The Dancing Hearts herding program is for herding breed dogs and their handlers who are interested in a positive method for learning and teaching their dogs shepherding skills – for enjoyment, for competition or for making farm chores easier.

You will learn and practice skills designed to shape your dog’s natural herding abilities while you also learn how to read stock. Kathy’s methods center on keeping the dog in a calm, focused, eager-to-learn state of mind – which helps the dog learn, and helps the handler to learn too!

Current scientific research suggests that the emotions are a strong motivating force behind all directed action. Striving to maintain balanced, keen and collected emotions with a focus on learning, creates a satisfying and positive experience for both dog and handler. Combining this wisdom along with good stock sense, a love for teaching, a mission of helping to really connect people and their dogs, and the strong desire to bring all these elements into an effective and benevolent herding program has given birth to “Connected Herding™”.

Kathy has successfully competed in all venues of herding events including USBCHA, AKC, ASCA and AHBA with her

border collies for more than 10 years, with many wins, titles, high in trials and high combined.

Currently trialing exclusively in national level field trials sanctioned by The United States Border Collie Handlers Association, Kathy has qualified for and competed in the National Finals, limited to the top dogs in the country.

Facilitating clinics and lessons both at her farm in Illinois, and around the Midwest, she has experience with all herding breeds, and her students have won many titles and ribbons competing in all venues.

Whether you are just starting out, or have experience and are now looking for a better way, read on to discover a wonderful way to learn and truly enjoy herding with your dog!

You are invited to experience an innovative and exciting new herding program designed to accelerate the learning process of both dog and handler by using contemporary teaching and coaching methods, in a fun, easy to learn
and positive way!

The Connected Herding™ program combines a perfect blend of classroom and real life learning environments into an effective and proven educational approach. The handler is able to learn the methods first, through interactive presentation/lecture and demonstration. The dogs then have the advantage of learning their jobs from a handler who has a clear concept of the lesson at hand. The dogs really appreciate that! And so do the handlers, who can be confident leaders during the lesson, knowing they are helping their dogs learn!

This program is called “Connected Herding™” because:

• It models a respectful relationship between the human, dog and tended animals.
• It embraces the Dancing Hearts mission of inspiring heartfelt connection and communication between people and their animals.
• The program models Kathy′s Vision of a world where peace, harmony and abundance prevails.
• It names a coaching relationship between student and teacher that is based upon all of the above.

The Connected Herding™ program revolves around these principles:

• Respectful and supportive coaching of both dogs and people.
• Positively reinforce and encourage the “good moves” of dogs and people.
• Develop a calm and keen partnering relationship between dog and handler.
• Teach people to ‘listen’ to their dogs, to the stock and to develop subconscious skill at responding appropriately.
• Allow the dogs to tap into their instinctive herding behaviors, while keeping them calmly and confidently focused and responsive to both the stock and their handler.
• Follow a measurable, progressive continuum of learning.

Before you and your dog meet livestock, you will learn:

• Positive methods for teaching your dog with clarity, understanding and respect.
• How to to establish partnership-based working skills, away from stock.
• The basic principles of livestock handling and movement.
• Herding Cues, which will be learned and taught to handler and dog, away from stock.

A University Approach
There are 2 required sections to the program, which is an accelerated and progressive educational concept. The requirements may be met by your customized selection of online classes, clinics, group coaching courses and private coaching courses. Both segments are critical for this fun and accelerated herding education program.

• Section 1 — Classroom Learning for Handlers.
  Presentation and Discussion of principles, methods and step-by-step instructions for each lesson.

• Section 2 — Farm Lessons and Practice for Handlers and Dogs. Classes for on the farm ‘Hands-on’ learning and practice.
  

Starting your dog on stock:
Keeping dogs and handlers calm and focused on learning should be the primary objective when starting work with livestock. When this aspect is neglected, the learning curve for dogs and handlers is dramatically increased. Many dogs quickly enter a highly excited state, which is bound to happen when they are turned loose in a pen with prey animals running away from them. The learning curve for humans is nearly insurmountable when you consider they are not mentally prepared for the lesson, or for their dog′s unusually frenzied behavior.

In these cases, learning can be tediously slow and frustrating. The dog is corrected for ‘bad moves’, rather than taught ‘good moves’. The relationship between the handler and dog is damaged. The relationship between the instructor and student begins to disintegrate as well. Many handlers and dogs simply give up.

Instead, picture this: The handler and dog have learned how to respectfully communicate with one another before stepping onto the field. The handler is familiar with the lesson at hand, having studied it earlier. The handler is confident and the dog looks to the handler as a benevolent leader. There is mutual respect and trust that allows for a safe learning container for both human and canine.

When ready, the handler leads the dog into the pen, calm and focused on teaching and learning together. The dog is on a long line to support success. The handler is able to watch both the dog and the stock, reading body language and experiencing the interaction between dog and stock – taking in lots of useful data. The instructor is calmly coaching the handler, supporting the learning process. The handler is fluidly communicating with her dog, offering verbal praise and allowing forward movement whenever the dog is thinking and calmly focused on the stock. This work on a long line teaches the dogs how to control the movement of the stock in a way that effectively merges driving and gathering — feeling ‘good’ to the dog, therefore it is reinforcing the dogs actions. Verbal cues of stop, steady, that′ll do, come bye and away to me are being learned and taught in the context of moving livestock during this time.

Food rewards are not necessary, because this is a natural process for herding dogs – so, your approval and access to the livestock are the primary reinforcers. We have selectively bred these dogs to have a strong desire to partner with humans, both as our companions and our working

allies. Studying and sharing the herding experience with your herding breed dog, in this connected way, is simply awesome, and like no other activity!

As the team progresses in their skills and ability to stay in a focused, thinking state of mind, the line can be dropped for short periods of time, allowing for a full gathering maneuver, then going back to using the line as necessary. Eventually, the line is dropped and dragged, then eliminated, and the skills of gathering, stopping, pacing, flanking, driving are progressively accomplished.

Dog, handler, stock and coach are all connected and communicating with one another in cooperative relationship. Is that beautiful, or what?

During this process the handler and dog have developed a wonderful working relationship and have established all the necessary skills for moving into intermediate and advanced work.

If you are motivated to experience herding with your dog and are dedicated to embracing the principles of Connected Herding™, then this program is for you!