SHEEP DOGS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 803, 10 December 1954, Page 5

SHEEP DOGS

Sir,-In.-the November 5 issue of The Listener you printed a photo of. Shetland sheep dog pups, in connectioh with a recorded talk given by me on the training and handling of "Border" heading dogs, also huntaways, Although I appreciate your effort in helping to give an added interest to my talk, actually the photograph in question has done a great deal of harm as the type of sheep dogs depicted are opposite to what I was speakipg of. Sirtce the photograph ‘appeared I have. received many letters from. sheep dog enthusiasts and farmers who seem to think" I am crazy for importing and breeding from that type of dog to handle the classes of stock the average sheep dog has to work on the different types of country in New Zealand. I must admit I am quite in sympathy with their sentiments for a more useless type of sheep dog working under our New Zealand conditions it would be impossible to get. The Shetland sheep dogs have in the past been crossed with miniature strains of pet dogs to reduce their, size to the present day standard, and. only in the Shetland Isles and isolated areas in Scotland are they used for. working stock, This is understandable, for owing to their smallness they are very agile and can climb to almost inaccessible places among rocks and cliffs where the local sheep graze, and chase the sheep from these spots to easier areas where they can be held in = small lots for handling. You will, of ‘course, understand that the grazing is so limited on these rocky

areas that 50 sheep would be a large flock for a farmer to own, Another important factor is that the farmers are very poor, judged by our standards; they cannot waste food on a larger type of dog which could not scramble among the rocks as easily as the small dog to chase the sheep out, in lots of two or three. fine You will notice I have stressed the word "chase" which, in most cases, is all these dogs are able to do, as the country does not allow a dog to work the stock into position, as we require our dogs to do in New Zealand. Often our dogs, when mustering, are working at least half a mile away from their owners, whereas in the Shetland Isles most of the farms would not have an area larger than 50 acres each. In my recorded talk you will notice I mentioned the Border sheep dogs as the outstanding heading dog in New Zealand, as they are in England and Scotland, where the breed originated. These are usually strong-eyed dogs, built for speed and endurance, and with the power to handle and hold large mobs of sheep on all types of country, which, of course, the Shetland sheep dogs cannot do owing to their lack of

size.

B.

ELLIS

Albany).

(We regret the unfortunate choice of a photograph, though without it we would have lost an interesting letter.-Ed.)