fly and alf

Up until the past couple of years I’ve always had a pair of ‘brace’ of sheepdog who work well together. A good brace team is difficult to achieve, as there are so many different aspects which need to come together. First of all you need two good sheepdogs, preferably of a similar age. The y must be the sort of characters which allow a partner to take on some of the work, with each dog keeping naturally to one side of a flock of sheep. They need to be a similar working speed and of similar temperament, not the sort to be offended if their partner is reprimanded. And on top of that they need to have been trained on different whistle commands from an early age, and be willing to accept only their own commands and to ignore their partners…..all in all it’s a difficult thing to achieve! Ten years ago I was very lucky to have had a great brace, Greg and Swift, who competed for England in the international sheepdog trials.

I’ve always found that pairings work better  if the two dogs get on well, and it’s always been apparent that Fly and Alf are the best of friends. When the y are walked together they like nothing better than to find a large stick and carry it around between the two of them, chasing wildly around the field as they play. At work I occasionally think that I can see the signs that they have the potential for a brace team. Alf is a very steady dog with a great natural feel for his sheep and although he has a long way to go in his training, he seems to be a natural counter to Fly’s over zealousness.

It’s a long way in the future, Fly still needs to calm down (even though she’s nearly four) and Alf has many more commands to master yet. But it’s  a great thought, and I’ve always dreamed of having another brace team like Greg and Swift

Alf and Fly brace stick carrying

and brace working