GROVELAND FARM

        As is usual in situations of this sort, nature taking its course, and so forth, eventually Ziggy and Sue produced a beautiful litter of seven puppies on September 9, 2005. Between Sue's freckles and Ziggy's heavy mottling, all of the pups for sale have stunningly beautiful and uniquely marked coats. Sparky even has one blue eye. We only have 4 of these puppies left - they've been previously un-advertized.

Bandit is a gentleman in the house too. What a cute face!

        The two boys (Bandit and Spanky) and two girls (Rosie and Rita), are just the sweetest pups! Extremely bright, with excellent unflappable temperaments. They are very biddable - we're working on "sit", "lay down" and various other ground work with them. They already have a pretty good concept of "that'll do". They get along very well with our other dogs, with children, and enjoy playing with each other. They are already exhibiting a great deal of interest in the stock. While they are full of energy and playfulness, in the house they quickly settle down and enjoy lying at our feet. (Although they do occaisionally try to get in a bit of quiet puppy wrestling. Like we won't notice!) They would be great working stock, as goose-dogs, or in a home where agility is the goal. Once again, we have hit the jackpot with these dogs as far as improvements in the offspring. We haven't had border collie pups here for awhile, but these pups have changed that, and it's really exciting to marry great bloodlines and see the issue of the union come to such satisfying fruition.

Rosie (left) and Rita (right) are also good in the house. Very sweet, feminine gals.

       Border Collies are the most well-known of the herding dogs, and get their name from the "border" region between England and Scotland where they were bred to help farmers gather their highland flocks of sheep. "Gathering the Fell" is an autumn ritual in North of England terms, (in Scots dialect it's called "The Shielding") when farmers and their dogs go to the high country to gather the almost wild sheep to bring them in for breeding. These handlers and their athletic canine helpers make a magical picture of the extraordinary communication between man and dog as the handlers' high-pitched whistles echo down the hills (fells) while in response, the dogs fly over the rough terrain to find and bring in the sheep.

       Border Collies are bred and selected for working ability above looks (Brains Before Beauty), so you will find that these dogs come in a wide variety of colors; from red and white to black and white and tan, to black and white. Some collies have short coats, called "smooth" and many have longer coats, called "rough".

       Well-trained border collies know a large selection of verbal and whistled commands. "Come Bye" and "Away to me" tell the dog to go clockwise or counterclockwise around the flock. The natural instinct of the collie is to go around the back of a flock of sheep and bring the sheep to his master. They control stock with a LOOK, called "Giving Eye", and they are always wanting to "work". Consequently, a border collie who isn't working the stock will be inclined to herd whatever is at hand - geese or ducks, people, sofa cushions...

       Border Collies are BUSY little things, and do best in situations where they are able to be used for the purpose for which they were bred - herding. Sometimes Border Collies will prefer to work with only one human, but do well in agility, goose patrol and herding livestock.

A sleeping pup is so adorable!

       Our first Border Collie was Sadie, born in '89. Sadie is descended on her father's side from Wiston Cap, her father was imported from Scotland. Sadie's blood lines are full of excellent working dogs. We have bred her to outstanding males, producing puppies which are working dogs with sweet temperaments, and a lot of "style". Denny, our current female's father, Jess and Lad's paternal grandfather was twice Purina Herding Dog Champion. This title comes from the practice of many border collie aficionados of participating in Sheepdog Trials. The dog who wins the most trials will earn this title. Their Grandsire, Nick, was among the first dogs enrolled in the Border Collie Hall of Fame, established in 1998.

       With Sadie being our first border collie, and because we didn't know very much about training, when she was old enough, we sent her off to "Collie College" to be taught all the commands she would need by a professional dog trainer. Following in that "higher education" tradition, Sadie's grand-daughter, Sadie Sue (Sue), went to Collie College in the late summer of 2005. Her professor, Colleen Williams, who lives near Brainerd, MN, taught Sue a lot in the first 4 weeks or so of her gestation, but Suze needs a refresher course which we will resume this winter. Sue is extremely keen on the sheep; Colleen did a great job of getting a handle on her, and after Sue left, Colleen said she really missed her. Sue had coaxed her way into their house! She surely has a winning way about her, as do Zig and the puppies!

It's not uncommon to see them cross their legs politely.

       Another great resource for people wanting to train their own dogs is Rural Route Videos. They have about the best video for training dogs that we have seen, called "Starting your Border Collie on Cattle, Sheep or Ducks". The video is available on the internet or you can call toll-free 1-800-823-7703. They are located in Manitoba, Canada and have other videos available also.

       If you ever get a chance to go to a sheepdog trial, do so! It's an unforgettable experience to watch first-hand the interaction and teamwork between dog and handler.

In spite of the cute "house" photos, they are usually outdoors.