MATT BAKER

THE COUNTRYFILE PRESENTER GOES BEHIND THE SCENES ON HIS SHOWS AND FAMILY FARM THE BORDER COLLIES IN MY LIFE

Our working sheepdogs are also muchloved family pets, and always have been.

LEFT Matt was 13 when Lace joined the family RIGHT Bob is the latest Border collie to work on the Baker farm

Dogs have always been a massive part of our family. I’ve lost count of the number of dogs we’ve had, from St Bernards to giant schnauzers, Labradors to cairn terriers. But for me, one breed stands out a mile. I almost don’t see them as dogs – it’s as if they’re another animal altogether.

I’ll never forget coming home from school on the day we got our first Border collie and running out to the stables where she was waiting for me. A shorthaired, black-and-white, nine-week-old puppy, Lace was so named because sheepdogs should have a one-syllable name that is quick and simple to call, and Mum was going through a phase of lacemaking. Lace and I had an instant bond from the moment she looked up from the straw she was rolling in. She was going to be my dog and we were soon thick as thieves, going on adventures together.

When I think back, that experience shaped how fascinated I am with the breed. Back in the day, long before YouTube, I had to use my initiative to train her. I knew if I could stop her, I’d be in with a chance of controlling her on the sheep. So before I introduced her to our flock, I trained her in some unconventional ways.

First, I tackled her “come by” and “away” commands. I had an old high-jump cross-pole and fastened a tennis ball to the end of it. Then, I swung it round and round, getting dizzier and dizzier as I called out the “away” (anti-clockwise ) and “come by” (clockwise) commands as Lace ran around me. I would then hoist the pole into the air shouting “lie down”. It worked a treat. I used a similar technique years later to tire out my

Blue Peter collie Meg before our live studio shows.

I took Lace to sheepdogtraining classes with Derek Bowmer, who has become a great family friend. He said to me: “There are only two things wrong with that dog. One is its name and the other is it doesn’t belong to me.”

“Lace was going to be my dog and we were soon thick as thieves, going on adventures”