"Play with me Dad"

Much as I’m not into cute, I simply couldn’t resist this photo.  These two are father and son, Ray and Buck MacRay.  Look at Dad’s eyes, that slightly resigned expression, as if to say, “Okay son, if you must.”  Doesn’t it remind you of a young Dad?  I confess to a collie bias, so today’s post has been inspired by this enchanting photo.

These two live on a smallholding in Scotland, they get to do proper collie work and have real sheep to practice with.  Collies are hard-wired to control movement.  They are extraordinary dogs who use the power of their stare to control whole flocks of sheep, combined with their natural athleticism, they are able to run and stare at the same time.  They are of course working dogs.  And as such, do not necessarily make the best of pets, or family dogs, since they need a purpose.

This is exactly the issue we are having with Moss.  She’s heading for two, she’s just had rather a massive season and now needs plenty of training to keep her mind occupied.  Collies can go from one obsession to another, which can be tricky and needs careful management.  Her first obsession was with birds, I remember her running along the river bank flushing out all the birds, she was as high as a kite and completely out of control.   It was a bit of a wakeup call for me.

Luckily Moss loves to be trained, if I can get her to focus that collie stare on me, she can learn really fast.  But what direction are we going in?  That’s the question, I know that the limitations lie with me.

Unlike this father and son team in Scotland, Moss doesn’t have a flock of sheep to practice her innate skills on, poor thing.

Photo:  “Play with me Dad”