Episode 1 Kate Humble: My Welsh Sheepdog's Tale

'This is Teg, my beautiful, soppy sheepdog.'

I know, it's all about you. It is. It's all about you.

'Teg is part of a rare breed.'

She's proper Welsh, isn't she, you know?

'Yes, Teg is a Welsh sheepdog, a breed brought back

'from the brink of extinction.

We found 80 of them, but of the 80, 20 were too old to breed.

'I want Teg and I to contribute to this story

'and now that Teghas reached breeding age...'

She's only two-and-a-half, it's barely legal.

'..I need to make a decision.

'If I breed from Teg, her puppies could help her kind.'

We need a new bloodline, really. In Wales, in the Welsh dogs.

'But the path to the pitter-patter of puppy paws is not a simple one.

'As a Welsh sheepdog, Teg should be a working dog,

'but currently she's suffering from an identity crisis.'

Sort of a paw in both camps. She's sort of part pet dog...

..and part working dog.

'Because I've allowed Teg to spend more time

'on the sofa with me than herding sheep,

'we both have to spruce up our shepherding skills.'

I don't know where to stand, I don't know

when to give her commands or when not to give her commands.

SHE WHISTLES

'After seeing her with other pups, could Teg even handle motherhood?'

Oh, Teg that's not very maternal.

'And can I convince my reluctant husband that breeding

'would be a good thing?'

-The big question is... Are you ready for puppies?

-No.

'Should I help my quirky dog Teg

'deliver a basket full of pure Welsh puppies?

'Or will this all end up as a shaggy dog's tail?

It's going to be a nightmare.

It's going to be a nightmare!

'Eight years ago, I left the city for the good life in Wales.

'I bought a farm in Monmouth and a mix of livestock.

'I adopted two rescue dogs. But there was one thing missing.'

I just need a dog, a dog that can work. As much as I love these two,

they weren't going to cut it. 'So Teg came into my life.

'Teg was bred to be a working dog.

'Although not pedigree registered, she's the daughter

'of Missy and Cumra,

'two gorgeous Welsh sheepdogs, a breed I never knew existed

'until I set my eyes on her.

'As a sheepdog, Teg's meant to have one role -

'rounding up livestock.

'However, there's another side to this story, as my husband,

'Ludo, knows only too well.'

Well, when Kate said she wanted to get a working dog or another dog,

I thought, absolutely no way.

But, eventually, I said yes to having a third dog

cos she's a very cute dog, no question about it, but as long

as Teg stayed on the farm, it would be fine, I thought.

She'd learn how to be a proper sheepdog.

The next thing I knew...

Teg wasn't at the farm, she was on our sofa at home.

Not on the sofa that often.

-She still sleeps outside.

-It's those two words, "that often", isn't it?

'You get the picture.'

Right from the start,

Teg's been a bit of a bone of contention in our house.

So, Ludo, my husband,

doesn't take a her terribly seriously as a working dog.

And just thinks I'm using that...

You see, you're doing me no favours at all!

That I'm sort of saying she's a working dog to kind of try

and deny the fact that, actually,

we have ended up with three pet dogs,

which is what he never wanted to do.

'Teg spends most of her time with our to rescue dogs,

'Bella and Badger.

'The truth is she does sneak onto the sofa sometimes.

'When I'm not around, she sets up camp in Ludo's office.

'And he's no better than I am at helping her find her true identity.'

He treats her exactly the same as our other dogs.

She is treated like a pet.

And he'll take her out with the other dogs, which I do, too,

and chuck a Frisbee around with them, which is great,

she absolutely loves it, and it's great exercise, but...

SHE SIGHS

..I just sometimes think it can undermine

the work that she's doing.

And it sort of exacerbates, really, this slightly strange

role that she has, which is a sort of a paw in both camps.

She's sort of part pet dog, and part working dog, and I think

sometimes she feels a little bit confused about her identity.

You know, what am I?

'To be considered a true Welsh sheepdog,

'Teg must renounce her pet privileges

'and become a proper working dog.

'As if this wasn't enough strain on our domestic bliss,

'Teg's reached breeding age.

'And, so, before I can even think about breeding her,

'I need to address the identity crisis we've unwittingly caused.

'Have we turned Teg into a hopeless pampered pooch?

'Or is there still a fully functioning working Welsh sheepdog

'lurking somewhere in there?

'There's only one way to find out.

'We're heading to the hills above Trawsfynydd in the heart

'of Snowdonia, where sheep are still raised on vast,

'rugged landscapes by shepherds and their highly-skilled dogs.

'We've been invited to join them

'today on a traditional hill gather to see if Teg has what it takes

'to reconnect with her Welsh working roots.'

Slightly apprehensive this morning.

This is going to be a really big test for Teg

because she's never done a gather before.

I don't quite know how this is going to work. Alan is a proper...

proper Welsh farmer with proper Welsh sheepdogs.

And both of us, I suspect, could get very shown up today.

'My concern is that, as of late,

'Teg has been more of a pet than a worker.

'And she hasn't been around a large number of sheep for three months.'

You're going to get a proper workout today, Teg.

We'll see whether that ancestry is any good at all, shall we?

Hey, shall we?

'Alan Jones' farm has been in his family for three generations,

'and they have always used Welsh sheepdogs to heard their flocks.'

-And these are both Welsh dogs, too?

-Both Welsh, yes.

It's really interesting, isn't it, how different they are, the look,

-as a breed.

-Yeah, they look a bit different, mostly the same type.

'Unlike most breeds that conform to a distinctive look,

'the Welsh dogs are bred for their herding behaviour,

'believed to be ingrained in their genetic make-up.

'Today, Alan is bringing the sheep down for shearing,

'and Teg and I will get a chance to help, or perhaps hinder,

'this traditional gathering.

'Joining us is Dafydd Gwyndaf,

'only the chairman of the Welsh Sheepdog Society, the organisation

'which can certify Teg's Welsh credentials and shed some light

'onto what distinctive behaviours a Welsh sheepdog should display.'

It doesn't eye the sheep. It works quite freely.

And doesn't go down on its... on its belly, or anything like that.

It works on its feet all the time, with the occasional bark.

'So, naturally, I'm keen to introduce Teg to him.'

Her mother's got a complete blue eye.

So she's got the half on one side,

and then she's got a little star, like David Bowie.

HE LAUGHS I always think she looks like

a cross between David Bowie and Basil Brush!

So, what's the plan, then?

Well, the plan is to go up to the mountain now.

And we'll meet Alan up there.

-What a spot!

-Yes.

Nice view for you.

Oh!

-So, is everything we can see your land?

-Yes. Yes.

You must feel like king of the castle when you're up here.

-Yes, it's nice when it's dry, like today.

-We're having a kind day!

-Yes.

-So, I can see a few sheep in the distance.

Your job, then, push them down, make sure they don't come back up.

OK, OK. Teg, were you listening? Were you listening to that? Yeah.

All right. We'll wait here and see how you get on.

'And, so, Alan and his dogs set off to do what they do best -

'round up about 300 sheep with five dogs over 400 acres of mountain.

'The speed at which the Welsh dogs run over that rugged terrain

'is incredible.

'How they can even hear the commands from their owners over those

'great distances and howling wind, I simply don't know.

'My guess is the dogs know exactly what they're doing,

'and the shouting just gives them a bit of extra guidance.'

HE SHOUTS AND WHISTLES

'Back in the day, hardy men, known as drovers,

'and their Welsh dogs would drive livestock long distances to markets.

'The Welsh sheepdogs were in charge not only of herding the animals

'but protecting them and their owners from predators and thieves.

'With the arrival of the railway and motor vehicles, transporting

'livestock became easier, and the droving tradition slowly ended.

'This is probably as close to what the drovers used to do

'as it gets in the 21st century.

'It's teamwork at its best.

'Before we know it, the sheep are coming down from all corners,

'lining up to a more manageable spot.'

LOUD WHISTLE

'And that's our cue to join in.

'Although we have both done

'a little bit of training over the last 18 months...'

SHE WHISTLES

Teg!

'..it soon becomes clear it's not been enough.'

Teg, that'll do! That'll do, Teg!

Teg, come here! Keen as mustard. Wait.

'Whilst no-one can dispute our enthusiasm...'

Teg, Teg...

'..there appears to be a communication breakdown.

'And I think I know where the problem lies.'

Teg! You've lost the lot.

I'm the one that lets her down.

I just don't... I don't feel confident in any way as a handler.

I don't know where to stand, I don't know when to give her commands

or when not to give her commands.

Steady. Teg, come back! Come back.

Luckily, she's so good, she sort of covers for me.

'I wonder what the professionals made of her.'

-The more she worked up there, the better she got.

-Yeah.

And if she was up here for two or three weeks,

she'd be a different dog.

You're not stealing her.

'Yes, we both can do with more training,

'but I think the experience has definitely proved that Teg

'has the instincts and latent skills of a working Welsh sheepdog.'

I've got the happiest dog. She's got this sort of grin from ear to ear.

Your work is done.

She just... Look at her!

She's like a kind of kid that's had too many sweets.

She's just running around and around in circles,

she's so excited about the whole thing.

It was just lovely to see her out on a Welsh hillside, you know,

her habitat...

with Welsh sheep, doing what she was absolutely bred to do.

Has she jumped in? Teg!

'But, back at home, bad habits are hard to break.'

Teg goes... "Great, I'm a pet." And she'll go and chase a Frisbee.

I think she just forgets that she's a sheepdog.

For a long time, Kate has dreamt of having that kind of

working relationship with a dog, but I...

I will be amazed if she can actually develop that with Teg

effectively enough to have her count as a proper sheepdog.

'Maybe Ludo is right, but it's a challenge I'm determined to face.'

Now, then, where have you got to with your handling?

Can you give her "Come by" and it'll work?

Yes, yes, and she'll pretty much listen to that.

'My guru, Adeline Jones, has been working with me and Teg

'for over a year now.'

There. Stand there. Stay there.

'She's the secretary of the Welsh Sheepdog Society.'

No, no, no!

'And, to be registered with them as a true Welsh dog,

'Teg must prove she can work with sheep.'

-The voice of evil, she recognises me.

-You must keep her back there.

'Adeline is a master handler,

'and Teg works better with her than she does with me.'

You need to keep her from running all over you

because all she is doing is she's...

-I'm in control.

-Yes! Because she is!

You don't really matter at all, and I can run them over

-the top of you.

-'The roles are reversed here.

'Teg is the one handling me.'

Steady, Teg. Steady.

I suppose you have that inherent understanding that

I don't have of the position that a dog's going to be

and what's that's going to do to the sheep.

At the moment, I haven't joined those dots.

She picks up that I haven't got the confidence.

-Do you think that's right?

-I think that is entirely true,

and I think you need to work on taking control of the situation.

-Yeah.

-And where to stand, it'll come with experience.

You just have to learn it.

Good girl. Steady, steady. Stand, stand. Teg, Teg, steady.

She's in control now. She's putting a bit of pressure on.

She's got them back, she knows what she's doing.

Come and have this gate and shut it across the back.

-Now, that was you and her.

-Mainly her.

-Very little of me!

Teg knows what to do. It's pack instinct, it's how they hunt.

They observe, they see what's going on

and they fit in with whatever they need to do. And... Well, Kate...

isn't a dog, and doesn't do it that way. Perhaps Teg can teach Kate.

That's hopefully where it will go, anyway.

SHE LAUGHS

'Given their innate herding instincts, it's difficult

'to imagine that the Welsh sheepdogs almost disappeared a few years ago.

They fell out of fashion when the Scottish Border Collies

'and sheepdog trials became popular in the 1930s.

Breeders started crossing the Border collies with the Welsh sheepdogs

and the pure Welsh working dogs plummeted in numbers.

This is really where you see the difference

between the Borders and the Welsh.

If this was a Welsh dog,

they would be upright, standing behind the sheep.

The Border collies are so controlled.

You see them working right down on the ground.

They are attentive to every sound.

But it's interesting that I've spoken to enough Welsh farmers now,

farming in, you know, quite rugged environments,

and all of them have said a collie wouldn't cut it out here.

It's got to be a Welsh dog.

If it wasn't for the efforts of two neighbouring farmers

and a dog named Topsy, my Teg wouldn't be around today.

John Davies and Huw Thomas were responsible for saving

the Welsh sheepdogs from the brink of extinction nearly 20 years ago.

I catch up with them at John's farm near Aberystwyth.

Hello. Good to see you, John.

So this is Topsy's great-great-granddaughter?

Topsy was the first dog to be registered as pedigree

by the Welsh Sheepdog Society,

which, for Teg, is almost like being related to the Royals.

I wanted a dog to mate with Topsy to keep...

a Welsh dog, to keep the breed going

and I could see they were getting less every year.

And Huw was going around the country, around farms,

so I phoned him one evening

asking him if he knew of a good Welsh dog somewhere

which I could put on Topsy to keep the breed going.

Together, they kick-started a nationwide search

for pure Welsh dogs, and the findings were alarming.

We found 80 of them,

but, of the 80, 20 were too old to breed,

so that reduced it to 60, which is, you know,

it's getting to the stage of... extinction would have occurred

in the next five years without any shadow of doubt.

I suppose the main message was then, go forth and multiply.

Which is what they did.

Today, there are about 2,000 Welsh sheepdogs registered in the country,

which is a remarkable comeback from such a small gene pool.

But in reality, that number compares to the population

of giant pandas left in the wild.

The history of the Welsh sheepdog goes back a long way.

To discover their origin, I meet with a historian

at the National Library of Wales.

Cledwyn Fychan has arranged for us to have a look

at some ancient manuscripts.

The history of the Welsh herding dog,

or the "bugeilgi" as it's known in Welsh,

goes back to references in The Laws of Hywel Dda,

which possibly stretch back 800 to 1,000 years.

The king of all Wales in the 9th century, Hywel Dda,

or Hywel the Good, wanted to create a just society

by attributing value to everything that mattered.

So it's this bugeilgi who goes in the morning behind the herd

and then comes behind them again in the evening, bringing them back.

That dog is worth the most expensive or the most valuable oxen.

Do you think I'm allowed to refer back to this law

and say that my dog is far more valuable than anybody else's?

Who knows? You may find it to your advantage if you did.

Erm...

how sure can we be

that the Welsh dogs working today

are true Welsh dogs?

Well, erm...

what is a true Welsh dog?

When you consider that the laws again, it says there specifically

that a bugeilgi can be of any type

as long as it can perform certain duties.

And that's still true today.

So, based on tradition, it would seem like it doesn't really matter

what a bugeilgi, or a Welsh sheepdog, looks like,

as they are defined simply by their behaviour and the way they work.

But what about Teg?

Is her behaviour that of a Welsh sheepdog?

Well, tomorrow, she's going to be assessed

by the Welsh Sheepdog Society.

We have to look tough and manly and working.

If she can demonstrate that she works with the characteristics

of a Welsh sheepdog to a panel of experts,

she will be given her Welsh Sheepdog Society registration

and then, if I breed from her,

her puppies could contribute to future generations.

It's judgement day.

Teg and five other dogs are about to be scrutinised.

A team of experts will be watching their every move.

If they perform well, they will be awarded a breeding licence

by the Welsh Sheepdog Society.

The way they work will be crucial

as it's this that defines their Welsh credentials.

Their style of working is very particular to Welsh sheepdogs.

With their tails held high, they dart boldly around the flock.

Unless told otherwise, they are constantly on their feet.

Unlike borders, they don't use a fixed stare,

yet their eyes don't miss a thing.

And when the occasion calls for it, they're not afraid to be vocal.

BARKING

It's our turn and first impressions count.

You all look quite intimidating.

Morning. Kate. Lovely to see you.

How are you, Ian? Nice to see you.

-Erwyd.

-Hi, Erwyd.

-How are you?

-Hello. Good to see you.

So this is Teg and we're both a bit nervous.

SHE LAUGHS

What's your feeling, just looking at her?

The first thing from the head, a proper Welsh head

should have a distinctive dip between the temple and there.

But that isn't there. That could be a Border.

-And Welsh dogs should have a slightly shorter, broader head.

-OK.

She's a bit long in her tail.

OK.

Which is a funny thing to say

but, like, most Welsh dogs...

-..have got a shorter tail than a Border.

-Right.

-She has got a Border collie's tail.

-Right.

'Teg, a Border collie? I don't think she's happy with that.'

SHE WHISTLES

That'll do, Teg! Teg, that'll do!

Excuse me a minute.

WHISTLING

-She's eager.

-Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

She's a very keen, eager bitch.

I have insulted her.

She's trying to prove to you she's definitely not a collie.

Insulted the bitch, I can see.

She said, "I may have a long tail and a long nose

"but I'm definitely Welsh."

Well done, Teg.

She's not going to allow them to judge her just on looks alone.

Now it's time to show them officially what she's made of.

Away, Teg.

'The aim of the assessment is to show how Teg behaves

'when herding the sheep.'

-What it wanted was a five-mile run before the start.

-To settle down.

'Our plan is simple - to move the flock from one side of the field

'to the other and stop by a gate.'

Good girl.

Teg, by, by.

A bit wild.

Teg, by, by.

The dog seems to have got it about it.

-It only needs some training.

-Yeah, yeah.

The tail comes up on the corners.

Right, we are in...in business.

-Now that is showing far better now.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Tidy.

-Keeps them in a bunch anyway.

Quite tidy.

That'll do. Come here.

Good, good. Excellent, Kate.

Well, it takes us a little bit of time to find our feet,

but what did you make of her?

Good.

Yes, good.

Actually, she was doing work on her feet,

she was working

in a Welsh manner.

Yeah. Tail up.

-A bit of a bark every now and then.

-Yeah, that was acceptable.

The only thing, she was a bit overenthusiastic.

A bit like her owner!

It's all looking good for Teg, but then they drop a bombshell.

They want to know if Teg's parents are pure Welsh sheepdogs

and I simply don't know the answer.

The problem you have got...

-You don't know her full history.

-That's right.

-Of her bloodline.

-That's right.

So we wouldn't be able to register

her puppies.

OK.

They would have to be put to the test working first.

Does that mean she can't be registered?

-Yes.

-Right.

-No.

'OK, so we have a bit of a good news, bad news situation.

'On the bright side, they all agreed that Teg works in a Welsh way

'and if I breed from her, her puppies could be registered,

'as long as they show the same Welsh working traits

'and pass the assessment.

'But on the downside, Teg can't be registered,

'although I'm not going to give up quite yet.'

The stumbling block is the fact that we don't know her maternal line.

We know who her father is and we know his breeding

but we don't know anything about Missy, her mum, and her breeding,

and that's the thing that's stopping them saying,

"We can register her."

So I think I've got a bit of a detective story on my hands.

But, first things first, it's time Ludo and I have a little chat.

-She's been assessed.

-Yeah.

And the general consensus is that she is a good dog

and, erm, if we bred her,

the puppies could be registered if they worked, you know,

in the same way as Welsh sheepdogs,

so she would then contribute

to the future of the breed.

OK. I thought you were going to say contribute to the household budget!

Her pedigree. But would they be pedigree?

They would be able to be registered as Welsh sheepdogs.

Well done, Teg. Congratulations.

You've passed the first test.

The big question is - are you ready for puppies?

No.

Where are you going to live when she has them?

Well, she could come into season, sort of...

October, late October, November.

A nine-week pregnancy.

So we could have puppies.

That's Christmas or something. Isn't it ridiculous?

Can you imagine anything sweeter than...

That would be appalling. Just imagine it.

So...what do you think?

Do you think we should do it?

I don't know. Do you want to do it?

"Please! Please!"

I promise we won't keep any.

I can see you holding your fingers.

So what do you think? Shall we do it?

Do I have to commit, do I?

-Why?

-Because it's being filmed and if you commit now

you can't get out of it.

Maybe.

Well, you want me to say yes, do you?

-A nice, clean...

-Yes.

-.."yes"?

Without you talking over me like that? All right, then.

Good.

It's going to be a nightmare. It's going to be a nightmare.

It's going to be three months of puppy poo

for Christmas and beyond.

We were going on holiday then and everything.

I tell you what, I'll go on holiday and you can look after puppies.

When do you wean them?

'We'll see about that!'

'Next time, I set off on a mission to find Teg's ancestry.'

-But did you go to a farm?

-No, I didn't.

'We learn about the complications of matchmaking dogs.'

You stand a chance of problems with deafness and with eye problems.

'And I play Cupid to find Teg a suitor.'

I can't tell whether that's a kiss or potential for a snap.