Nope, nobody taught me that at all. It was a personal observation, based on what working breeds do. Some stay behind the handler - many don't. A working sheepdog that stayed behind the shepherd wouldn't be a great deal of use - they have been selected for hundreds on years for initiative and knowing when and how to go out and sort the sheep out, off their own bat.

A sheepdog which always waited for commands would be no use to shepherds in real farm situations. It's the instinctual initiative that makes them successful sheepdogs - being able to work and do the job with the minimal of commands that makes them successful - and conversely it's that initiative which makes many working type dogs very difficult to train when kept as a pet in an urban situation.

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