Dogs need control to learn from you and freedom to learn from the sheep, but many dogs need to be in some form of control before you can give them that freedom.
Nite doesn’t have natural width or feel and he’s excitable. I’ve spent a lot of time shaping how he works in order to foster his ability to work on his own. Here’s a clip Alasdair took of him silent fetching sheep to me. Learn more on the Academy about when to shape how your dog works and when to let him work on his own