He's only eight and a half months old and has had lots of broken training. Intense and then nothing, then intense again!
Well, today he did a beautiful job for me. I wanted to have a look at a couple of my ewes but I no longer have any yards set up (moving them to a more suitable area) so I have to rely on Jock bringing the sheep to me in the paddock and holding them in place. It probably would have been easier for both of us if I'd picked a corner to work in, but the middle of the paddock seemed to work out well.
After checking over the sheep, I decided to put Jock through his paces. Below is a diagram (albeit rough) of where I got Jock to put the sheep, and he did it every time!
Andy Nickless posted this:
The Definition of a Sheepdog.
My definition of when the dog you're training becomes a sheepdog.
Imagine your sheep had escaped ("surely not," I hear you cry - "our sheep NEVER escape")and are roaming your neighbour's fields. Your only dog is the youngster you have at home, just in the early stages of his training. Would you take that dog to help get the sheep back in, or would you call a friend and ask him to bring his dog - leaving the trainee secure in the kennel where he can do no harm? If you'd take the trainee - because you're reasonably confident that between you, you can get the sheep back into your field, then (in my opinion) he's a sheepdog.
I mention that because every one of those "rescues" became a sheepdog that I would take with me to get the sheep back in.
Some were certainly a lot better than others, but I'd have taken any of them to get my sheep in if I had no other dog. Having said that though, some of the ten dogs had big problems (not of their own making) which I had to overcome. If you start off with a young dog which is from good working stock, you're likely to find training a lot easier. on his website.
Today, I agree that my pup is very quickly becoming a sheepdog!
I am proud of my dog, and proud of myself as well!
PS. If you want to hear more from Andy Nickless, check out his site at:
for some fantastic tips, tricks and insights!
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