Churchmount Working Sheepdogs

This is a very frank interview! Someone said to me that they have heard all the Churchmount interviews on soundcloud and that this one is by far the best. This one is where the world renowned Nigel Watkins is talking sheepdogs. Nigel is true to form with no holds barred!

Nigel tells me about how Foot and Mouth disease closed down sheepdog trials in 2001. But it was different then because trials could reopen at any time. ‘Nobody knew when, nothing was cancelled’ . Whereas this time with the Covid, everything is cancelled for the year. Nationals, International and the World Trial are all cancelled.

In this interview, Nigel goes on to talk about trialling and judging internationally. he talks about how preparation is very important now and how all the top handlers prepare their dogs for sheepdog trials. 

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I know that I don’t need to remind you of the gravity of the situation we are facing at present with this virus. However, I think that as sheepdog enthusiasts, we are very lucky in that at least we can escape from the news into our own dog world for a while.

Back in 1999, I remember being at the International and seeing Aled win Supreme Champion with Roy in Trawsgoed. In 2000 I saw him win the Supreme again in Armathwaite, but with Bob. (I was there this time myself, as a member of the Irish team!) Those were tremendous achievements and as we know he would go on later to add two more Supremes and two World Trials to the list. For me, I think the really interesting achievement was how he came back after the 2001 gap to win the very first World Trial in Bala in 2002.

So it was great to get talking with Aled Owen and find out what he did 2001. How did he retain his focus or did he set new goals to get through the year? I know that when I got out of the habit of trialing that I lost my focus and I left sheepdogs in 2001. I didn’t come back until 2015. (I don’t want that to happen with me this time.)

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I am fortunate in that I often find myself in conversation with Con McGarry. Last year we traveled together to the European Nursery Championship in Holland. We were due to travel again to it this year but of course, Covid19 changed all our plans. That said, I did get to travel with Con and two other directors, to ISDS meeting in Kendall in early February. It is always very enjoyable to travel with Con because he is a well of funny anecdotes and very amusing jokes.

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What trails does a veterinary surgeon look for in a sheepdog? I first met Dr Viola Hebeler back in 2015 and the European Nursery Championship. I was attracted to her dog’s way of working and got to see him run again in the final there.

Viola works as a veterinary surgeon yet finds time to train her dogs to compete at continental and world-class competition.

In this interview Viola explains how she got started with working sheepdogs, the traits she looks for in a dog, where she gets her dogs from and the type of training facilities she uses.

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Erik is a world class handler but he is the kind of trainer who adjusts his training and thinking to whatever dog he is working with. Erik also shares his knowledge and experience, by giving lessons to handlers at his training centre in Denmark and also doing a number of clinics internationally every year.

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I was on my way to the ISDS directors meeting and I called to collect my dog Bruce from Ian. Ian stands sheepdogs for stud at his kennels. He keeps Serge Van Der Zweep's Gary and James McGee's Sid /Seth and people bring their border collie female bitches to be mated to these champion trial dogs. Ian breeds and ships border collie working sheepdog pups all over the world.

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I asked John if our course this year would be as good as England was last year. John said why don't you come up and have a look and see what you think. So that's what I did over Christmas. While I was there I asked John for a few of his thoughts.

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Toddy Lambe represents everything that is good about working dog trialling. Toddy has won the International Sheepdog Trial Supreme and a couple of National Sheepdog Trials to date. Toddy is not farming on big runs of ground or with big numbers of sheep. So he is all the more example of what can be achieved when you train properly with the right material.

Toddy has judged nationally, in Europe and the United States, so he has a great understanding of the type of challenges we come up against as competitors and organisers in sheepdog trials both on and off the field.

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One Man and His Dog and the impact of Brexit on farming. Neil Gillon’s Hill Trial had to be cancelled this year because a mist came down on the hill making visibility impossible, but as we say in Ireland, “its an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good”.

The fact that the Hill Trial was postponed meant that on the Sunday myself and John Heffernan were delivering a bitch to Scotland, we also got to meet up with Neil for a chat and run a dog in his trial.

Neil was a finalist in the World Sheepdog Trials with his dog Bhoy and he got through to the semi-finals with his Bhoy son, Shweep. Neil was the Scottish team captain for the International in Tywyn after winning the Scottish National with Shweep in 2016.

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In this interview Sue shares some advice and tips for successful sheepdog trial judging with me before a judging assignment.

Sue has been involved in sheepdogs for over 30 years and has judged in sheepdog trials nationally and internationally. Sue was also very instrumental in the formation of the 1st World Sheepdog Trial.

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I first met sheepdog trainer and handler, Mr. Tony Rofe, when we traveled together on a trip to the European Nursery Championship in Holland. The ENC is a sheepdog trial where Border Collies from all over Europe, the UK and Ireland can go to compete. In this interview, Tony tells us of the benefits to round pen sheepdog training.

The one thing that most impressed me most with Tony Rofe, is just how much he can squeeze into a training session with a young dog. Tony thinks about what he is doing before he ever puts a lead on a pup, and from the moment it goes on, that pup is in training.

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In this interview I asked Serge Van Der Zweep to give me some insight into how he got started. He discusses which handlers influenced him the most, what advice would he give an open handler and how he prepares for a World Sheepdog Trial Final.

Serge is one of those handlers who are not dependent on that one good sheepdog coming along and instead, for over 20 years, he has been able to keep coming up with world-class sheepdogs.

Serge’s ideas and opinions are not necessarily rules to go by, but they are definitely ideas to digest and consider. I always find it easy to follow someone who can ‘walk the walk’ in these days of talking the talk.

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What does it take to achieve success in sheepdog training and competitions? I was lucky enough to talk to Alastair Mac Rae about qualities in successful dogs and the mindset and ambition of a top handler.

The plan was to make a 15-minute interview. however, the conversation broadened a bit and we went for nearly an hour and a half! In the end, I decided to make it a 3 part conversation.

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In this interview Mirjam talks about how she got started in sheepdogs. To my surprise, I discovered that she was a city girl growing up. She had no exposure to livestock and didn’t even own her first dog until she was 24. Mirjam describes what it was like to start out as an Austrian sheepdog handler and explains how it came about that she followed her passion to Ireland.

This is a great example of what it is possible to achieve in this sport regardless of whether you have any relevant background experience or not. Mirjam talks about what she likes in the character of a dog. She tells me what it was like to compete in the Irish National and to almost win it. She also explains how her preparation for the International greatly helped her on the day.

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Like alot of people, I know that James is a top handler. I know that he has won an International Supreme and a World Trial. What i didn’t know is that he won the second National that he ever ran in and then went on to come 2nd to Neil McVicar and Spot in the 2005 International. I didn’t know that James had won 3 Nationals and has been placed highly in many Supreme finals. I was there to see him in 2015 in Scotland when he placed in the top 5 with Silver. I was in Scotland again last year to see him place 3rd with his 17 month old Jess.

I called James McGee the day before yesterday and I asked him if he would give us an interview for our handler podcast. It was very short notice but James kindly agreed. ”Give me a call this evening after dark” he said. I had never spoken more than a couple of sentences before this with James. I am probably his opposite because I never prepare for anything, so I was feeling suitably nervous! I needn’t have been.

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Michael comes from a very famous family that have been sheepdog trialing at the top levels for decades going back to before the war. Michael began handling dogs at the age of 12 and by the age of 24 had secured winning his first English National. Michael has gone on to compete in 4 International Supreme finals since, with 3rd place being his best spot to date.

I found this interview particularly interesting for two reasons. the first one being where Michael shares his views on a particular thing that can happen with regard to breeding dogs. He says how he thinks owner expectations can adversely effect a pup’s potential and development.

And secondly, he talks about something that is very important in a handler and that I often think is the watershed for some handlers in terms of what they might achieve in trialling.

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