BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS and IGNORING CONVENTIONAL WISDOM!
SHOW COLLIES VS PERFORMANCE COLLIES

By Kathy V. Moll (with a little help from my friends)

No offense to conformation breeders, we’re mostly helpful and educated. However, feel free to ignore us when we say things such as: “Don’t teach your show prospect to sit; you’ll ruin him for the breed ring.” OR “This puppy needs to go to a performance home; his front, rear, (whatever) isn’t good enough for conformation.” OR “Performance training will affect your show prospect’s happy attitude; she doesn’t need to know anything except how to look pretty.” These and other nuggets of conventional wisdom about cross training show collies prevent the wonderful spirit of relationship building between owner and collie and inhibit promoting our beautiful, talented breed as the all-purpose dog!


Kathy Moll at the 2005 National with
her Veteran.

Those conformation breeders who haven’t already joined colliedom in the 21st century need to do so pronto. Those who have and who work to dispel the conventions of the past, BRAVO! We all want our puppies to be all they can be in loving, happy homes - show, performance and companion. Seeing a beautiful collie that proves the old adage, “A well balanced dog has titles at both ends,” is a thrilling sight to behold! With a little help from some of my collie friends quoted below, let’s dispel convention and create a new paradigm.

New Paradigm: “In a nutshell, performance activities provide a different level of interaction between dog and human.” (Bev Hirt) The main benefit of the multi-purpose collie is the bond that develops between collie and owner! “It helps the dog and handler connect to each other in a working relationship, rather than ‘me dog, you food dispenser.’” (Susan Klein) There are other perks as well. For the collie, the more learning that takes place, the more self-assured he becomes. All show dogs benefit from confidence building and from learning how to learn! The more varied the activities, the more physically fit he becomes – also a good thing for a conformation collie.
That last one is a terrific perk for the human part of the team as well, and helps avoid an unhealthy, sedentary life style. “As my mother said, ‘If you had a couch potato dog, you would be a couch potato.’” (Susan) In addition, the owner learns more about what makes his dog tick. Another human side effect is the pride that comes from putting titles on collies and perhaps earning versatility honors. It’s a thrill! The other big bonus is that you and your collie will live a much more interesting and enriching life together. “It gives you something else to do besides shop…better for the credit card!” (Bev)

Not a “new paradigm,” but certainly common sense says the following. Keep collars and leads, commands, body language, treats, and the environment distinct for the various types of activities that interest you and your collie to make cross training easier. Use a show collar and lead, chicken or liver with a treat word such as “cookie,” a stand in front body position, and a show gait phrase such as, “let’s go” for conformation training. Use an obedience collar and lead, packaged training treats with the cue “good” or “yes,” a stand beside body position, and an obedience gaiting word such as “heel” for obedience or rally training. “You’re teaching them even when it isn’t a formal lesson.” (Susan) So the trick is - YOU have to think about what you do and say.

Obviously, words such as “come by,” “away,” and “that’ll do,” for herding and the presence of sheep, ducks or cows in a pasture environment are MAJOR cues that this is herding and NOT conformation or obedience! Ditto for commands such as “walk it,” “scramble,” “tunnel,” etc. and the presence of a dog walk, an A-frame, tunnels, etc. for agility. A tracking harness and no enclosure of any kind is a big clue that this is tracking and not some other activity. “All the dog has to do is look around and she can see where she is and, consequently, what she will be doing and what the rules are for the day.” (Bev)

If you have a show prospect puppy, start now building your human/canine relationship. If you have an adult conformation collie, it's never too late to start.

Convention: “Don’t teach your show prospect to sit; you’ll ruin him for the breed ring.” Natural positions in daily life for any collie include locomotion, standing, sitting and lying down. Why would putting a word cue with these pose a problem for him/her? Asking your collie to perform natural behaviors when you, as his pack leader, ask for them is not a big stretch. Ask for a stand on a grooming table with your show puppy, for example. “Sitting in the conformation ring was NEVER an issue… he had no intention of sitting unless directly told to do so.” (Susan)

Even “basic obedience isn’t just heeling and sitting. Things like come, stay, stand, etc. can be very beneficial – maybe even save a dog’s life.” (Joan Scialdone) How many times have you seen a show dog escape from his crate, ex-pen or owner at shows? After much ado and a major scare for the owner and the dog, most are finally retrieved. Unfortunately, a few such cases have ended tragically. Basic commands are not really as optional as many dog show folks like to think!

Convention: “This puppy needs to go to a performance home; his front, rear, (whatever) isn’t good enough for conformation.” While this kind of nonsense may seem obvious to most of us, I’ve heard it come from otherwise intelligent breeder’s lips on a number of occasions! Soundness is just as important for performance as it is for conformation.

Any kind of work in a field, be it tracking or herding, requires stamina. Any kind of obedience or agility activity requires an agile, sound body. Simply the wellbeing and longevity of your collie calls for, at the very least, a lack of major structural faults! After all, the very first sentence of the Standard reads, “The collie is a lithe, strong, active dog, carrying no useless timber, standing naturally straight and firm.” Breeding mainly or solely for head type does a major disservice to our breed. Breeding excellence is not supposed to be easy. Breeding for both head type and soundness is more difficult, but if you’re not prepared for difficulties of all kinds…well, enough said!

Convention: “Performance training will affect your show prospect’s happy, attitude; she doesn’t need to know anything except how to stand and look pretty.” Let’s examine the first thought in the above. Positive reinforcement, such as stroking, toys and treats for collie training, keeps all learning happy regardless of venue. Knowing that you’re his/her pack leader is absolutely crucial and lets him know not to worry about having to take charge; you’ll do that for him! Remember though – there IS a difference between subordinate and submissive. What’s wanted is subordination coupled with a “look at me attitude.” How is this accomplished?

Paramount is CONSISTENCY in teaching and reinforcing wanted and unwanted behaviors. Primary rewards such as touch and food reinforce desired behaviors while a lack of these, coupled with unfailing modification through correction, extinguish unwanted ones. Yelling is rarely needed in any kind of training; firm consistency is all it takes. Your collie will tell you what he/she needs as you learn more about his personality and motivations. Being consistent is the key to successful training and a happy, positive attitude. A collie’s understanding of exactly what is wanted is the REAL key to a joyful attitude in training. Watch one of those “nanny” programs on TV. They illustrate this point perfectly in child rearing; it’s the same with dogs!

Now for the second thought in the compound sentence above – “stand and look pretty.” How would your own life be if you conducted it solely on this type of superficial level? Would just looking good be fulfilling for you? Would you be happy? If you like to feel useful and important, why wouldn’t your collie want the same? A useful, varied life fills both human and canine days with zest and enthusiasm. If you think these activities are not worth the time and energy, give them a try and give yourself the chance to experience the sense of accomplishment. Owning a collie requires some effort to be what it should be. Training can take a lot of time, but… “I don’t see why I would have a dog and not want to play with him. I happen to be better at making time to play with him if I have goals.” (Susan)

New Paradigm: Even when some types of training and instruction aren’t immediately available to you, many types will be. “Don't let this (lack of available instruction) be a deterrent. Through persistence and being a general nag, we got some herding going in my area.  It was well worth the effort!” (Bev) Keep searching if you have an interest in a particular venue; you’ll find it eventually! “Nearly all (dog) sports have newer media available, such as YouTube video (obedience, rally, freestyle, and probably herding and other sports) which are free to view and learn … learn during your office lunch, take it home and apply it. (Claire Apple) There are many excellent videos, DVD’s and books available in all training areas. Search the internet and ask around.

New Paradigm: If you have a show prospect puppy, start now building your human/canine relationship. If you have an adult conformation collie, it’s never too late to start. It’s NOT true that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” You most certainly can. According to Bruce Fogle, DVM, “The actual number of neurotransmitter containing vesicles increase with learning… even after all the wiring is in place, there is still capacity for brain development that is actually stimulated by learning.” (The Dog’s Mind) Even dogs too old for jumping and running benefit from and enjoy working toward a CGC, a CD, an RN or all three. Start relationship building today; enrich your own life and your collie’s!