There’s hope for my shepherd!

Fraser has a new border collie! His name is Chris, and we purchased him from a breeder/ trainer near Forfar on the East Coast. I do find it funny that his name is Chris; it always amuses me when animals have human names. I met a lady with a dog named Bob at a recent shinty match, and what really made me laugh was that ‘Bob’ is apparently female.

Welcome Chris!

Chris is proving to be a fantastic little dog already. Just two years old, he has a hardy look about him that some would argue is crucial in a decent sheepdog. Although friendly, he moreover has an air that says: “I am here to do a job, and I know exactly what that job is; you can pet me when I have done something well”. We can only thank his trainer for instilling this strong work ethic early on, as Chris clearly knows what his role is here.  Fraser is taking him to the sheep in short bursts two or three times per day, to get him used to having a new handler, as well as working with our rather stubborn Blackface sheep!

Chris is very calm when he works, not barking or making overt sudden movements; this in turn helps to keep the sheep calm so they don’t scatter, and also keeps Fraser’s blood pressure down! It’s still early days, but Chris has given us four positive signs that he’ll be a great worker: drive, determination, obedience and agility. Fraser is taking him up the hill for the first time tomorrow, so hopefully he will cope well, but it’s important not to do too much too soon, so at this stage, the exercise may be just to improve his fitness rather than to gather any sheep!

In the midst of all our recent dramas, I myself have discovered something of an avid interest in sheepdog training. As such, I’ve started trying to train two year-old Max, one of the border collies that was left here at the farm when we took over. Max is a lovely natured dog and keen to work, but hasn’t had any proper training, so he is excitable, jumpy, and rather disobedient. At the moment I’m simply trying to calm him down a bit, but mostly get him used to me as both his handler and his voice of authority.

As part of our obedience training, I’ve been walking him with a washing line wire looped around his collar, telling him to stay by my side and gradually releasing the tension on the wire when he does so. When he doesn’t listen, however, I yank the wire a little to jolt him into doing so. Whilst this is proving to be an effective method when the sheep aren’t around, as soon as he sees them, he largely reverts back to the disobedient “I’ll do what I want” Max, running around them under his own steam. He is clearly interested in the sheep and has a natural focus, but I need to get him used to me, so for the time being we’re taking it back to basics and then we can hopefully apply our training to the field. That’s the plan, anyway! 

Max

I find it intriguing how there is such a hierarchy amongst dogs, and even us humans have our own place in the ‘pack’. Simple actions such as ensuring a dog waits behind you whilst you go through the gate first and maintaining a strong, firm presence at all times, will go towards securing your place as pack leader. It’s all about one-upmanship and mind games, but what I now realise is that how we behave around our dogs outside of the field is just as important as how we do so within the field, when we’re around the sheep.

I will report on our progress in due course; in the meantime, I’m loving training Max, and get such a distinct sense of satisfaction when his ears prick up and I know he’s listening.