World Championship Stock Dog Trainer Wendy Auzqui Coming to Story Days

Visitors to Story Days will have an opportunity to experience an important part of ranching culture when accomplished stock dog trainer Wendy Auzqui presents a live Border Collie demonstration on Friday, August 28.

The demonstration begins at 5:00 p.m. across the street from the Story Art Station. Auzqui will be joined by her niece, McKenna Seeley, who also works with stock dogs and will assist during the presentation.

Auzqui plans to bring several trained Border Collies and a small group of sheep to demonstrate how the dogs use instinct, training and carefully controlled pressure to move livestock.

“We’ll explain how the dogs handle the sheep,” Auzqui said. “The dogs already know how to handle livestock. My job is to put words to what they’re doing, which later become commands from me.”

Photo by Jenae Neeson

Understanding the Language of a Stock Dog

During the demonstration, spectators will hear several of the commands commonly used when working Border Collies.

“Come by” directs a dog to move clockwise around the livestock, while “away” sends the dog counterclockwise. A “walk up” command tells the dog to approach the livestock and apply enough pressure to move the animals forward.

More advanced dogs can also respond when livestock are missed during a gathering. Auzqui can stop the dog and give a “look back” command, directing it to search behind itself for livestock that may have been left behind.

Dogs working at greater distances can be guided through verbal commands or a series of whistles.

While the commands may appear simple from the sidelines, successful stock dog work depends on the handler’s ability to understand the natural behavior of both the dog and the livestock.

Auzqui describes livestock as having an invisible “bubble” around them. When a dog moves close enough to press against that bubble—often called the animal’s flight zone—the livestock begins to move.

Sheep generally have a larger flight zone than cattle because their primary defense is to move away from a potential threat. A trained Border Collie learns to work along the edge of that zone, applying just enough pressure to guide the sheep without creating unnecessary stress.

“The dog also has a bubble,” Auzqui explained. “When the dog’s bubble touches the sheep’s bubble, that’s when movement is created.”

From Giving Commands to Building Relationships

Auzqui’s approach to training has changed considerably since she received her first Border Collie, Tony, approximately 14 years ago.

“At first, I was the teacher and he was the student,” she said. “As I got more and more Border Collies, I definitely learned that I was the student and they were the teachers.”

Today, Auzqui describes her training philosophy as a continuing process of relationship and communication.

“Every time a dog comes here, we build a relationship, we get our communication successful and we go do jobs together,” she said. “We’re always working on our communication and our relationship while we’re working.”

That communication includes learning how each dog responds to the handler’s energy.

When working with a young, highly excited dog, Auzqui intentionally remains calm. Her lower energy helps bring the dog’s excitement down to a level where the two can communicate effectively.

A timid or uncertain dog may require the opposite approach. In those situations, Auzqui raises her own energy to help the dog become more confident.

“Every dog is different,” she said. “My energy, my approach and my pressure have to be adjusted to fit their needs.”

A Championship Built on Teamwork

One of the greatest examples of the relationship between Auzqui and her dogs came in 2019, when she and a Border Collie named Frank won the World Championship Stock Dog Trial in Calgary.

Their championship performance was especially meaningful because of what had happened two years earlier.

Auzqui and Frank first attended the Calgary competition in 2017. At the time, Frank was overwhelmed by the crowds, noises and atmosphere surrounding the event. They returned home without the performance they had hoped for.

When they returned in 2019, the roles had changed. Auzqui was carrying some uncertainty from their previous experience, but Frank was ready.

“The last time we came, I was confident and he wasn’t,” she recalled. “When we went back in 2019, I wasn’t very confident, but Frank picked up the slack and displayed, ‘It’s okay. I’ve got this.’”

After two preliminary runs, they advanced to the final group of 12 competitors. Auzqui remembers making a couple of mistakes during the final run, but Frank compensated for them and completed the work successfully.

“He covered for me and ended up winning the trial,” she said. “That taught me that this is a team effort.”

Auzqui is proud of the championship while also noting that the event is open to experienced handlers from around the world. Open-level handlers enter a drawing for an opportunity to compete.

The experience reinforced a lesson that has influenced how she works with dogs, livestock and people: strong relationships allow one member of a team to provide confidence when the other is struggling.

The Value of a Working Border Collie

Although stock dog trials highlight the precision and skill of trained Border Collies, these dogs are more than competitors. On a working ranch, they are valuable and practical partners.

Auzqui and her family run livestock in country filled with steep hills and deep draws that can be difficult to reach by vehicle or horseback. A dog can travel into those areas, gather livestock and move them in the direction the handler chooses.

“It’s almost like having a remote-control cowboy,” Auzqui said. “This cowboy (the dog) is never late for work, wants to work and doesn’t want any pay for it.”

During larger ranching operations, she may take several dogs and rotate them as they become tired. A dog might be sent into the bottom of a draw to bring sheep out, directed to the top of a steep hill or guided by whistle from a considerable distance.

Auzqui said she and a single trained dog can move as many as 800 sheep without requiring the rest of the family to stop their work.

“If my husband is putting up hay and his dad is putting up hay, we don’t all have to stop what we’re doing,” she explained. “Me and a dog can go move the sheep.”

Stock dogs can also reduce the danger faced by ranchers and family members when dealing with aggressive cattle. While handlers never want to see a dog injured, a trained dog can often move a difficult animal more safely and effectively than a person could.

Just as importantly, Auzqui said a well-trained Border Collie handles livestock without creating unnecessary chaos.

“It’s a great little dance between the dog and the stock,” she said. “Once your livestock understands the dog, it’s beautiful. It’s poetry.”

Bringing Harmony to the Work

Auzqui hopes the Story Days demonstration will help people understand that Border Collies were developed to work and that their instincts can become extraordinary tools when properly trained.

A working Border Collie applies pressure when livestock needs to move and releases that pressure when the animals respond correctly. Rather than creating disorder, a properly trained dog can bring harmony to the situation.

Auzqui also hopes ranchers attending the demonstration will consider the time, safety and financial benefits of adding a trained stock dog to their operation.

“If you have livestock, you should consider adding at least one Border Collie,” she said. “They can save you time, save you money and help get the job done in a smoother fashion.”

The Story Days presentation will provide only a small glimpse of what these dogs can accomplish. However, with Auzqui and McKenna Seeley guiding the demonstration, spectators will be able to watch the communication, instincts and teamwork that make Border Collies such valuable ranch partners.

The Border Collie stock dog demonstration begins at 5:00 p.m. Friday, August 28, across the street from the Story Art Station.

To learn more about Wendy Auzqui, her dogs, training opportunities and Creekside Stockdogs, visit CreeksideStockDogs.com.