Quiet Authority

The Working Sheepdog list has been discussing "dogs that make sheep look good."

"How often do we go to a trial and hear someone say, '' He had good sheep.'' But did he have good sheep or did the dog make them look good? Usually it is the dog that is kind to its sheep and has made them good, ie. the sheep feel happy and unthreatened by the dog, yet the dog has that smoothness and control, or quiet authority."

"Presence as I see it is the predatory effect the dog has on sheep when it is in hunting mode whereas power is an authority over the sheep that does not necessarily have the same effect.
A dog can be made weak by the way it is trained just as it can develop its power with confidence. This is where the clever trainers come into their own....moulding their dogs to get the best response out of them in order to work the sheep in the best way possible."

That is an interesting topic. Both Jet and Yoko's sheep like them. Kilt's stock feel threatened by her. Both Jet and Yoko have quiet authority. Kilt has a predatory effect on her sheep. The only time Kilt's predatory effect comes in handy for me is at the pen. They can't wait to get away from her. :0)