which Nature has endowed this king of all utility dogs, we append a few suggestions 

 from the curriculum of Mr. T. P. Brown, of Qxton, Berwickshire, Scotland, than 

 whom no one is more qualified to speak on this important subject. 



In the first place, it must be acknowledged that unless the master has himself 

 studied :the subject with the utmost care and keen perception, success in teaching a 

 dog to work sheep will not fall to his lot. Many a good dog has been spoiled in the 

 hands of an unthinking and unsympathetic would-be trainer, and, conversely, many a 

 vicious, timid, or "wild" dog has been converted by the master hand into a brainy, 

 intelligent servant. 



With few exceptions, any collie can be taught to work sheep; therefore, as a 

 general proposition, it is the man who makes or mars the dog's natural bent. 



To achieve the greatest measure of success the sooner one starts the elementary 

 first lessons /the better. The puppy should be taken in hand when three or four 

 months old. 



The very first step is to teach him to run up to you. Use a thin, low whistle with 

 the lips, and pat and make a fuss of him when he comes up. 



The second lesson is to get him .to go down quickly. This is best done by a hiss. 

 If he does not put his head down, press it gently down with your hand. This has 

 generally to be repeated a good many times before he does it nicely. Some pups go 

 down of their own accord when they see the sheep. This is no real drawback, but as 

 a rule they require a little more training to go down when commanded, instead of 

 waiting till they get to a place where they want to go down. 



After the pup has learned to go down nicely, put him down and walk away, and 

 see if he will lie still until you give him the whistle to come up, and don't rest satis- 

 fied until he does -so with alacrity. 



When he has learned to do this to please you, begin to stop him half-way up, and 

 always see that he puts his head in the proper position. He should be proficient in 

 this before he is ever taken to the sheep. No pup should ever be taken to the sheep 

 until he is under complete control in the run up and lay down. To introduce him to 

 sheep until he has thoroughly mastered these simple but highly-important commands 

 has a tendency to spoil him and get him into bad habits. No matter how fast he is 

 running, if you give him the hiss to stop he should drop like a stone ; and, on the 

 other hand, he should obey the command to come on quickly and without the least 

 hesitation, and on no account should he rise until told to do so. To fall and rise 

 when commanded, and only when commanded, is the most important point in the 

 training of a collie. Having progressed so far, the pup should now be taken to 

 the sheep. 



If he is off a good working strain, he will either circle away round his "quarry" 

 or he will "set" and crawl forward. 



If he circles round anjl goes down, and the sheep do not come away, he is apt 

 to lie still, but if you use the call whistle and bring him a little forward, then drop 

 him. The sheep will most likely come away, and you must take care that he comes 

 straight behind them, and not too quickly. 



Don't use the call whistle very long at first, just a little to get him to understand 

 to start the sheep. Get him used to start either with a sheep or a short whistle. 



If in running up to the sheep he does not go right round, you must go up to the 

 sheep and move them in the direction you want them to go. Then use the whistle, 

 sound or words by which you want to shift him (some trainers say "Keep wide" or 

 "Keep wide, away out," but it is better to use only distinctive whistles). 



You should thus keep the sheep moving about, making him move to what spot you 

 want. Others use a combination of whistles and signs (motions of the arms). This 

 latter method has its advantages w r hen working at a distance and under certain climatic 

 conditions. 



When the dog has become expert in moving about, teach him to "run out." Don't 

 try him too far away at first, and if possible let him see the sheep. 



A perfect run out should be in the form of a good wide circle all the way until he 

 gets well behind the sheep. Then he should double back behind the sheep when he 

 sees he has them all rounded up, and he should be allowed to move them a little 

 before you put him dowm. 



In "haulding" them he should come straight behind the sheep, and not too near 

 them. If they come steadily, he should be allowed to follow them in. When "hauld- 

 ing" a few sheep, say five, he should bring them in straight ; but with a large number 

 he should "flank" them from side to side in half-moon circles, as by this means he gets 

 them forward in better time. 



By this time the dog should have learned to go down at a distance from the 

 shepherd, a distance which is only restricted by the impossibility of hearing the whistle. 



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