The foundation for building a good dog is "lie down". Gary Ericsson says " work your dog and let your dog work the stock". I completely agree and in my opinion the best way to get started working your dog is with a solid "lie down"! 

I used to struggle with being able to handle multiple dogs when working livestock, especially in tight quarters and sticky situations. So once I realized the positive effect that barrel work was having on my dogs individually,  I decided to try and use it for handling multiple dogs. If you are looking to improve your handling skills and be able to work multiple dogs at once, this little exercise is guaranteed to help you out and challenge the handler and his dogs. Its really an enjoyable training drill that can be very rewarding for both trainer and dogs.

If you have ever struggled with a high energy or a low focus dog, then I think that the Place command is a valuable training tool for you and your dog. I find that my dogs have greater patience working together with other dogs and they really learn to respond to their name. Working with your dog on Place has a multitude of benefits for the dog and the handler!
 
I listed a couple examples bellow that I will also mention in the video.

• Barrel work helps expand your dogs attention span
• creates some patience for both the handler and your dog. 
• Another point of barrel work is making them lay down while they are on the barrel, will help speed the learning process on teaching them the "lie down" command.
• Barreling will also create an "off switch" for your dog.