Sam - February dog in our 2018 Calendar

Sam is an ISDS pedigree dog who behaved like a puppy until he was 2.5 years old and then suddenly switched on to sheep. A kind and gentle soul, he loves people and dogs so he has been re-homed to an experienced sheepdog handler to work with other dogs on a large flock.

We got a phone call from a lady who told us she had a non-working sheepdog to re-home. He was over 2 years old and had shown no interest in sheep. Seemingly all he wanted to do was play with the other dogs. He was also a little shy around new people and nervous in new situations.

All his siblings had gone on to be good herding dogs. Sam was the odd one out. He was thought to be too sensitive.

Soft and trusting by nature, he was very biddable when he came to us but when we started to take photographs of him for our records he proved to be a little worried about the camera.

They had kept his vaccinations up to date, he was microchipped, wormed and had his flea and tick spot on so he didn't need to be quarantined and could freely mix with the other dogs in care at the time.
One thing that did concern us was his sensitivity. Often dogs with natures like this do not respond well to any form of training.

They can get confused and intimidate at any form of displeasure from a handler and in order to be able to handle them without causing them distress you need to be very gentle.

 Progress in training dogs of this nature can be very slow. The first thing to do is to build up their confidence and allow them a little space to come out of their shell.

He responded well and very quickly found his feet. Within a few days he was holding his head up, looking into our eyes and into the camera.

We put him through his first sheepdog assessment but he was not interested so it was back to more socialisation in the hope that we could find him a good home as a companion once we had made him more confident in himself and his abilities

Mixing with the other dogs and seeing how they reacted to the things going on around them and how they related to people helped a lot.

Walks in the woods, travelling in the pick up, meeting lots of new people and going into new environments all enabled him to gain a wider experience of the world of humans.

Where we rehabilitate dogs we have lots of wide opens spaces and moorland where long walks and fresh air are in plenty.

It was on one of these walk that we first saw Sam prick up his ears.
He was focused on a few sheep loose on the moor.

Suddenly he clicked and from that day onward the smell and sight of sheep became the most important thing in his life.

Some Border Collies are 'late starters'.
This usually means that they begin to get interested in sheep and herding when they are around a year old or even older.
Sam was one of these.

For some reason he had not shown an interest before.
Maybe it was a lack of confidence or maybe something else.
Difficult to say.
The next sheepdog assessment confirmed this.
He showed a natural ability - maybe the time in his last home spent watching the other dogs herd had rubbed off on him.

We had just received an application from a kind and experienced farmer manager who had taken on a dog from us previously. This dog had recently died. He was seeking another.

Being farm manager made him responsible for a lot of sheep spread over a wide range of environments and he ran a number of dogs with different qualities and skills.

By coincidence he called to give us the sad news and ask if there was another suitable dog in our care the day after it had been decided that Sam was going to be a working sheepdog after all.

He was an experienced handler and trainer and was very gentle and patient with his dogs so seemed the ideal candidate to bring Sam on.

We told him all about Sam and he went away to think about it, getting back to us a few days later suggesting that he would give Sam a try and see how he got on with the sheep and how he fitted in with his rather unique pack of dogs of various skills.

We were all a little sad to see Sam go. His soft nature had touched many of us and we were proud of the progress he had made and still a little surprised by his sudden turnaround.
We crossed our finder and hoped his training went well.

Our months trial periods are there to allow dogs to settle in to their new homes, show their true nature and bond with their handlers.
We initially started doing this with all working dogs back in 1995 because a dog takes time to settle into a new environment and if a dog is to be part of a team with a handler they need to form a bond.

In 2001 we extended this months trial to all dogs we re-homed because we did not want anyone to make a donation until we were all sure it was a good match.

One of the conditions of this trial period is that the new handler keeps in touch at least once a week and updates us on progress.

If there are teething troubles we are able to help by suggesting things that could be done to overcome them. We can do this because we get to know dogs we take in before they are rehomed.

At the end of the first week we had a call and an email.
The phone call Told us that Sam had been following the mans main working dog and was showing great potential.
The email had some pictures - the ones to the right and below.

By allowing Sam to watch and join in with his experienced dog in a variety of working situations he allowed him to explore his herding capabilities and grow in confidence.

There was no pressure. If things went wrong there was no negative reactions other than to stop the session and take Sam away from the sheep.
Sheepdogs soon learn to avoid mistakes if they want to keep working the sheep. They learn fast.

All that is needed is firmness an kindness. This is the way we work and the way this man worked. His dogs vie for his attention and are eager to please him.

We could have waited a long time to find a good home for Sam.
We were very lucky this man came back to us - so was Sam.

He is still in training but becoming more and more useful around the sheep. He and his master are both finding out about his qualities and instincts. He has fitted in with the other dogs.

The adoption went through and he has a new home.
His new home offers him wide open spaces, a mission and an environment he was born into.

Best of all it offers him leadership and with leadership comes security, confidence, purpose and a sense of belonging.