According to the old adage, all a man needs to be a good shepherd is:
"a piece of string, a sharp knife, a good dog and a good wife"
But....to use your wife for herding sheep - as many farmers do - is not what the writer had in mind. Such an arrangement works about as well as using a sheepdog to iron shirts.
Yet many a farm dog remains in his kennel, looking on wistfully as the farmer's wife clumsily sets off on a far from perfect outrun.
The Reason ???
Through years of patience, the farmer has managed to create some kind of working relationship with his wife, but expects his dog to reach the same peak within weeks. Of course, the dog's natural skills at shepherding can far outstrip those of the nimblest wife, but, in most cases, these skills have to be developed and cultivated by people with the time and knowledge to bring out the best in a dog......Which is what I do.
I will train any sheepdog that shows an interest and, after ten weeks, an average dog will be gathering a small four to five acre field, lying down, flanking left and right, a bit of driving and returning to its handler.
I can't make a good dog out of a bad 'un, but I can make most dogs useful.
For further details please ring
Richard Atkins on 01535 646037
We are based at Oakworth, in the middle of sheepdog country, in the mid-Pennines near Keighley, West Yorkshire.