Written in 1956 the year I was born. I must admit I am biased to old books and will try to share thoughts on a few. I like a story. Every dog is different and training techniques that work for one, just don’t work for another. By reading I have been exposed to hundreds of different ideas. Roy Saunders illustrated the book himself and that alone made me like it. Unlike most of the books that I read that are more focused on training this book was more about Saunders love for his dog Toss and their journey together. Whilst there is also good training information in the book I mainly enjoyed just following the journey in such another time and place as Toss and Saunders went to trials in rural England and Wales heading off in a little Austin A40.
‘The tests in the South Wales Style have absolutely
no bearing on practical sheep husbandry. In this Style
a Maltese cross is formed from eight hurdles two feet
apart, and the three sheep have to be steered through
first one way and then the other at right angles. After
this they must be driven through another pair of
hurdles standing parallel and also about two feet apart
—and what shepherd in his senses would try to coax
sheep to do this on his home territory? '
This quote from the book gives the essence of much which followed. Imagine a maltese cross only two feet wide. For a Australian Trans tasman competition it is two metres wide.
Saunders tells of Toss at a Hills Trial at Llanafan, Wales - where dogs ran up a mountain blind for over a mile before sighting their sheep and gathering them. What a sight it would be to see. Hill trials in New Zealand (long cast) are amazing but the Welsh trial was next level.
Finally I loved the following illustration. Anyone who has competed at a trial will relate to it.
I recommend this book as a lovely light and entertaining read that should be enjoyed by anyone who has working sheepdogs.