A case for basic trianing

BCSnob wrote:
You mean the dog has to hold the sheep back because they want to go into the pen????:h

I wish our flock was like that when we want them to go into the barn. My wife has had to use all three of her dogs to get the flock into the barn so she can sort off the ewes/mothers of the lambs being weaned.

Manners/obedience are very important for all dogs to learn.

Yes, the final re-pen of the A-course is into the exhaust, and the sheep know that all their pals are back there behind that gate. At many facilities, including the one where these photos were taken, the exhaust gate is also the set-out gate, so the sheep really know that it's there. It's a very heavy draw, so it really does test the dog's ability to hold the stock. It's also where the sheep want to escape to during most of the run, especially when taking them OUT of the pen that is out on the course, especially since they are usually in a straight line with each other. The crossdrive can have problems with this draw too, since in an arena course they are pretty close together. It can be as close as 50 feet or so from the far edge of the panel on the left, as shown here. I think this arena has it more like 60 feet or so, but it's still pretty close!
(Yes, at the Started level the handler is allowed to pass through the center line panels as shown. Next year when we move up, handler has to go directly from the Hold Pen down to the exhaust gate)