Mainline BC Centre and FOSTBC

From my archives and written many years ago but to this day it still make me giggle and I still believe it to be a true report had she been able to write it   I was asked to give an account of how a sheepdog may view competing in a trial and what they might think of the course. I have taken the liberty of delving into the mind of my amazing work and trials dog Meg. Together we competed in nine National Trials and one International trial, we also mastered very large flocks of sheep in our everyday work and she was a little gem at stretching across my feet on a night and keeping them warm. But for all that she was one of the feistiest little collies it has ever been my privilege to share my life with. Barbara In honour of Meg (20/09/1979   - 03/06/1992) and her brilliant sense of humour   A Sheepdog's Trials The evidence The motor is being backed into the yard and as the tail gate is dropped   I prepare to jump in, but then I   see the 'posh' crook in th...

Do You Remember? We all have memories from our childhood, even if its just one and is in our subconscious mind. I’m lucky as I have a lot of really happy memories and a few not so good ones that I, or my mind, choose to dismiss. But I have two memories that were not worthy of great emotion but have stuck in my mind, probably because they have helped me to understand so many dogs with problems. My first one was when I was very young, young enough to go to bed on my own but not old enough feel confident in the dark. I don’t think I can hold television responsible for this memory but for those who remember listening to the radio on an evening there could be some pretty scary stuff. Our farm house was big and cold with a steep staircase and poor lighting, the scene is set with just that bit of information. I would start upstairs at a slow controlled walk, get to step number three and start speeding up, by the time I reached the top step somewhere in my darkest thoughts my brain was t...

  Family Dynamics How hierarchy is established in young dogs A group of young dogs need to have some form of order. If they don’t they run the risk of putting themselves in danger. This may seem strange but, even born into and living in, a domestic environment, their instinct will to a certain extend influence their behaviour, especially in working breeds. A puppy ‘chooses’ someone, and maybe it does, but when that puppy is removed another one will step up and take its place as the ‘one that steps forward’. That puppy may then ‘choose’ the next person who comes along. There’s always a strong one, one waiting to step up, one at the back watching and weighing everyone up, and the ones on the middle waiting to see where they can fit in. If they were living life as a pack each one would have a position according to their skills, there would be no arguing, for although in a different skill set, they all play an important part in the unit. If we take this into the working life of...

  B order Collies have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and during the latter part of the twentieth century the breed has diversified into so many different disciplines and lifestyles that it has become known as the Versatile Border Collie. Opinions vary greatly about the breed, how it works, how working dogs live, whether they should be in pet homes and, probably the one very close to my heart, can working dogs live inside? My dogs cannot all live inside, there are far too many of them, but the golden oldies do, young dogs do and any infirm or problem dogs do. My dogs are a part of my life, they work, live and laugh with me, they have a wonderful sense of humour and incredible loyalty. As well as a love of the breed I have a great respect for it and if I can bring people just a little closer to the heart and soul of a collie and its heritage through words, books, or my website then I will consider some of the love given to me by dogs repaid. Border Collie...

  The Border Collie and its Future I keep thinking about the question which not only goes around in my head but, when I talk to other like-minded people, I find that they too ponder on the same subject. Where is the Border Collie going and what is its future? I suppose that right now it may seem pretty secure. But is it really and are we going to have a genuine Border Collie decades from now or just a faint resemblance?    The past years have seen so much change, not just in the breed of dog but in our way of life. Sheep farming has changed dramatically in the last few years, regulations, quotas and paper work have caused the smaller farmer to think carefully about his future, and the farmers of larger concerns are involved in a more commercial type of farming rather than a way of life. The quad bike, the four track and indoor lambing are all part of the commercial scene. The walking, shepherding and long cold nights are something we may remember but prefer not to have ...

Teaching Dogs Alternative Behaviour Dogs need to be able to understand what we require of them, if they don’t understand then we can’t expect them do as we ask and quite often without realising it we send them mixed messages which they find confusing. When a dog barks at a knock on the door it can be seen as doing what a dog might be expected to do, so it receives praise for it. Good dog for barking and letting me know there is someone trying to get into my house. To begin with the dog may be allowed to greet the visitor and as far as the dog is concerned this has now set a pattern for all future visitors. But with each visitor the greeting gets a little more exuberant and the dog begins to think that maybe the visitors are really only there for his benefit, and while he thinks he’s in charge his owner is becoming more exasperated. The dog has been told clearly that he is a good dog for barking and then he’s been told ‘no, leave, down,’ and countless other commands, coupled wit...