Leader of the Pack

Walking seventeen dogs is no mean feat. I was fortunately on top of a hillock as Colin and his wife passed by. He let them run forward for a moment, allowing me to take this photo, but all returned to his heel within seconds of a blast of the whistle he holds on his lips.

The training skills of this man are outstanding! Colin's dogs are often on display at local events where he demonstrates Gun Dog handling. On mass, they can be sat on the spot, where they will stay without any tether even out of sight of their owner for as long as they are ordered to. From a distance he can call an individual dog to perform a task and only the dog he calls will step out of line. I cannot but admire how one man and a whistle can keep seventeen dogs totally under control at all times.

Colin starts training his dogs from the moment they open their eyes. In all the years I've known him, I've never seen a dog even think about disobeying an order. It's also true that they aren't pets, as most people consider their dogs, and have never seen the inside of his house, let alone the sofa.