Collie wobbles
TV hit Springtime on the Farm’s Roger Nicholson shares the tests of training his first sheepdog Pip
THE life and times of Roger Nicholson and his family of fellow farmers at Cannon Hall Farm has been one of the surprise TV hits of the past few years and the idyllic surroundings of the farm in South Yorkshire continue to fascinate viewers of Channel 5’s Springtime on the Farm series.
Yet, strangely enough for a working farm, there are few dogs on the property, with Pip the sheep dog the lone working canine…
FINDING THE RIGHT DOG
Sheep dogs are as much a part of a farm as sheep and cattle, so visitors to Cannon Hall Farm are often surprised that the only sheep dog that has been around for many years is the one that appears on the sign at the entry to the farm.
The dog featured there is Flossie, Roger’s favourite border collie, who lived on the farm in the 1970s.
Due to problems at birth, Flossie wasn’t particularly effective when it came to rounding up sheep, but Roger kept her as a pet rather than a working dog. Since then, the shepherding has been handled by the farmers – with a little help from Stanley the goat, who likes to get involved when his organisational skills are required.
Robert, though, had long had dreams of having a sheep dog help them with their growing flocks and in 2020 finally took the plunge. Enter Pip the sheepdog.
An episode of Friday Night on the Farm followed Robert and David as they took a road trip to Northumberland to meet renowned sheep dog trainer Emma Gray.
Robert had set his heart on getting a bitch, because, he says, “I think they have a kinder temperament”.
“But the first dog that Emma showed us, Carla, was like a Ferrari,” says David. “She was raring to go.”
Then they were shown Pip. “If Carla was the Ferrari, then Pip’s the family saloon car,” says David.
“She bonded with us really quickly and there was just something about her that felt right. She’s calm and steady and not hot-headed.”
SETTLING IN
Taking the border collie back to the farm in Yorkshire, Robert was initially a bit worried that she might not take to him, but it was love at first sight for Pip and she settled into Cannon Hall Farm straight away. “To train a good sheep dog they need to love you and she does that and she follows me, she wants to please and I want to do her justice because taking a working dog on is a big responsibility.”
A sheep dog doesn’t fully mature until it is four years old, so it needs time to enjoy being a puppy and take in all the basics before it is allowed to work with sheep. Getting Pip at two-and-a-half years old meant that Roger had plenty of time to bond with her before the hard work was to begin. “Emma the trainer recommended Pip doesn’t live in the family house as she’s a working dog,” says Robert. “And although that might sound cruel, rest assured we have some lovely kennels and during the day she lives next door to Doris, my wife Julie’s border terrier, who is being treated for bladder cancer. She was diagnosed three years ago and given just a few months to live, but thanks to wonderful veterinary care she is still going strong.”
TAKING TRAINING SLOWLY
Pip might not have the power of her Ferrari-like sibling Carla, but she was raring to go when Robert took her on her first grand tour of the farm. She had never seen pigs before, so she was particularly interested in the piglets, and she was especially excited when she saw the lambs in the Roundhouse.
Training a sheep dog takes commitment. “I’ve been taking her training very steadily,” says Robert.
“I do about 20 minutes’ worth every day, practising ‘come by,’ which means left, ‘away,’ which means right, and ‘lie down.’ Pip is very keen, but our sheep aren’t used to having a dog boss them around, so it’s been a bit of a steep learning curve.”
So it’s been a case of gradually driving the sheep around the edge of the field so that they could get used to her. “Pip seems very happy, though and that’s the most important thing.”
A sheep dog doesn’t fully mature until it is four years old, so it needs time to enjoy being a puppy
Living Our Best Lives: Cannon Hall Farm RRP £8.99, mirrorbook.co.uk