Border Line Brilliance

Ellena Swift gives the top dogging in award to the humble sheepdog

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This time of year the majority of keepers face the seemingly never-ending and infuriating task of “dogging-in”. The art of pushing wandering poults back to the more desirable areas of the shoot can be extremely time-consuming and impossible without said canine friend. Not dissimilar to the skills required of a beating dog, the dogging-in one must work steadily, without picking any of the birds (known as pegging).

The most common breed of dog used by keepers is the spaniel, for it is renowned for its ability to hunt tightly to its handler, quarter and sit to flush. While it is acknowledged that other gundog breeds can be just as effective as the spaniel in its role in driving birds home, it is surprising that given what is required of the dog another breed has been overlooked.

The border collie’s entire existence revolves around its desire to herd, drive and move quarry. It has little if no drive to retrieve and most will herd almost anything. I often hear pet dog owners claiming their collie herds their children if they wander too far, and nearly everyone in the dog world will have seen or heard of a collie chasing car wheels. It is a simple desire to herd the object that is trying to leave and not the “bad dog behaviour” it is often perceived to be. 

So what makes the collie such a useful dogging-in companion? While a spaniel will hunt hard and quarter, it will do so at a pace it dictates. This is normally fairly rapid. A collie will move at the pace of whatever they are attempting to herd. Therefore most birds being dogged-in by a collie will run rather than flush or fly. This means they are less likely to hop over the wrong hedge or fly the wrong way, resulting in either a long walk to get them back or the reluctant acceptance that the bird has beaten you.