Trials not tribulations

In the final part of his mini series on training a sheepdog, Dudley Edmunds says why not consider moving on to the next level by taking part in trials with your canine superstar

- Dudley Edmunds

IF YOU have been putting in the time training your dog with instructions from this series (Country Smallholding, January, February, March) you should now have one who will, at the very least, gather your sheep, bring them back to you, help put them in a pen, hold them to a wall or fence and perhaps even be happy to take them away again.

Driving, the taking away, however, can be a difficult move to teach as the natural inclination of the dog tends to be to bring them and hold them to you. As in all parts of training, though, patience and consistency is the answer.

Some dogs do have a natural tendency to drive but, if not, this is a time when a long line can prove very useful. Sheep in front, dog next and you at the rear. I like to hold the end of the line in my left hand and use my right to control the length and put tension on the line. Don’t loop the line around your wrist, but a glove on the hand that controls the line can save you from a painful rope burn.

Work with a small packet of sheep and help your dog by using the line to keep him on line. Aim for a straight walk up but ease the line to let your dog go out to the side to tuck the edges back in when needed. I have seen one or two very good handlers use a long line when the dog is at the back of the sheep and they are at the front. It is an art that I have never mastered! This exercise is a good opportunity to teach or reinforce the ‘steady’ command and teach the dog pace.

‘SPOT HAD THE ATTENTION SPAN OF A GOLDFISH’