Loyal and Hard-Working Sheep Dogs

By Josephine Roberts
Published on April 26, 2012
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In the mountainous regions of Wales, sheep dogs are working dogs.
In the mountainous regions of Wales, sheep dogs are working dogs.
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Pictured here keenly awaiting their turns are (left to right) Bella, a kelpie bitch; Fly, a border collie bitch; and Bob, a border collie-kelpie cross.
Pictured here keenly awaiting their turns are (left to right) Bella, a kelpie bitch; Fly, a border collie bitch; and Bob, a border collie-kelpie cross.
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Fly's mind is on the sheep: No matter how close I get with the camera she won't be distracted!
Fly's mind is on the sheep: No matter how close I get with the camera she won't be distracted!
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Bella, Andrew's kelpie bitch. Kelpies are usually friendly enough, but because of their high energy level many people find they are problematic as pets.
Bella, Andrew's kelpie bitch. Kelpies are usually friendly enough, but because of their high energy level many people find they are problematic as pets.
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A trainer can modify the herding instinct, and he can teach a dog to respond to commands, but he can’t make the dog have “an eye for the sheep.
A trainer can modify the herding instinct, and he can teach a dog to respond to commands, but he can’t make the dog have “an eye for the sheep."
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Fly in action. By keeping low to the ground and barely moving, Fly knows she can keep these Welsh mountain sheep still. She won’t take her eyes off the flock, and if a sheep attempts to break away she’ll be up on her feet and around after it in a split second. Her instinct is to keep the sheep together, and she can only do that by never taking her eyes off them.
Fly in action. By keeping low to the ground and barely moving, Fly knows she can keep these Welsh mountain sheep still. She won’t take her eyes off the flock, and if a sheep attempts to break away she’ll be up on her feet and around after it in a split second. Her instinct is to keep the sheep together, and she can only do that by never taking her eyes off them.
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Most well-trained sheep dogs use this crawling-type movement to get close to the sheep without frightening them. A dog that moves like this can move the sheep away gently rather than causing them to charge off, panicking in all directions.
Most well-trained sheep dogs use this crawling-type movement to get close to the sheep without frightening them. A dog that moves like this can move the sheep away gently rather than causing them to charge off, panicking in all directions.
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The farm bike (or quad bike) has made life a lot easier for hill farmers. Several hard days gathering on the hillsides can tire the dogs, so a ride part of the way on the bike is a big help. When the dogs hear the bike being fired up they know it means they are going somewhere to work, and they usually all try to jump on at once!
The farm bike (or quad bike) has made life a lot easier for hill farmers. Several hard days gathering on the hillsides can tire the dogs, so a ride part of the way on the bike is a big help. When the dogs hear the bike being fired up they know it means they are going somewhere to work, and they usually all try to jump on at once!
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If Andrew wishes to separate one sheep from the flock, he can ask Nanw to do that by encouraging her to position herself and her stare in such a way that it will cause one sheep to break away from the flock.
If Andrew wishes to separate one sheep from the flock, he can ask Nanw to do that by encouraging her to position herself and her stare in such a way that it will cause one sheep to break away from the flock.
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Nanw and Andrew get nearer to the sheep by keeping eye contact with the sheep and moving very slowly towards them.
Nanw and Andrew get nearer to the sheep by keeping eye contact with the sheep and moving very slowly towards them.
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If they can’t find sheep to herd, then hens will do! Luckily this chicken is used to being surrounded by dogs and she knows they won’t eat her, but this scene does illustrate the fact that sheep dogs have such a strong herding instinct that, left to their own devices, they will go looking for things to herd.
If they can’t find sheep to herd, then hens will do! Luckily this chicken is used to being surrounded by dogs and she knows they won’t eat her, but this scene does illustrate the fact that sheep dogs have such a strong herding instinct that, left to their own devices, they will go looking for things to herd.
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The herding instinct in sheep dogs is simply predatory behavior that has been modified over many generations.
The herding instinct in sheep dogs is simply predatory behavior that has been modified over many generations.

Britain, for a small island, has a lot of sheep. There are more than 60 different breeds of sheep in the British Isles, but Wales is the country most associated with sheep, mainly because in these mountainous regions there is little else in the way of livestock that will thrive.

In Wales we have several sheep breeds of our own, and these are mostly small, hardy animals like the Welsh mountain sheep, which as the name suggests are bred to cope with life in the hills. Steep hillsides and rough grazing land has long made sheep farming the prime income for most farmers here. A hill farmer may own several thousand acres of land, but have little need for machinery, as much of the land is too rough or hilly to cultivate.

Good instincts essential in sheep dogs

In that respect, hill farming has changed little over generations and many of the old traditions still continue. Farmers still gather the sheep down from the mountains for routine care such as ear-marking, shearing or to separate those to be sold. With several hundred head of sheep and five to 10 men (each with two or three working dogs), gathering days are hard work for both the men and the dogs, but they are also a time of laughter and camaraderie.

At one time there would have been many more sheep spending all year up on the mountainsides, but in recent years environmental schemes encourage farmers to either reduce the numbers of sheep on the mountains or take them off the mountain at certain times of the year.

Those hillsides that are sparsely populated with sheep can actually be more difficult to gather as there are more lone sheep to contend with. For gathering sheep from the hillsides, a good dog with plenty of stamina and lots of common sense is essential. A dog that waits for its handler to tell it what to do every minute won’t get far on a hillside, as very often the handler is out of sight of the dog. The dog must have a good idea what is needed of it and it must have a strong instinct to keep the sheep moving forward in the right direction.

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