5.The Second Year

I 1988, I arranged to spend two weeks with Manfred including five days before the Bundesleistungshüten and seven days afterwards in the field. Even though the weather was cold, windy and rainy this was one of the most rewarding times I have ever spent with anyone. Nikko was 21 months old in 1988 and really full of himself. What a difference a year makes. Nikko was no longer a big puppy – he was a big teenager. If I had one word to describe Nikko then, it would be HAPPY: a full of energy, love of life, deep down life is great happy. While working, Nikko literally had a smile on one end and a fiercely wagging tail on the other.

After a year of education, Manfred still took Nikko on lead at the head of the flock to the graze while Luki worked free on the road. Once the sheep were in the graze and the boundaries designated, Nikko worked free. By now Nikko was doing two-sided boundaries on his own and taking verbal and visual commands for positioning from Manfred in the distance.

The difference between Nikko at 9 months and Nikko at 21 months was most apparent in his increased confidence and his broader focus of attention. Nikko’s heightened self-confidence was most apparent from the uninhibited joy he displayed while working. At 9 months when first out in the field Nikko was focused on only one thing-the sheep. He was instinctively attracted to them but was not quite sure how to relate to them since he did not yet understand what he was expected to do with them-you could read this in his body language. At 21 months after a year of education, Nikko retained this same level of attraction to the sheep, but he had also developed the confidence that comes with knowing what he is supposed to do with them. Nikko’s focus of attention also changed. At 9 months, Nikko’s focus of attention was only on the sheep: at 21 months, although his attention was still focused on the sheep, Nikko had also learned to focus his ears on Manfred at the same time. Manfred demonstrated this broader focus of attention: Nikko was several hundred yards away from us on a cross furrow with his eyes focused on the flock when Manfred whispered “Nikko” a voice barely audible to me standing next to him-with eyes never leaving the flock, Nikko wagged his tail in response.

During my visit, Manfred decided to introduce Nikko to the far boundary (the boundary opposite the shepherd). To begin this education, Manfred left Luki home and took Nikko on line by himself to the graze. At the graze, Manfred released Nikko on the near furrow. Nikko began patrolling the near and cross furrow as he was accustomed to do. Once Nikko realized that Luki was not on the far furrow. Nikko took the far corner by himself and began to move out along the far boundary without any command from Manfred. Just as when he began Nikko on the near furrow last year, Manfred’s only words were “Brava, Nikko, brava” when Nikko began to move out along the far boundary by himself.

As one might expect during the introduction of a new task to a young dog. Nikko tested the limits of his new freedom and responsibility. While Manfred’s attention was diverted answering my questions, Nikko, on the opposite side of the sheep from Manfred, saw an opportunity to cut a sheep out of the flock and chase it. As soon as he saw, Manfred calmly called “NIKKO!”-Nikko did not stop the chase. So, Manfred called “NIKKO!” a second time with the same calm, firm voice-Nikko still ignored him. The chase was quickly over when the sheep ran back to the flock and Nikko resumed patrolling the far boundary again as if nothing had happened. When Manfred showed no sign of doing anything to correct this violation of the boundary, I asked him why he did not correct Nikko. Manfred’s response was: “If two commands do not work, I know the next time I must give a more emphatic command with a harsher, deeper tone of voice. “ In other words, Manfred interpreted Nikko’s breach as the dog testing his new limits in order to learn what they are; and, he interpreted the ineffectiveness of his commands as being his own fault for not making them strong enough to make those new limits clear to the dog the first time. In this new learning situation, Manfred considered the ineffectiveness of the voice correction his fault-Nikko’s next breach would bring a more emphatic command from Manfred to make the new limits clear. Manfred had complete confidence in Nikko’s willingness to please him. Manfred saw his job as one of letting the dog learn himself from the displeased tone of his voice that it is NOT to violate the boundary to run a sheep. It takes more time and patience to educate a dog this way, but there is little risk of dampening the dog’s confidence.

According to Manfred, the result of this type of education is a dog that will ultimately learn to correct itself with no command from the shepherd when it realizes that it has done something wrong. Like the time I saw Manfred give Luki, his Bundesleistungshüten champion, a signal to shift to another boundary. Luki began moving along the cross furrow to the new corner and overshot it by a few yards. Manfred said nothing to the dog and turned to me whispering “Watch and see what happens”. As he spoke, Luki stopped in his tracks and turned slightly. He saw the missed corner behind him. His ears went down, his tail went down, and he looked totally deflated. Luki turned back sheepishly and went to the proper corner and began moving along the correct boundary. As he did this, his ears went back up, his tail went back up and his confidence returned. As soon as Luki was on the correct boundary, Manfred began his calm, quiet praising “Brava, Luki, brava”. Luki began to prance along the boundary wagging his tail when he heard the praise.

6. The Grip

By the time of my next visit in October 1989 Nikko had received his full education as a herding dog. Nikko had earned his HGH title in the summer with a score of 98 points out of 100. He had qualified to enter the Bundesleistungshüten for the first time this year. Later, at the Bundesleistungshüten, Nikko would take 4th place with a score of 94 points.

In the field with Manfred before the Bundesleistungshüten, I could see that Nikko at almost 3 years old now had developed an even more energetic, happy attitude towards working sheep. Nikko was a wellspring of energy that never seemed to run dry – you could feel the electricity just watching him work. He pounded those boundaries back and forth, tail wagging, every nerve coiled and waiting for any sheep to violate his boundary. No sheep dared. Yet with all of this tremendous energy flowing out of Nikko, the sheep and Manfred were totally calm as always. However, I was on edge thinking that this dog is going to blast those sheep like a cue ball at any moment. It never happened. Nikko’s energy was totally channeled. Channeled by his basic instinct to please his master and by now his clear understanding missile, you could be sure that the sheep would sense it and act nervously. But, the sheep were calm, grazing and totally undistracted while Nikko continued to pound out his energy on the boundaries.

This year became the year I learned to appreciate the grip and to understand exactly how gripping sheep in herding work and biting the sleeve in schutzhund protection work can exist side by side. (NOTE: In his younger years, Manfred used to title all of his herding champions to the schHll level – the only reason he does not do it now is because he does not have the time anymore) when I first met Manfred in 1987, he had explained the grip in the sheep herding; why it is necessary for the dog to use it; on which areas of the sheep it is allowed to be used; and under what circumstances it is permitted. Manfred also had his experienced herding dogs demonstrate the proper grip on command in the field so I could see what he was talking about. However, all of the talk and all of the demonstrations could never have prepared me for what I was about to see.

Bundesleistungshüten Champion Luki von der Stammherde Ramholz doing HGH protection at 1988 Bundesleistungshüten.

The night before the Bundesleistungshüten, Manfred asked me to meet him at the sheep barn where his dogs are kenneled. From there we would take Nikko to the local schutzhund club where he would show me how Nikko does protection work. Bear in mind that Manfred only occasionally works his dogs in protection nowadays because the courage test for the HGH no longer requires biting the sleeve. However, Manfred does believe that the complete education of the herding dog should include protection work since one of the original tasks of the herding dog was to protect his flock and the shepherd from thieves and robbers.

We got to the club and introductions were made. As I was talking to one of the members, someone else said rather disdainfully, “Look, there goes ‘the shepherd’ with his ‘shepherd’ dog – ha, ha, ha. “ Meanwhile Manfred was asking the helper to do the basic schutzhund courage test which is: the helper threatens the dog with a stick from a distance of about 30 feet then the helper turns and runs away from the dog and handler for about another 30 feet; after the dog is commanded by the handler to “get him” while the helper is still running away, the helper turns and runs at the dog again threatening him with the stick; the dog must bite the helper’s sleeve with no hesitation and hold the helper until he is told to release. Manfred sent Nikko out to stop the helper. Nikko charged out, the helper turned and ran toward the dog with his stick waving. Nikko hit the sleeve so hard that the helper was laid out flat on the ground with Nikko still firmly attached to the sleeve. There was silence at first in the clubhouse and then there was loud applause. From then on, the shepherd and the shepherd dog were treated with the respect they had just earned.

As we drove Nikko back from the club, I kept asking Manfred question about gripping and bite-work, to the point that he realized only a demonstration might possibly help me to understand. We put Nikko onto his kennel and went into the barn. In the barn, Manfred told me to wait in an enclosed 15’x20’ open area, which was surrounded by sheep in various pens. Manfred went downstairs and reappeared with two large 6 to 8 month old dogs sired by Luki, one of which he was hoping to keep and begin educating the following year. Neither of these dogs had had any direct contact with grown sheep before. Manfred left the dogs behind a fence outside the open area that I was in. The dogs had full view of the whole barn. Manfred lifted a large sheep out of a pen and put it in the open area. The electricity in the barn became palpable. I felt I was going to witness something primal but never expected just how powerfully primal.

The dogs at the fence were straining to get at the sheep. Their intensity was like nothing I have ever seen before. Not one sound came out of those dogs. Their eyes were riveted on the sheep and their bodies were straining so hard against the fence I thought they would push it over. Every fiber in those dogs was straining forward towards the sheep in absolute silence. Even the sheep in the pens were watching in silence.

Then, Manfred opened the fence. The dogs torpedoed in. The sheep tried to run, but the two dogs, one on each side of her, grabbed her by the top of the neck and flattened her to the floor. There was still no sound from either dogs or sheep. The sheep lay still with both dogs holding it firmly in their grips – they did not tear at her – they just held her tight with firm, full-mouth grips. After what seemed like an eternity to me, Manfred took one of the dogs by the collar, pulled him off the sheep and took him silently out of the area. The other dog continued to hold the sheep to the floor with the same hard grip until Manfred came back and pulled him off too. As Manfred took the dogs back downstairs, all I could think was “Poor Manfred, he must be so embarrassed at having me see this display of uncontrolled behavior. “To my amazement, Manfred came back upstairs as proud as a peacock. I am sure my mouth was hanging open down to my knees as he told me how pleased he was with the way the dogs had handled the sheep and how proud he was that they had demonstrated the instinct he was looking for so well for me. Since neither dog had had any direct contact with the sheep since puppy testing, he said that he was not sure how well they would respond to this test. I was speechless and home I went to try to digest all of this.

My image of the gentle shepherd was shattered, not to mention my image of the gentle shepherd dog. Yet, oddly enough, after these experiences, I found myself feeling a profoundly new and different respect Manfred so much before this demonstration; I probably would have chalked him off as a head case. But, for three years I had actually watched him educate his dogs EXACTLY as he preached. I saw the tremendous energy his dogs had while working. I saw his dog’s intense attraction to the sheep. I never once saw his dogs harm any sheep, even when commanded to go into the flock and hold one for Manfred. I never once heard Manfred utter a harsh word to his dogs in the field or anywhere else. I have never seen him do anything other than “guide” and encourage his dogs calmly and deliberately through their education in the field. How could I reconcile these observations of Manfred’s totally inductive teaching methods with the primal scene I witnessed in the barn? As the months passed and the shock wore off, reconciliation was easy.

Pure prey drive, attraction to the sheep, is the energy/power source that the shepherd will transform during the course of education in the field to serve his sheep herding needs. During the test in the barn, Manfred was looking t assess the degree and quality of the pure prey drive in his dogs. What he saw, and what I hope the reader can see from my description, was an exceptionally high degree of prey drive of exceptional quality. This was demonstrated by the fact that the dog’s drive did not decrease at all during or after, catching and gripping the sheep. The quality of the drive showed no apparent flaw in temperament. For example, the dogs showed no uncertain, defensive behavior toward the sheep – no raised hackles, no hesitation before striking the sheep, no swerving from a direct line of impact and no hectic biting of the sheep. No wonder Manfred was pleased. He looked forward to transforming this high prey energy flow into service in the field.

It is important to note two things. First, Manfred uses this test on HIS DOGS ONLY. He knows what to expect from his dogs. He would not perform this test on any dog that he had not thoroughly tested earlier. The sheep was not injured; the dogs were not injured. He would not have done this demonstration if he had thought they would be. And, second, Manfred does not praise or correct his dogs for any behavior before, during or after the test. He calmly releases the dogs, he calmly watches the dogs and he calmly pulls the dogs away from the sheep. It should be obvious that he will encourage later during their education in the field. He cannot correct his dogs for this behavior because it is the uninhibited expression of the drive he wants – the drive he will later channel during the dogs’ education in the field.

7. Graduation

1990: This year I had only a few days with Manfred, however, this time I was there during fall lambing in late October. Nikko was almost four years old and had undergone a remarkable transformation. Nikko had become a nature, responsible, very serious adult working dog. He was no longer that devil-may-care teenager. I was absolutely amazed. Perhaps it was because Manfred was now starting to work young Fax of last year’s barn demonstration fame just as he had started Nikko three years before-only now Nikko was the chief dog. At any rate, if I had one word to describe Nikko this year it would be SERIOUS. Nikko still had the energy and intensity of his youth, but he was no longer out there testing Manfred’s limits any more. Now he was working with Manfred, smoothly, confidently and seriously. Nikko was in harmony with the sheep.

This year there were a number of ewes with new lambs in the flock. If I was still worrying about reconciling last year’s primal and schutzhund demonstrations with the HGH herding dog, what I saw this year would have cured me. Nikko worked the sheep with greater care when lambs were present. He avoided any contact with the young lambs. If a ewe with a lamb moved out of the boundary, Nikko would approach her quietly, always from the side away from the lamb, and use only enough pressure to get her to move back inside the boundary gently-the lamb of course would follow its mother. Nikko never touched a lamb and never rushed a truant ewe with a lamb.

8. Reflections

While writing this, I found myself reliving all of my experiences in the field with Manfred, Nikko and Luki. And, in doing so, I realized that the power of those experiences did not so much excite my intellect as they did my sense of harmony. This is very difficult to explain. However, I will try to explain because, in my mind, maintaining this sense of harmony is the key to the art to HGH sheep herding.

I cannot emphasize enough that I have NEVER seen Manfred Heyne try to subdue, disort or extinguish ANY instinct or drive in his dogs-I have only seen him channel them. First, he makes sure to select only those dogs to educate which he believes have the drives, instincts and behaviors he wants. Second, during education, he never gives the dog an opportunity to use its drives, instincts or behaviors until he is certain the dog is ready to use them in the way he wants them to be used: during education, he never sets the dog up to make a mistake. And, finally, he has shown that he values the dog’s drives, instincts and behaviors above all else – if they are damaged by one error of education, by one misguided correction, the dog may no longer be of any use to him. This is a risk I have never seen him take.

So what is the bottom line?

The bottom line is that I learned to appreciate Manfred Heyne as a man who far over forty years has developed a talent, an instinct, call-it-what-you-will a gift to work in harmony with his dogs and his sheep. A harmony that he has demonstrated consistently; a harmony that comes from a bond of mutual trust and respect which holds the shepherd, his dogs and his sheep together as one unit. Damage any part of that bond between the three and the harmony will be destroyed.

I have come to understand how the shepherd is responsible for establishing and maintaining the bond of harmony – that flow of energy holding all members of the group together as a balanced unit. The shepherd must see to it that each member of the unit established and maintains a mutual bond of trust and respect between itself and each of the other members. For example, the dog must respect the sheep and the shepherd; the shepherd must respect the dog and the sheep; and, the sheep must respect the shepherd and the dog. The task of the shepherd as leader is to create and to maintain balance and harmony within the unit by guarding against any actions by any of the members that might result in damage to any part of that bond. Since respect implies acceptance, it follows that the shepherd must be accepting of the total dog – accepting the dog’s full repertoire of selected drives, instincts and behaviors – trusting that they can be channeled by education to serve his sheep herding needs. This is exactly what Manfred Heyne does. Manfred’s puppy tests allow him to select a dog with a strong prey instincts and they allow him to select a dog with an equally strong willingness to accept him as pack leader. At nine months, Manfred reconfirms the results of his early puppy testing by testing again for the degree of the dog’s prey instinct/drive (as he demonstrated in the barn in 1989) and, by testing for the degree of the dog’s willingness to accept him as pack leader (as demonstrated by the boundary test in 1987). An equal balance of these two drives is the key to successfully channeling the dog’s instincts into herding sheep: it is this balance that allows the dog’s natural prey energy to be channeled completely into the service of the shepherd without frustrating or inhibiting that flow by the use of compulsion training. It is that uninhibited flow of energy which Manfred’s dogs exhibit when working sheep.
Hopefully, I have been able to provide the reader with some glimpse from Manfred’s example of how the dog’s intact natural prey and pack drives can be channeled successfully without compulsion training to serve the shepherd and to create that unique sense of harmony while herding sheep in the field.