Just like us, every dog has limitations. Very few people stop to consider this, and it’s a lesson I learned myself while apprenticing for a trainer 26 years ago..At the start of my apprenticeship, I told myself that if I worked hard enough, trained hard enough and put enough time and effort in, I could make every dog that came through the training barn a world champion. I figured it was just me and my lack of ability that was stopping every dog I worked with from being great. Within a year, I had just about sent myself crazy because I couldn’t get every dog to be as good as I wanted him to be. Finally, I realized my expectations were unrealistic. Not every dog is going to be as good as the next or the one before him, and that’s OK.

Look for each dog to do his individual best – no more and no less. You see if we have unrealistic expectations, we ruin the moment, we ruin the future and we lose the point of why we do this.

We as humans have limitations when it comes to training these great dogs...a lot of limitations. Mobility, stock sense, stock availability.. but the human element rarely takes accountability for these limitations. People expect machines.. I told you so do it..

There is so much more to it when we are teaching and training. We must keep things in proper perspective when training and also know when to say when. Learn to recognize the dogs ability.. and build on that!