What's happening?

Ben spotted this tree in the Castle Grounds in Cardiff. I love the fact that he is now curious and ready to explore his world. As a failed sheepdog rescue he was afraid to hardly move in the beginning and and certainly never moved faster than a slow trot despite only being about 2 years old. He was fondly nicknamed "Boring Ben" although his wonderfully funny quirky character has now emerged. As he had never been inside a house, he still has difficulty standing on a tiled floor and his legs splay out like Bambi on gin. He is, though, a fabulous dog and my life would be so easy if he were my only dog....
But we also have Flash. Flash who is the most gentle, softest, funniest boy with the family, people he knows well and even other people with dogs but if you fall outside this category - you need to be cautious. For this reason, Flash wears a muzzle and is rarely photographed because both he and I hate it. If anyone else has a fear reactive collie please help. I could have paid off my mortgage with the amount I have spent on experts all with conflicting bits of advice. Positive reinforcement, no stern voice, yes - stern voice - no positive reinforcement - blah blah blah.
It is the owner - not the dog - but we have had collies all our lives - you have just been lucky until now - get the picture?
Did I say at the beginning this was going to be a rant - sorry -
Anyway, if anyone does read my musings and has had a similar experience and managed it successfully, please let me know.