STOCK DOG TALK
Some terms are used universally in the stock dog world, while others will have their own perception of what a word/term means.
RECALL - Is a command used to tell the dog to come to you. In my program, my recall is that’ll do. It means for the dog to stop what they are doing, come to me in a straight line, with passion, and to stay in neutral with me until I say otherwise. My goal is to get my recall 100% of the time. If I only have my recall 85% of the time, 15% is going to be the time that I need it the most.
STOP - Is a command to stop the dog at any spot whether or not they are working stock. It is your preference as to what command you prefer. I like to use a lie down and a stand. A stand is beneficial in tight areas or on stock that tend to be pushy/curious. A stand allows a dog their feet and enables them to keep consistent pressure on the stock. When you lie a dog down, you take about 15-20 feet of pressure off the stock. Which will invite the stock to come towards the dog.
SIDE COMMANDS - most commonly away to me and come/go bye are used to tell the dog to go in a counterclockwise or clockwise direction. Away to me is traditionally counterclockwise, while come-bye is clockwise. However, if you are consistent you can use what ever command you would like. Some will use right, left, out, here, etc, there are plenty of options. It is important to note that the direction is given from the dogs point of view.
WALK UP - Is a command for the dog to walk straight on to the stock taking them from point A to B. Different variations of the command can indicate to the dog to speed up or slow down.
LOOK BACK - Is a command for a dog to leave the stock they are currently working and to go gather another group.
OUTRUN - An outrun is the path a dog takes to get around the stock. Traditionally the path is pear shaped with 90° from the stock being the widest point. Also included with the outrun is the lift and fetch.
LIFT - The point at which the dog comes into contact with their stock. This is how the dog introduces himself to the stock and can play an important roll in how the stock responds to the dog thereafter.
FETCH - Is when the dog is actively bring the handler the stock.
THERE - Is a command that indicated to the dog that the handler wants them to turn into the stock, usually to drive them in a certain direction.
DRIVE - Is when the dog is moving the stock away from the handler. There is also a cross drive, which is when the dog drives the stock perpendicularly of the handler.
INSIDE FLANKS - Are side commands, directions given to the dog when driving. The flanks happen in-between the stock and the handler.
BIDDABILITY - Is a term used to describe the ease of which a dog wants to be trained. Like everything else, a dog can be too biddable, while the other is not biddable enough.
POWER - Is a term used to describe the presence a dog has on stock, it can be perceived in many different ways from one person to the next. I view power as a dog with a presence that will affect the stock from a distance. The dog has the ability to move stock without bite and the stock believe the dog when the dog approaches the stock. I like to use power through approach to move stock, the dog has to convince the stock it is in their best interest to move off them. Working cattle, especially, both the handler and dog work using bluff. I say this because we are working 1200+lb cows and 2500+lb bulls. When compared to a 40lb dog, their bluff is what gets the job done. Some can bluff bigger than others. If the dog comes onto the power with strong energy the stock will take notice. Here is where things can get tricky. If the dog comes on with too much power/energy he can offend the stock and the stock will face him, because they do not trust the dog.