Demonstration by Leault Working Sheepdogs in Kingussie, Scotland. Taken in June 2017 during our One-Year Retirement world tour. www.1YearRetirement.com
Its a nice little tea break for them I suppose. Sheepdogs have good little lives even when put to work, but I've known farmers to be very apathetic and cruel towards gun dogs. When they are young and working they stayed in caged kennels outside, and retired at roughly 9-10 years old to enjoy maybe 2 or so good years in the house before being taken round the back for the long walk. Nowadays im sure they would go to a vet and put the poor old boy down but thats not tradition.
Agree. But in defense of the dog at work, the public lesson involves far more frequent and inconsistent commands than does everyday herding, and the dogs working the sheep are feeling jerked around.
His name Neil. We saw just him (late June) while on a Rick Steves 13-day tour of Scotland. Our tour guide Julia seemed to know him which suggests she’d led a tour there previously.
I had a border collie for 16 years and took him sheep herding. Winston knew what to do instinctively and watching him was some of the best days of my life.
I was there in April this year (2023). An amazing demonstration. After corralling the sheep, one was picked out for a shearing demonstration with manual shears. Neil invited us to try our hand with the shearing. There were about 10 volunteers. He guided their hand while they snipped away. This visit with Neil, his dogs and the sheep was the highlight of the 12-day tour. Afterwards we got to see the newly born lambs and puppies. What a life!
@@stephenr80 exactly border collies are super smart and highly energetic. They NEED something to do or they will find it themselves. And negligent owners might not like what they find to do.
I dont think its necessarily about intelligence since these dogs have it in their dna to do this. It really comes down to the "master" on how he/she trains and nurtures this ability the correct way. The best part about this is the dogs are so insanely happy to be doing what they were bred to do.
Neil is a superb dog trainer and human. My wife and I met him in the Summer of 2022 while on a tour of Britain. I wish we could have spent more time with him. A man of few words but immense depth.
When you work with sheep, particularly 3000 of them, the few words you do speak are mostly expletives 😂 Sheep produce an effect on their human carers; swearing..lots of it
I think it's amazing how much they LOVE this work. The dogs just absolutely LOVE this work.. .They LIVE for this. I've seen these dogs left to themselves and they just have way too much energy.
Someone in my neighborhood has a border collie mix puppy. I honestly don’t think he knows what he’s gotten himself into. Whenever his dog interacts with mine, I try to work a suggestion of how to intellectually engage the dog into the conservation. Or maybe he’ll enjoy having his bored dog rip up his furniture. 😂
As also with other breeds bred for different kinds of work. They love nothing more. When I get ready to go hunting, all I have to do is put my key into the lock of my gun cabinet and he’s at my feet, literally shaking with anticipation.
Pups, after learning their basic commands on lead, can be started on ducks, moving from small enclosures to free range. Borders can handle cattle as well. Dog-broke cattleherds are so much easier to move. A friend had a top notched border that would jump up from the ground to behind his saddle seat to hitch a ride across big pastures. So much of their abilities are instinctual. Wonderful video and no, my US dogs were not nearly as well trained as his. thanks for the great video. at 74 i enjoyed it.
Bunch of good, happy doggo's. I love it. At the start, you could see the one asking whether it was his turn yet, and then patiently wait when the response was "not yet".
Scottish shepherds are highly intelligent. They'll stay in one spot forever, if you ask them too. As you can see, they're very happy to be around others like them, and again patient to learn.
Oh really? I have visited this particular shepherd too, and although he seemed to be an intelligent man he did not stay in one spot (maybe because no one asked him to do it). Yes, he was nice to talk to and did not seem to be too unhappy to be around his fellow human visitors. His sheepdogs were quite impressive to watch too - so maybe they are as intelligent as the shepherds? 🤔
A thing of beauty. I grew up around border collies, they really do love a challenge. They're at their best when they have a patient & kind human, & an energetic task they can come back to day after day.
Smartest dogs on the planet live on Northern Scottish farms. Their skill, sharpness and work ethic is unbelievable. You'd think they were directly hooked to the sherpherds brain. Wonderful seeing them work 🥰
All I can say is thank you for this, living alongside the Earth just as God intended is always refreshing and a beautiful sight to see. Greetings from Brazil
Oh man, that is so hilarious how the others sit there and watch. They are so smart. They know it is not their turn, so they wait. It is amazing and such fun to watch.
Amazing coordination between all the dogs and the owner/trainer. It is clear to see that these dogs are happy doing what they are born to do and I'm so glad they have such a wonderful trainer to help them be their best dog/selves. WOW!!
@scooter2163 They are born to do it. It is in their genes. If you ever own a BC you will see what I mean. They are not trained to herd. They are trained to harness that natural instinct. Much of what they learn is learnt from the other dogs. They learn from observation. When you own one you will learn how incredibly intelligent They really are.
ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. ITS TEAM WORK OWNER GIVES TEACHES TRAINS TO GO AN CONTROL DIRECTIONS. DOG DOES THE WORK THY ARE TOTAL TEAM WORK STRONG BONDED ITS PRICELESS BRILLIANT DOGS WERE BLESSED WITH WORKING DOGS
What a beautiful breed of dog. I was introduced to them when i married my farmer husband who used them on the farm for cattle and goats. They are wonderful and a loving breed around children.
These dogs are truly amazing. I hope the shepherd loves them. When, as a child, I went to sheepdog trials in the West Country, some of the shepherds were rather gruff with them. Mr. Shepherd: please love your dogs, they are so wonderful.
Collies are a joy to own, they are so smart, They can be trained to bring you different toys from their toy box, or play flyball. My sweet girl wasn't the slightest interest in sheep, but loved to play ball and had all the children in the street throwing the ball for her
Neil is amazing as well as his dogs. We loved his demonstration and explanations of his commands and dogs. We visited his farm in July of 2023. It was one of the top 5 highlights of our trip. His farm is an absolute must for a visit.❤❤❤
It’s incredible how each dog patiently waits its turn, but they obviously cannot wait to get their chance to herd. They love nothing more than herding.
God, I wish I could go there to see this. I adore watching dogs do what they're bred to do. I had a Scottie and he was my favorite. He worked hard everyday.
I have a 14 month old border collie, he's never been trained for sheep work, but when I watch videos like this I see so many small similarities in the mannerisms of my own collie. A lot of it must be instinctual. I wish I knew a local farmer/shepherd I could pay for some training....I'm sure the dog would love it.
It's an amazing display of not only control , but also cooperation & respect between man and dog . I rarely see this much respect between children and parents nowdays.Every time I'm in the shops ,there's always some whining child having a temper over sweets they can't have . Then the parents reward the tantrum by giving in to the temper .
So amazing 🤩 and what’s even better.. this gentleman is like it’s just the norm to have such control over all these dogs - especially when one or two are working and getting directions and the others are lying waiting brilliant to watch
I got to see this in real life! It was an amazing experience. He is out thererain or shine so that folks can see how the shepherds work with dogs and tend sheep. He generally sheers one as well. It is truly an experience i won't forget.
This video is so fascinating. It's amazing. I have never seen anything like this before in my life. These dogs are so intelligent, WOW! They're like born to do this, they're so fast and do their job so well. Also the guy is totally awesome, he's like a master of sheepdog commanding.
Look at these dogs! Waiting patiently for their masters command, it's beautiful! There is nothing happier than a dog with purpose. They are happy. I really feel for those pampered dogs who have to endure their owners inadequate lives.
We had a border collie as our large family dog for just over 18 years! She was the best friend/pet we had! She was so smart and loved us all! Great big family dogs!
I love what he’s saying, the dog knows…my girl is 20 months old, we don’t herd sheep, but I’ve tweaked all her natural instincts to use in our city world…she creeps up on her ball and stares at it, freezing it as they do the sheep…she started showing this trait at 4 months old. When I can’t see a ball that’s out of her reach…and she needs me to get it, i ask her to show me, and then i say point, and she holds her gaze at the direction for me to look…she’s Lassie 4.0. Most intelligent dog I’ve ever had…and I’ve had some very smart dogs, this is another level.
I’ve got one border collie who watches our sheep sometimes, but after watching this I really think they learn from each other so much. I wonder how he’d be if he had all his brothers and sisters around him while working.
We had working collies at the horse barn I managed.. we had the little kids come on their school field trips to see the animals and the dogs always wanted to herd the kids into groups 🤣🤣