Home plan to bring dogs and sheep together

Breeder wants to protect her flock

A Dunblane dog trainer says she wants to build a house on land where she rears rare sheep so she can protect her flock and also train more pets to behave around livestock.

Dawn Green established Dogs at Dawn Ltd eight years ago, but alongside the dog training business has also developed a small farm where she breeds Ryeland sheep, a rare breed which can fetch anything up to £100,000 per head.

She has submitted an application to Stirling Council planners for a site west of Auchinlay House near Dunblane, seeking to build an environmentallyfriendly house related to day-to-day management, breeding and expansion of the flock. She also wants permission for a building to house a dog training school.

“As a qualified pet dog trainer, I have reached the respectable heights of training dogs to the level of working gun dogs,” she told the planners. “The demands of such levels of training require land areas that can be controlled to avoid distractions of other dog walkers in order to complete the structured training programmes.

“There has been an increase in numbers of dog walking vans that are filled with many dogs that are exercised in and around public land, which is causing conflict of interest for my training system. I therefore now use a part of the smallholding I own in Auchinlay Road.

“The Outdoor Right to Roam Act allows for dog walkers to cross land that has livestock on it. Pet dogs have been responsible for many sheep attacks and deaths to the point whereby the National Farmers’ Union and police have joined together to encourage dog owners to seek professional dog training assistance.

“I am developing training programmes to include working with sheep for those dogs who have reached a good standard of control.”

Ms Green said she is planning to offer a new residential training programme which would require the dog to stay with her and be exposed to sheep, that are used to dogs, more regularly than just hourly sessions.

“I would house the dogs within the compound of a purpose-built home from home environment beside a welldesigned dwelling that would serve to be my home.”

In terms of her sheep, Ms Green said she had built up a breeding flock of pedigree Ryeland sheep, starting with three but now with more than 40, and she was developing a small farm, registered as “Green Farm.

She added: “The livestock husbandry along with the training of pups/dogs to a standard that is reliable around livestock requires considerable focus and attention.”

Planning consultants for Ms Green, Alan Couper Consulting, said council planners had advised she would have to set out clear justification as to why she must live on the land and not in nearby Dunblane. She currently lives in Bridge of Allan.

In their submission they added: “Looking after the rare breed sheep is a seven day-a-week time commitment. During lambing she often remains on site for most of the day, but despite this she has lost rams through theft and other sheep have died due to the fact she is not on site all the time.

“Despite the fact she is on site daily, and has subdivided the land into paddocks making it more difficult for unauthorised access by people with dogs and people simply walking through, the problem of urban trespass is still significant.”

In terms of her dog training business, the consultants said she was “trying through the training to instil a level of obedience that would stop a dog chasing sheep or bird life” and that it was a five day a week time commitment after she had dealt with her flock of sheep.

Council planners are expected to make a recommendation on the application in due course.

There has been an increase in numbers of dog walking vans that are exercised in and around public land, which is causing conflict of interest for my training system Dawn Green