Lessons. 109 



ing his sheep. That some collies possess the latter 

 important qualification to a greater degree than others 

 I am confident, and, although there is a considerable amount 

 of good or bad fortune in obtaining an easy, or the reverse, 

 batch of sheep, still the very best dogs appear to make even 

 the most stupid little " Welshman " or " Scotchman " know 

 that no larking will be allowed, and that they must go exactly 

 where the dog wishes. This is a power similar to that 

 possessed by some men over animals the performer in the 

 menagerie over his lions or tigers to wit and in breeding 

 collies for working I should certainly use those dogs which 

 possessed this extraordinary and unusual gift to the greatest 

 extent. A barking dog is useless at such meetings, and 

 one that loses its temper, rushes at and attempts to bite his 

 sheep is equally (or sooner) put out of the stake. 



In training or practising a collie for work of this kind 

 care must be taken that the lessons are given in both 

 directions, i.e. the dog be taught to work from left to right 

 and vice versa. I have seen an otherwise good dog make 

 a wretched performance when it came to compete on a 

 course which lay in a direction contrary to that in which 

 its early lessons had been given. The most difficult thing 

 to teach is to make your dog drive the sheep away from 

 you any duffer almost will bring them up to you, but 

 taking them away altogether for a half a mile or so up to a 

 certain point, and then turning them towards the home 

 journey, requires great skill, more so than is required at 

 the pen when the trial is terminating. 



Quietly that shepherd there, a sturdy son of Cumberland, 

 who spends forty weeks of the year amongst his flock, takes 

 the piece of cord off his dog's neck which has done duty as 

 chain and collar, and receives his instructions from the 



