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Sheepdogs can take to worrying sheep; training of sheepdogs....

Fieldworkers
Date 1969
Track ID 5083
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1969.188.A2

Original Tape ID

SA1969.188

Summary

Sheepdogs can take to worrying sheep; training of sheepdogs.

Dogs, especially collies, can be sheep worriers, killing or damaging up to 80 sheep at a time. Some sheep would be killed by a bite to the windpipe, others drowned, and others so badly injured that they would have to be destroyed. A dog that starts worrying sheep has to be shot.

Andrew Gibson would start training a dog at 6-9 months, or even older. Dogs have to have confidence in their master. Some herds were so harsh that their wives had to coax the dogs in at night. Some herds would tie a whelp to an older dog to train it, but Mr Gibson liked to wait until the dog was ready. A dog of four months might seem ready, but would start yapping because it couldn't keep up with the sheep: a dog should be silent.

Item Subject/Person

Gibson, Andrew

Item Location

County - Peeblesshire

Village/Place - Pentland Hills

Language

Scots

Genre

Information

Collection

SoSS

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good