths and weaknesses
  6. If you aim to complete the job rather than to compete with others, your dog will shine

And, if Howie could speak, I think he would take this opportunity to say thank-you to Raven, Honey, Tupelo, and Belle!

~ Mary Peaslee

Peaslee’s Penelope Ravenpaw, HRD III
HTCH Peaslee’s Honey, RLF III, HRD III, HTD III, HTAD III
HTCH, WTCH Peaslee’s Tupelo, RLF III, HRD III, HTAD III, ATDscd
HTCH Peaslee’s Sunshine Daydream, HRD III, HTAD III, HTD III
Peaslee’s Howell the Good… the journey begins again!

Pictured in this article from top to bottom: Mary Peaslee’s Honey, Raven, Tupelo, Belle, and Howie.