Del, our Border Collie

Dell’s growing up fast. She’s a lot bigger these days but still as energetic which makes it a bit harder to control her. I’ve started taking her with me when I go for my morning jog. It’s working out well. She’s staying at my heel even when I run through fields of sheep and lambs.

With the recent hot weather we’re quite busy with the B&B guests already. I’m a little worried that I won’t have enough time to introduce her to sheep next month as planned. It may have to wait until we get a little quieter again in September.

I’ve read that when training a young dog it’s useful to have some sheep which are comfortable with staying at the shepherd’s feet. Our welsh mountain sheep are the opposite of this so I’ve penned six old ewes in the ‘gadlas’ (a small field used to monitor sick animals) and started to give them some dried food every morning. Hopefully they’ll get a little calmer near me and a little more used to having a dog in the field.

I’ve created a bit of a problem by using the ducks to train Del as she now stalks them almost continuously when I’m not around. I have to say, Will (the drake) doesn’t help as he seems to seek out Del and challenge her to a fight on occasion. If I rap on the window for example Del will sit obediently facing me but the duck will continue to peck away at the back of her head. I’m at a bit of a loss what to do.

So Del and I have been working on some basic obedience training. She sits and stays on command pretty well and comes back to me when called. We’re having a bit of a problem with her chewing everything however. Do date we’re one pair of slippers, one pair of child’s school shoes and numerous toilet rolls down. She also pines a little at night despite doing all I can to make the shed outside as comfy as possible.

Every body has advised me that I shouldn’t introduce Del to sheep until she is at least 6 months old. She may get bullied by the sheep whilst small and be permanently but off apparently. So, being as impatient as ever, I’ve been trying to teach Del to round up our two Indian Runner ducks in a small fenced off area next to the house. She seems to be doing ok, and certainly has the right body position so I’m encouraged.

Just before Christmas we decided to buy a border collie puppy. We’ve been considering this for some time. I had romantic ideas of herding distant flocks of sheep on the remote slopes of the Rhinog mountains. I even learnt to whistle with my fingers and everything. So on the 19th of December Del joined our growing menagerie of domestic animals. I should explain, del means pretty in welsh and has nothing to do with the computer manufacturer. We bought her from Llwyngiffry a nearby farm for £50. Her mum and dad are both good working dogs and she has a black mouth palate, which is a good sign apparently. So I guess if she doesn’t shape up it’ll probably be my fault. Oh, and I’ve bought a book, Herding Dogs: Progressive Training by Vergil S Holland