Little Mo doesn’t realise the lambs are behind her! Two years ago today we were helping Ian and Ruth Morris to gather sheep at Middle Hill Farm in Shropshire when I saw Mo looking very pleased with herself and not realising that two lambs were standing immediately behind her. As it happened, it didn’t matter at all that the lambs were outside the pen, because of course, they didn’t … Read More

Introducing Dulcie – daughter of Bronwen – granddaughter of Mel The latest addition to our team of working dogs is Dulcie. She’s the daughter of Bronwen and Oliver. Bronwen was one of our best ever sheep and cattle dogs, and features in our “Bronwen and Scylla” tutorials where we compare the litter sisters Scylla (the naughty one who takes ages to train) and Bronwen (who got the sheep into the … Read More

Scylla and Ezra join Kay’s fun! We only have five acres of land here (about two hectares) and at the moment there are just twelve sheep on it. (More sheep coming soon). Because the land is where we exercise the dogs twice a day for their recreation, we need to be careful that the dogs don’t chase the sheep. Normally they don’t. They learn that when the whole pack goes … Read More

The picture speaks volumes! With new-found confidence, Kay’s standing up to stubborn sheep We had another early start this morning as there were two lots of sheep to gather at Dean Farm. We’re “enjoying” a heatwave in the UK at the moment, so I was more than happy to get up at 5am today because I wanted to get the sheep in and draft the lambs out before the heat … Read More

Fifteen years ago today. This is little Dot, the herding dog that changed my life! After a turbulent start, Dot went on to become an excellent dog with both cattle and sheep She features in our Sheepdog Training Article (written in 2003). We had a lot of fun with Dot. In the early stages of her training I very nearly returned Dot to her breeder because she wasn’t doing the … Read More

Ezra looking the part as he shelters from the rain Out with the dogs a few days ago, Gill and I took shelter under our big oak tree as the light rain became heavy. The dogs joined us under there, and as I had the camera with me, I used the opportunity to take some photos. Pick of the pics for both Gill and myself was clearly this one of … Read More

CLOVIS – bred for work, but bored by sheep!
Clovis is SOLD Clovis has a calm temperament, but loves to be in on the action Clovis was born here on April 3rd 2016. His parents are both working dogs with excellent trialling pedigrees but, despite some early promise, Clovis has decided against working sheep for a living. He will, however, make a lovely pet for an active home. Clovis is well … Read More

They’re the best of friends really! Despite appearances, Hattie (with her back to the camera) Jago and Hector (right) are great friends really. It’s just that they like to play really hard. This picture was taken on this morning’s run and I dare say there will be similar fun and games when they go out on their evening jaunt, too! … Read More

We love coloured dogs and we’ve had a few over the years! Yesterday’s post about so-called mis-marked puppies sparked a lot of response, mostly on Facebook and Twitter. One of the questions we were asked was whether we train Merle or Red and White dogs. Yes, we’ve trained quite a number over the years, but (and this may not go down too well in some quarters) we honestly feel that … Read More

Bronwen with her “little” brother Odo. Bronwen (looking predatory, on the right) would really like to take possession of the dog disc, but she knows that we like Odo to have a chance with it sometimes. Odo has Ezra’s build (short legged and stocky) and he doesn’t have the svelte Bronwen’s acceleration, so often misses out if speed is of the essence. Bronwen doesn’t mind though. She knows that … Read More

“All my own work” – Bronwen proved exceptionally efficient when we were sorting lambs for market at Dean Farm this morning We arrived at the farm at 6.30am, where Bronwen and Kay set to work gathering the ewes and lambs from a large field. The two dogs work very well together, primarily because Kay works efficiently on whistle commands, but Bronwen’s not yet been trained to the whistle, so she … Read More

Working with sheep today was wet and extremely muddy, but Kay and Bronwen got the work done in style We had a very busy day gathering sheep today. First, we moved a bunch of ewes along the lane to a new field, where they joined another flock and put them through the race for ultrasound scanning (to see how many lambs they’re expecting). Kay did the road work and the … Read More

Not to be outdone by Kay’s improved performance yesterday, Bronwen took charge of today’s gather and was outstanding Until now I’ve left the bulk of sheep gathering to Kay because Bronwen had a habit of cutting in and bringing only part of the flock at a time. She’d go back for more if commanded, but it was a tedious business, so I usually chose the easy option and sent Kay … Read More

As we announce our latest sheepdog training tutorial, Bronwen faces a stiff challenge in the shearing pens Yesterday, we released our latest sheepdog training tutorial, Bronwen and Scylla, Part 6. As the title suggests, this is the sixth instalment in our fascinating series of videos comparing the training of litter sisters Bronwen and Scylla. While Scylla’s still untrustworthy around sheep, Bronwen’s quickly becoming our “go to” sheepdog for everyday … Read More

Quietly in the background, with no fuss or bluster, we didn’t always give Kay her due! When we bought Kay, at about one year old, our intention was to train her but not, necessarily, to keep her forever. Yet I think Kay is probably the only dog we haven’t ever suggested we could sell. When Andy first started to plan First Steps in Border Collie Sheepdog Training (as much as … Read More

Puppy Faye and the dogs don’t like it too hot Three years ago today, the weather was unexpectedly hot – just as it is in the UK today. Unlike today though, we’d just had a spell of really heavy rain, and our (normally dried up) pond had some water in it for a change, so the dogs wasted no time in enjoying it to the full … Read More

A picture from this day in 2013, to brighten up a dull Wednesday morning Whatever the weather, the dogs always seem to make the most of things. A great lesson for us all. The picture above shows (L-R) Carew, Ezra, Eli, Pru, Cabbage and Mab (peeping from behind the bale on the right) making the most of some straw bales in a field near here on 8th February 2013 … Read More

Our sheep have become experts at avoiding pressure Our sheepdog training course yesterday was a great demonstration of just how clever sheep can be. Many people think sheep are very stupid, because to us, they seem to do some really silly things, but anyone who really knows about sheep has a lot more respect for them. Little Kay was heroic when it came to returning difficult sheep to the training … Read More

It was muddy in 2013 too! The persistent wet weather we’ve seen in the UK recently can be quite depressing, but it prompted us to cast our minds back three years. 2013 got off to a REALLY wet start! You can’t see it in this picture, but our field was a vast expanse of liquid mud – with very little food for the sheep. It got so wet that in … Read More

Bronwen’s gone to a new home in Gloucestershire where she’ll have a much larger flock of sheep to look after It’s difficult to take a bad picture of Bronwen Training and selling sheepdogs is all very well, but, when it comes to selling a dog that you’re very fond of, it can be an extremely difficult decision. For a long time we felt that Bronwen’s sheep herding skills were wasted … Read More

Would you part with one of the best sheepdogs you ever had? The last few days at Kings Green Farm have been something of a roller coaster. At the end of last week we had the trauma of the Kelpie puppies being stolen, and then huge relief when we heard they’d been recovered from North Wales. Right from the early days of her training it was obvious that Carew was … Read More

Little did we know what was around the corner! This photo of Dot and Glen in the boot of Gill’s car, after a January training session, brought memories flooding back to us. Once Dot (left) and later Glen came along, our sheepdog training took on a much more serious and informed nature. (Left to right) Dot, Reiver, Mossie and Hattie Gill and I had been living here at Kings Green … Read More

Mel at her last sheepdog trial in July 2011 Many of you will remember Mel as one of the great sheepdogs we’ve had the pleasure of living and working with. Sadly, Mel passed away in March of this year, but she’s far from being forgotten. Her daughter Carew may have been easier to control in a delicate situation, and indeed Mel was not an ideal trials dog because she was … Read More

Smooth coated, but no smooth operator, Max is the focus of our next tutorial. What a sweetie! But when Max first joined us, this was his natural expression In 2011 we bought a dog who’s since become famous (or infamous) in our household. We expected Max to be a problem, that was why we chose him, but he tested our resolve on more than one occasion! We know, from our … Read More

Meg and Ezra puppy Mew enjoying herself in the garden this morning This is Mew – one of Meg and Ezra‘s latest litter and of course, granddaughter of dear old Mel. Mew’s not for sale, she’s staying here with us! Click the image to enlarge it Mew’s certainly a good looking pup and she’s got an awful lot to live up to. Her “aunt” is Carew who together with Mel … Read More

We love coloured dogs and we’ve had a few over the years! Yesterday’s post about so-called mis-marked puppies sparked a lot of response, mostly on Facebook and Twitter. Guess which pup is Stan! He’ll be going to his new home soon. There’s nothing unusual about this. We’ve noticed over the years that some people strongly dislike unusual markings on dogs. I can remember once when we had a really promising … Read More

…it’s important to raise the BAA! Sheep don’t sleep or even lie comfortably on their backs, so if you happen to see one in this position you can be sure it’s close to death. If you know what to do, however, you might save its life. WATCH THE VIDEO! Free Video – DVDs – Books – Library When you’re training a sheepdog you can sometimes be surprised by a sheep’s … Read More

The short answer is “no – it’s a bad idea”. From time to time, people ask if they can buy more than one puppy from us. It’s very rare that we say yes. When you buy a puppy or even a trained sheepdog, it’s very important that the new dog ‘bonds’ with you as quickly as possible. All dogs are pack animals. That means they form a strong bond with … Read More

Mog (on the floor) and Mossie enjoying themselves in the field Sometimes you just need to take a break from work and get down to some real fun! Even though there’s quite a big difference in the ages of the young sheepdogs Mog and Mossie spend a lot of their spare time ‘sparring’ with each other. They’re the best of friends really … Read More

The dogs found this buzzard in our orchard this morning – we hope it’s OK Buzzards are a very common sight near our house. I think the most I have ever counted was thirteen, but that was just one occasion. Normally there are one or two around the orchard, and they take very little notice of the dogs, only lazily flying to another nearby bough if one gets really close … Read More

Dog beds are for sleeping in – whichever way up they happen to be! This time last year, these pups weren’t put off by their bed being propped against the wall to dry. They just climbed in and went to sleep as though nothing had happened. Go to the original blog and photos … Read More

Jet’s right on the ball with her first gather at Dean Farm With her mother Kay being out of action because she’s “in season” at the moment (Kay’s one of those females who’s work is sometimes affected by her seasons) it seemed like a good time to let young Jet try her paw at some ‘proper’ sheep gathering today. We thought it would be a good idea to video the … Read More

If we’ve had any success in the sheepdog training sphere, we owe much of it to Kay. Kay’s taught us such a lot over the years. She’s one of those dog that somehow just knows what needs to be done, and despite not being in the first flush of youth, and being partially deaf, she’s still a very useful sheepdog. She came to us as a very scruffy one … Read More

Kay and Bronwen both look after their own interests at Dean Farm, in totally different ways Whenever I take dogs to Dean Farm to gather sheep for John, the one thing I can count on is that things rarely go smoothly, and today was no exception. Since we parted with Carew a few weeks ago, I’ve realised more and more, how lucky I was to have such an exceptionally capable … Read More

Kay (left) and Mel relaxing after work. Having great sheepdogs is an honour that I appreciate more and more. Of course, how you train a dog is very important but there are things that you can’t really train for; things that money can’t buy either. A dog which can think for itself is priceless and we are extremely lucky to have not one, but two dogs which can think. On … Read More

Take a really close look at Kay & Oliver’s pups Click any thumbnail to see the picture at full size, then click the image to see the next one. Feeding time brings competition for the best places If you must look at my puppies, please be careful. Just a few hours old and already crawling around Kay keeps a close watch as one of the pups learns the basics There’s … Read More

Despite having little training to date, Molly’s reached basic Sheepdog Status! Sheepdog training sessions have been somewhat few and far between here recently, because we’ve been busy updating the sheepdog training tutorials as well as working on the website. So after a really good session with Scylla today, I thought it was high time Molly had a session. I was pleased to see that Molly was fully focussed on her … Read More

They say you ruin your first sheepdog . . . If I had Dot today, her training would be very different This is Dot, a daughter of Derek Scrimgeour’s Ben. Dot was my first sheepdog back in 2002. They say you ruin your first sheepdog, and there’s certainly some truth in that. I was much too hard on Dot right from the beginning because I knew nothing about sheepdog training … Read More

Llwyfen (UK) William – Red & Tan Male Kelpie Will’s the first of our new Kelpies. We collected him today from his home in Brecon, South Wales. For some time now, we’ve wanted to include Kelpies in our sheepdog training tutorials and DVDs so we’re especially pleased to introduce Will. At seven months of age, we’re hoping Will might be ready to start his training – as soon as … Read More

Some of our working sheepdogs at rest We thought you’d like to see this picture of some of the dogs taking a break from playing. The picture was taken on this day five years ago (20th May 2012) … Read More

The weather’s turned chilly, but Mew’s not bothered! One of the less well known but nonetheless amusing sides of puppy rearing, is the way the youngsters seem to grow in stages. Hector’s ears went awry for a few weeks when he was growing up, but they soon sorted themselves out (Click to enlarge) The most obvious example of this can be the ears, but often the front legs grow later … Read More

Molly joins us as Kelpie number three! We’re very pleased to welcome our latest Kelpie puppy Molly to join our other Kelpies Will and Tucker, as trainee sheep and cattle herding dogs. Mollie is super-obedient at the moment, a real pleasure to have around but of course, she’s only been with us for a few days. Once she begins to settle in fully and gain confidence, we’ll see the … Read More

You CAN have brains and beauty! Oliver is our “other” stud dog. Ezra considers himself to be the Main Man, generally swaggering around the place looking self-important, but Oliver is a quieter, more gentle character. Kay’s daughter Jet, with her father Oliver in the background. That grey rosette in Jet’s tail is Oliver’s trademark in his puppies. He has the sweetest nature, which he passes on to his puppies … Read More

It feels like a new term at Kings Green. Boz, born 18th November 2017 from Pippin and Oliver. This year’s puppies are ready to start training, and they’re giving us lots of filming and photo opportunities Without actually planning it we have a real mix of dogs to bring on and, of course, they’re presenting us with a range of natural talents and individual problems that we’ll reflect in our … Read More

Tucker’s safe in his new home after his ordeal Handsome little chap! Hopefully little Tucker will become a worldwide star in sheep and cattle dog training circles. Tucker’s a puppy that we had reserved from a litter of Kelpie pups before they were dramatically stolen from Clunton in Shropshire this week. Thankfully, after many thousands of Facebook shares and Twitter retweets, someone over a hundred miles away in North Wales … Read More

Jet’s one of our favourite young sheepdogs but she might even be part-cat! Tall, slim, mostly black, and very fast. That’s how we think of Jet. She gets her tall and slim stature from her father, Oliver and her pricked ears from her mother Kay, but other than the ears, Jet has very little in common with Kay. Kay’s more of a short, wide shape, with a rough tricolour coat, … Read More

I don’t think we’ve ever had so much grazing in December. We reduced the sheep numbers, assuming there wouldn’t be enough keep for the 30 we had through the summer and autumn, and now our small flock (flockette?) is making very little impact on the grass. The orchard still has plenty of windfall apples under the trees; a sure sign that the sheep are finding plenty of more familiar … Read More

In January 2013 It’s not that I’m obsessed with the idea of a white Christmas, but a little snow round about now, just enough to bring public transport to a standstill, would be atmospheric. Will (on the right) demonstrating his hand brake turns for Eli Please someone, remind me of that in February, when the novelty’s worn off the frozen mud and my waterproof clothes haven’t dried out for days … Read More

A bit of “rough and tumble” in the sunshine When it comes to being friends, Bronwen, Isla, Scylla and Jet are very close, but they love nothing more than a good hard play-fight. It usually starts with one of them provoking the others by dashing off very close and fast, so they can’t resist giving chase. After a few noisy and boisterous laps of the field with various dogs taking … Read More

Bronwen – what’s in a name? Pure Bronwen – if you see what I mean I’d be the first to admit that, when it comes to naming dogs, I try to avoid the traditional sheepdog names. There’s nothing wrong with them, it’s just that I prefer something that seems to describe the dog or its personality, if at all possible. If the dog “tells” me a name, so much the … Read More

Life’s slowly returning to normal after a trying month Tucker, with his hero Bronwen, and Odo’s hairy self in evidence at the back There’s been a distinct lack of news here in recent weeks, due to our domestic ‘flu epidemic (if two makes an epidemic). Luckily we weren’t ill at the same time, but for some weeks we’ve been operating with a skeleton staff, first Andy and then me, just … Read More

Dulcie and Gloria – such devoted sisters! No one plays quite like a litter mate, but even a litter mate can surprise you! Just before Christmas, 2011, we bought a litter of well bred Border collies in readiness for training during the following summer. They were all individuals but, typical of litter mates, played together endlessly – and at high speed – whenever the opportunity arose. All the puppies, four … Read More

AND his name! It turns out that the Chihuahua, formerly known as Emlyn, is actually called Eric. “Anything they can do!” – Eric’s pretty sure he’s in with a chance to catch that Frisbee Eric’s been with us for a week now, and is starting to find his place within the pack. I’d assumed that Eric’s “pack” would be the existing small dogs, Alfie and Chester, but Eric’s clearly aiming … Read More

From April 2004 this is Andy with the dogs Words of wisdom? (Pic from April 2004). The dogs appear to listen attentively to who knows what? On the far left is Mel, then Mossie, Reiver and Pearl then (?), Patch (tail in air) next to him is Glen and I can’t remember the dog on the right One of my favourite pictures, this is me with the dogs in April … Read More

Pic of the day – here’s Scylla Granddaughter of Mel (probably the best all-round sheepdog we ever had) this is Scylla Scylla is a sister to Odo (see yesterday’s post) and has the makings of a really good sheepdog now that she’s through that “difficult” stage that some young sheepdogs go through when they begin training. You can watch several videos comparing the training of Scylla and her litter-sister Bronwen … Read More

Proof that “naughty spots” are earned – not just inherited For a while we considered using ducks for training, so a friend brought his own ducks (Indian Runner crosses, I believe) for us to try. Isla was one of the dogs we picked for the experiment. I used to think that females don’t have as much sense of humour as male collies. I was wrong! In fact, Isla has rather … Read More

Before and After – Isla’s unusual markings When it comes to border collies, Isla really stands out from the rest. She’s a black and white border collie all right, but instead of predominantly black, with white blaze, collar and tail tip, she’s predominantly white with black face and “naughty spots”. When she’s not training to be a sheepdog, Isla loves to play with the other dogs, and most of all, … Read More

“It smells like a collie, and tastes like a collie, so I guess it must be!” It’s a novelty for us to have a blue merle border collie around the place. “Mine, I think?” Merlin is one of Ezra’s daughters. She was born in Shropshire, to an ISDS registered red merle, and has come to stay with us for a few weeks to keep our own puppy, Tesla, company … Read More

We’re delighted that one of our favourite collies, Isla, has produced a litter of seven fabulous puppies. Isla’s puppies will soon get used to wet legs – family commitments won’t keep Isla out of the ditches Of course we’re just assuming, at the moment, that they’ll be fabulous, but with Isla for a mother, and a father like Ezra, what else could they possibly be? The puppies, four girls and … Read More

Pic of the day turns vid of the day – Scylla and Oliver in hot property dispute! The dogs have had some new toys recently, and this morning’s addition was a small, squeaky space hopper. (Those “of a certain age” will know what a space hopper was.) Oliver, who doesn’t usually play with toys, desperately wanted the space hopper, but Scylla, who also rarely plays with toys, was quicker … Read More

An unseasonably sunny (is it really December?) morning was the opportunity for some sheep maintenance Primarily we were checking the ear tag numbers on our most recent intake of “training assistants”, but it’s important to check the sheep regularly, just to make sure they’re all the right way up. The ear tags show the sheep’s individual number, and the number of the flock they belong to, and are legal … Read More

Purists say sheepdogs should never play – we disagree! Ezra loves to play with toys but when it comes to working sheep, his attention is totally focussed. This is Ezra – one of the toughest sheepdogs we’ve known. He’ll work cattle as well as sheep, but (like his mother, Mel) he’s hard to stop. Unlike his litter sister, Carew, Ezra is pushing all the time – often too hard, but … Read More

Jet usually picks Isla. One of the joys of keeping a group of dogs is to watch the interplay between the various personalities. Who plays with whom, and which dogs completely ignore each other (though entirely without animosity) is endlessly fascinating. Jet and Isla are great friends, often to be seen racing around the field, dodging trees and other dogs, in a highly competitive game of tag that Bronwen and … Read More

Does dog language have accents and dialects? “I didn’t know what Isla meant, so I asked her to show me.” And she did. It’s a while since we introduced a new dog that wasn’t a Border collie. Now we’ve added the Kelpies, William and Tucker, to the crew, it’s fascinating to watch them finding their way around the collies – and vice versa. We’ve learnt that collies have their own … Read More

Introducing Ezra’s daughter, Tesla. She arrived here on Thursday afternoon, and this photo was taken on Friday morning. She’s quite happy to mix, and to meet the other dogs, but Tes likes to have a “den” when the going gets a bit too rough (mentioning no names – Isla and Scylla). We don’t use our dogs widely at stud, but when we do (and dog pens permit) it’s a great … Read More

Isla’s a complete “nutcase” but all the same, we’re very fond of her. When she came to us in the spring of 2014 she was as white as snow, apart from her face and a spot at the root of her tail, but now her body’s covered in “naughty spots”, and quite rightly too. One of the things that we love about Isla is that she’s always ready to … Read More

…provided the toy has enough handles. Taken three years ago, almost to the day, this photo shows the lovely Oliver, with his litter mates Justin and Jess, and (nearest to the camera) a friend of the family, Tiny White. We can spend/waste hours just watching puppies play, and trying to identify their developing personalities. Oliver (2nd from the left) is looking a bit self-conscious, and that trait has stayed with … Read More

We’re going to try our best to bring you a photo of our sheepdogs every day if we can! Odo was born on the 27th of May this year. This is Odo. He’s a lovely pup from Ezra and Meg, but just look at his face! At the moment, he’s not keen on having his photograph taken, and that clearly shows, but he’s going to find out that living here … Read More

Whatever the weather, the dogs are always ready for the morning run and don’t seem to notice the temperature. “Sorry – can’t stop!” Can’t say the same for Andy and me, but even frost and fog have compensations. It took strength of will to get me out into the cold this morning but, as is often the case with weather, it seems worse when you look at it from indoors … Read More

Perhaps the Kelpies have been getting more than their fair share of “Pic of the Day” attention recently. Trouble is, they’re so darned cute… Will and Tucker are best friends and, although Tucker’s tiny and Will’s adolescent (Will could easily flatten Tucker if he felt inclined) they get along really well. Well, perhaps not so easily flattened – Tucker’s nothing if not a plucky chap – but he still … Read More

After five days in Storm Imogen’s clutches… …the dogs are enjoying some watery sunshine, and Tucker’s looking stylish. One dog’s perch is another (smaller) dog’s shelter! We’ve had a wet and windy few days, in common with most of the UK of course. Although we still made sure that the dogs had their usual exercise sessions, it always seems unfair to bring the dogs out simply to get them soaked … Read More

Another new dog dialect in the pack But unlike the Kelpies, Lottie the Bearded Collie has fitted in immediately. Despite some very traditional Border collie markings, Lottie is a Bearded collie (known as a Beardie). She’s only 7 months old (so perhaps she hasn’t grown her full beard yet) but Lottie’s eager to work sheep, so we thought it would be interesting to add Lottie’s training to our online … Read More

Tucker’s in charge when we collect new puppies And seems to change from bouncy puppy to calm, sophisticated young “dog of the world” in an instant! Currently known as Del and Jazz (left to right) the girls will make their chosen names known to us when they’re ready We’re told that Kelpies are especially good travellers. Tucker’s already pretty well travelled, within Wales anyway, but we thought we’d give him … Read More

A random selection of sheepdogs, out and about Odo and William may be different breeds, but they have the same interests: “Is it me, or do those sheep need tidying up?” If a fox were to carry a Frisbee, then it would look like this. I say “if”, but we’re pretty sure that foxes do carry the dog toys out of the field sometimes. We’ve found long-lost soft toys a … Read More

Great things come in small packages! “Hi Andy. Just to let you know the dogs have settled in lovely. Pippin is already working groups of 300 ewes like she has been doing it for years. Thanks again. Brilliant dogs.” This was the text message I received a few days ago from Pippin’s new owner. It’s always a great relief when we get a message like this, because some dogs take … Read More

Four months old and full of life, Mew’s a real character Young Kelpie Molly’s another of our favourites. Here she has a very serious-looking young Maddie, and her friend Mew in close attendance, with Isla in the background. Some very welcome sunshine this morning prompted me to take the camera out with me when I took the dogs for their twice-daily run. I noticed that Mew’s still eager to get … Read More

SORRY, Aanick has been sold Small but perfectly formed, Aanick’s big personality makes up for his lack of stature. When Aanick was born, on March 17th, he was the smallest (tiniest!) pup in a litter of 11. We feared the worst, but did our best to ensure he had the best start we could possibly give him. Luckily Aanick was also determined to get the best start he could, … Read More

After a dramatic start to his early life, Kelpie Tucker’s doing really well Five of the seven stolen kelpies. Can you tell which one’s Tucker? Our regular readers will remember the high drama back in January of this year, when a Kelpie puppy we had ordered was stolen during the week before we were due to collect him. Fortunately, thanks to immediate and very successful Facebook and Twitter sharing campaigns, … Read More

Our dogs love to play just as hard as they work Every day of the year, our dogs go out morning and evening for at least an hour of hard play. Whatever the weather, they love nothing more than to race around after frisbees and balls and Scylla (above) is no exception. She loves to monopolise a certain toy for the duration of their playtime. Bronwen jumps to catch a … Read More

Bronwen’s lesson in tackling sheep in tight corners The eyes have it! Bronwen has a sheep under control while watching some others in case they try to escape. I tore myself away from editing sheepdog training videos this morning, to take Bronwen to the sheep. Our poor dogs don’t get nearly as much training as they should do at the moment because we’re so busy making videos (and fulfilling DVD … Read More

Since Carew left here, Kay’s hearing has deteriorated badly, and occasionally we’re stuck for a skilled dog It’s hard to believe that it’s nearly two years since Carew left here and to be honest, there have been a few occasions when I’ve wished she was still here. One such occasion was only a week or so ago. Our landlord John needed to move some very lively sheep from a field … Read More

They say you should never throw sticks for your dog! Whenever we publish a picture of one of our dogs with a piece of wood in its mouth, we get a stream of correspondence from people who’ve had really bad experiences when their dog played with a stick. If Carew would carry all her sticks like this she’d be OK but often they protrude from her mouth like a cigar … Read More

So sad to report that Mel died yesterday One day I’ll write a page in memory of Mel. She’s probably the greatest sheepdog we’ve ever had the privilege to know and work with. Mel’s “yampy” (quirky, carefree) look, that we loved so much Mel’s daughter Carew was far easier to control around sheep, and was definitely easier to stop (I couldn’t actually get Mel to stand still with her four … Read More

As we await the coming storms, remember March 2013 As we bask in glorious sunshine today it’s hard to imagine there are some unpleasant storms approaching the UK. I was looking through some old photos recently and came across some which I took on this day (March 25th) in 2013. We don’t expect (or want) snow in late March, but there was more than just a covering when the dogs … Read More

Lots of memories, but was it really six years ago today? We couldn’t resist showing you this photo of a whole bunch of puppies crowded into one bed! There are lots of fond memories here for us – and it’s a lovely picture too! The pair at the front left are Dulcie (tricolour) and Gloria, who both showed great potential as sheepdogs, then there’s a pup with its tongue out … Read More

“Starting your Border Collie on Cattle, Sheep or Ducks” A new DVD for the Working Sheepdog Website Shop Not all border collies are needed to work sheep; we’ve had dogs attending our courses who were needed to work with cattle, alpacas, goats and turkeys. Although we don’t keep cattle ourselves, it was often useful to have Carew on hand if we needed to collect sheep from amongst landlord’s dairy … Read More

Two very bright lights to keep us cheerful Of course, we’re still very sad since losing old Mel on Wednesday, but having the other dogs around, especially puppies Tucker and Pip, is a great tonic. Despite Pip being several weeks younger than Tucker, the pair get along amazingly well. In fact the only small problem there has been with them was that for a few days, Pip preferred whatever … Read More

Victor and Scylla are happy to share the vantage point of an upstairs bedroom When we first started our collie collection, we had a routine. We’d buy the dog/dogs/puppy/puppies, get them home, put them in the yard and then build a pen around them. Sometimes it was just substantial enough to contain them overnight, and others we used for years. Ezra and his litter-sister Carew (below) would generally take a … Read More

Young Kelpie Will, and his Border Collie friend Jago Kelpie Will and Jago (above) are two of our favourite trainee herding dogs. Will’s training is progressing a little slowly, but he’s definitely getting there, while Jago (a Kay and Oliver puppy) is making great progress. Jago seems to have inherited his mother’s natural talent for working sheep, as well as her looks! If anything, Jago’s a little too keen. He … Read More

We’re often asked how and where the Border collie breed was developed. It seems that everyone has a theory, and there’s an undercurrent of dispute as to whether the Welsh collie is/was the Original and Best, or if the collie was developed in the Scottish/English borders. At a household auction, this would definitely be described as “a mixed lot” Here are my thoughts on the origins of the Border collie … Read More

QUESTION: Why do some sheep run away as the dog approaches, while others stand their ground? ANSWER: There are many reasons for sheep to run away from dogs but, primarily, sheep instinctively see dogs as predators. Dogs are descended from wolves and, let’s be honest, there’s an awful lot of sheep worrying these days to demonstrate that the instinct is still valid. When they herd livestock dogs are using a … Read More

It’s taken a while, but Molly’s showing real commitment and keeping her sheep together very well If you’ve read our Kelpie vs Collie blog, you’ll know that we’ve had our ups and downs with Kelpies over the years, and I’ve personally been on the receiving end of some bitter comments from enthusiasts for what I wrote about Kelpies. Our collie pup Mossie (left) was exceptionally easy to train, whereas Red’s … Read More

These are a few of the border collie puppies we sometimes have for sale to suitable working or very active homes Spot the odd one out! Kelpie Molly is swamped by a mass of very wet border collie puppies The puppies come from excellent sheep and cattle working lines, and will be ideal for farm work as well as agility and other very active homes. Some will be rough coated … Read More

Even though it’s cold, the weather’s glorious! A favourite with visitors to this website, Mew must be one of the fluffiest dogs we’ve owned There’s nothing quite like a bit of sunlight to brighten up a frosty morning and Victor’s morning was certainly made brighter by the prospect of some training with these sheep. He’s a lovely young dog, with a natural instinct for going round the sheep rather than … Read More