SHEEP DOG'S SAGACITY

Shannon News, 3 July 1928, Page 4

SHEEP DOG'S SAGACITY

WORKING* WHILE BLIND. DIRECTED^JFwHISTLE. A remarkable incident, which serves to illustrate the sagacity of a good sheep dog, occurred at the Marborough collie dog trials the other day when B. Ward ran his dog Boy in the opening class, which required that a dog should go away.about 500 yards on a hillside, head three sheep and bring them down to his master and yard them. Mr Ward's dog had been trained to be. what musterers call an "eye dog," that is, a dog which appears to exercise a form of mesmeric control over sheep. When sent up the hill after the sheep the dog unaccountably fell into a water course. When approaching the sheep he showed no signs of being aware of their presence and would have gone right past had not his master's whistle caused him to halt. He was then noticed to be sniffing the air and the ground, as though scenting the sheep, and it was only when orders were whistled that he moved forward.

The dog headed the sheep and commenced to bring them in, but his bchavious was strange, ,and, while the sheep at times went one way, he went the other. Mr Ward was puzzled as the dog appeared to take no notice of his directive movements, but was extremely responsive to whistled commands. , „ ; It was only when the sheep had practically reached the yards that Mr Ward and the spectators came to the conclusion that the animal must be_ blind. Such proved to be the case, yet he had headed his sheep and them right to the yard. ,