Reed is a sable/white Shetland Sheepdog. He is a sweet, gentle soul. He enjoys playing with toys and spending leisure time in his mom's lap. Training: Reed's flyball training was certainly a real challenge for both Jeanne and me. He was so shy and "worried" that in the beginning, Jeanne could not even get close to him or look at him. If she turned her back to him and stepped far away from the lane he might run down to the box. She could only see him practice by watching his reflection in the mirrors in her training building. It took more than a month before she could stand close to the box or the racing lane. And even longer before he would take a high value treat from Jeanne... And this dog is typically highly food motivated. He finally accepted her being close to the box and behind the box. However, when we changed practice environments and went at BOTC, the "worried " dog was back once again. Reed would not do anything there, including shying away from petting, noise and other dogs. I worked with him in an area away from the group. It took a couple times at BOTC before he came out of his shell and finally ran with the team. He is still sometimes worried at tournaments, but has learned to manage his apprehension most of the time. Thanks to Jeanne's guidance, patience and belief in both of us, Reed has earned over 15,000 points. Funny Thing about Reed: He barks a lot at home-- if a leaf falls off a tree in China, he barks. But in flyball, he has never barked!!! Even with all those other barking dogs!
