Work for Excellence, Not Perfection

Written by Dawna Sims | PSR Stockdogs

Perfection is a killer of progress.

One of the most common things I hear after a run or a stockdog training session goes something like this:

“Wow! That was beautiful!”

And almost without fail, the response is:

“Yes… but he did that one thing wrong.”

Why Perfection Can Hurt Stockdog Training Progress

It is human nature to focus on what went wrong. As trainers, we have to be able to identify weaknesses so we know what to improve. We need to see our dogs honestly. But somewhere along the way, many of us forget to see everything they did right.

We become so focused on chasing perfection that we miss excellence.

We’re always searching for the perfect run, the perfect training session, the perfect gather, or the perfect flank. Having high standards is a good thing. High criteria push us to produce quality work.

But perfection is different.

Perfection often leads to drilling our dogs because we’re trying to force flawless performances. It causes frustration when things don’t go exactly as we envisioned. Eventually, it can make us unfair to the very dogs that are trying so hard to please us.

The Picture of Perfect Exists Only in Our Minds

The problem is this:

The picture of “perfect” exists only in our minds—not in our dog’s.

When we send our dog on a gather, we already have a mental picture of exactly how we want it to look. We know the shape of the outrun, the lift, the line, the pace, and the finish because we’ve seen what earns the highest scores in the trial field.

Our dog doesn’t have that picture.

All they know is that we asked them to gather the sheep.

They race out with enthusiasm, eager to do the job. Maybe they’re a little tight. Maybe they over-pressure the stock and push them off line. Maybe they don’t lift as cleanly as we’d like and they bring the sheep back at 100 miles an hour.

Then they get to us, wagging their tail, looking up with pride as if to say,

“Wasn’t that perfect?”

And from their perspective, it was.

Dogs don’t understand trial scores. They don’t understand losing points for a tight flank or an imperfect lift. Those concepts only exist in our world.

Our job is to patiently teach them that picture over time.

Through consistency, clear communication, and fair training, we slowly show them what we’re looking for. Eventually, the picture in our head becomes the picture in theirs.

The Stock Changes the Picture

But even then, there is one more variable we can never completely control:

The stock.

Sheep don’t always cooperate.

Sometimes they don’t do what we expect. Sometimes they don’t do what we want. Even when both you and your dog understand exactly what the ideal picture looks like, the sheep may change everything in an instant.

That’s the reality of herding.

Those truly perfect moments are rare and elusive. When they happen, they’re unforgettable. But they are the exception—not the standard.

Trying to make every run look perfect is unfair to both yourself and your dog.

When perfection becomes the goal, disappointment becomes inevitable because perfection is unattainable.

What Excellence Looks Like in Herding

Excellence, however, is always within reach.

Excellence means the quality of the work is high.

The sheep aren’t running.

They aren’t stressed.

They aren’t being over-pressured.

They’re settled, relaxed, and they trust both you and your dog.

Your dog is thinking, responding, and working with confidence.

That is excellence.

Ironically, when you focus on excellence instead of perfection, you’ll often find yourself earning the scores you’ve been chasing all along. More importantly, you’ll build a better working dog and a stronger partnership based on trust instead of frustration.

So the next time you walk off the field, don’t immediately search for the one thing that wasn’t perfect.

Take a moment to appreciate everything that went right.

Recognize the progress.

Celebrate the improvement.

Then go back to work, continuing to build the picture one training session at a time.

Work for excellence—not perfection—and you’ll never stop moving forward.

About Dawna Sims

Dawna Sims has more than 21 years of hands-on experience training dogs and handlers to work livestock and is the author of The Rules of the Hunt. She leads PSR Stockdogs with Megan Sims-Kennedy; together they were named 2025 Herding Breeder of the Year  by the American Kennel Club, and their program is ASCA Hall of Fame Excellent Kennel #25.