Episode 1 One Man and His Dog

We've got glorious sunshine, rolling hills, champion dogs, and lots and lots of sheep!

It can only be the longest running television dog trial in the world, it's One Man And His Dog 2010.

Here we are on a beautiful farm in the countryside just outside Cheddar Gorge.

Over the next couple of days, we'll be seeing the very best in sheepdog trialling,

as the top handlers from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales battle it out to be crowned 2010 champions.

The first of the three trials in this year's competition will be that

of the young handlers and all the competitors are under the age of 18.

Then it's the brace round, that's one man and two dogs.

Then, in the final round, it's one man and his dog but with two groups of sheep.

A man who knows more about sheepdog trialling than anyone else I know is

of course Gus Dermody and he joins us as ever.

-Gus, lovely to see you.

-Hello.

Now, our four competing nations, which one do you think stands the

best chance of being champion this year?

On paper it could well be Wales

but at all three levels of this competition it's very, very strong.

Honestly, I think it's too close to call.

The outcome may be too close to call but there's one thing that's certain

- every one of our handlers will be hoping it's their dog that helps them clinch victory.

But what is it that makes a champion dog? What do you have to look for?

I went with Gus to one of the largest sheepdog auctions in the country to find out.

If you want to buy either a working or trialling dog, then this is the place you need to come.

This is a sheepdog auction.

We're in Skipton on a rainy blustery day, but it's really busy.

Gus, how does the auction work?

There's over 100 dogs for sale.

That includes little pups, fully-trained dogs, and even some trial dogs as well.

Like all auctions, if you want to buy something, obviously you want to have

a look at it, so there are people out in the field behind us showing how their dogs work with sheep.

But unusually, if you do want to buy a dog, you can get a sneak preview of it at its home.

Emrys Jones is a handler who trains and sells sheepdogs.

He's been working with Jess for the past two months in preparation for the auction.

Come-bye.

She's a little bit eager, I don't mind that.

We can always take that out of her.

Stand. Stand.

But you can't put what she's got into a dog - which is fast, keen, switched-on, she's like a razor.

Come-bye

-Today, some potential buyers want to see exactly how well Jess performs in the field.

-She's real smart.

You've done a good job with her.

If they like what they see, then they'll bid, but there could be others interested in Jess on the day.

-Fast, isn't she?

-Yes, she is, yes.

Nice mover.

I've spotted our Jess in the catalogue here.

We've seen some pretty high prices already.

One dog went for over 1,500 guineas just now.

A guinea is £1.05.

-Why do they sell in guineas?

-It's tradition and the auctioneer has the 5p.

Jess from Emrys Jones.

This is a very sharp registered bitch born February 2009.

What are the buyers looking for when they look at a dog like this?

First of all they're looking at the temperament of the dog.

They want a dog with a good outrun, they want a dog that's careful with

the sheep, it doesn't rush them, bully them, or anything like that.

It's not about the way the dog looks, it's about the way it performs.

Buyers are interested in the way the dog takes its instruction, as well at its ability to command sheep.

Good outrun. Easy to teach.

At the moment I'm quite impressed. Yes, she's well trained.

Put your hand in your pocket then!

Ladies and gents,

start the lead then, for 3,000 guineas.

-So bidding is starting.

-1,500 bid,

1,500 bid, 1,500.

1,500 bid, 1,500, 1,500, 1,500,

1,600, 1,700, 1,800,

1,900.

The potential that she's showing now is that she could well turn out to be trialled through so I'd

be looking at two plus and it's just reached two now.

Are you sure that wiggling your finger like that isn't meaning that you're bidding?

2,300.

With you, sir.

2,350. 2,400.

At 2,400. At 2,400 bid. At 2,400.

Yes, sir. 2,500 bid. At 2,500.

At 2,500 bid.

Sold at 2,500 up the right hand side there, please.

Well, it was a good price.

I don't think

it was one of Emrys's known buyers but I think it was somebody standing over there.

Can we interrupt? Sorry, Emrys.

-Pleased to meet you.

-So you're the man who will give Jess the new home?

What made you think this was a good dog?

When I saw her in the back of Emrys's pick up

this morning, she was sharp and I like her size as well because she's got to do hill work.

She's a lot of style.

You can usually tell about most things.

I think this is a man in love here!

I didn't think you men were soppy about your dogs.

I spend more time with my dogs than I do with...

We're very close to our dogs.

Emrys, are you pleased about...?

I'm really pleased. She's going up to lots of sheep, lots of field, lots of land.

-Brilliant.

-A good successful day here at Skipton.

Back in Somerset, the competition is almost under way.

As ever on One Man And His Dog, it'll be the young handlers up first.

While they wait nervously to step up to the post, here are Matt and Gus to talk us through the course.

Five sheep are sat next to the lift post at the far end of the course.

It's important to remember that, with sheepdog trialling,

the marking is about losing points, not gaining them.

So for the outrun, you can get a possible 20 points.

And remember, the handler can choose to send their dog out either right or left.

Then the dog approaches the sheep and moves them gently back towards the handler.

That's known as the lift and it's worth 10 points.

There are 20 points up for grabs at the fetch but the handler must remain at the post.

Next it's the drive worth up to 30 points and it's always a tricky part

of the course, this, especially at the second drive gates.

So we might see a few points lost here.

The drive ends when the sheep enter the shedding ring.

Here, any two sheep can be shed off and held by the dog until the judges

are satisfied, for a maximum of 10 points.

And for another 10 points, all five sheep must be penned and the gate closed.

The course should be completed in 12 minutes

and there's a total of 100 points available before any deductions.

I've come to a very windy spot but it's a spot

with a splendid view right across the course, and this is where our judges will spend the next couple of days.

Let me introduce you to them. This is John Robinson from Scotland, and Dick Montgomery from Bristol.

Dick, what makes a good judge of a sheepdog trial?

Well, someone that's experienced enough to know what a good run is in the first place and has got...

Can be consistent for the whole day for every run, and to judge the runs and not the individuals.

-John, have you worked with Dick before?

-No, I haven't.

-So how do you know that you're going to have a similar opinion?

-We don't.

We could see fur fly?

You might! You could see Dick flying over the edge!

Let's hope that doesn't happen!

-Are you expecting a good competition over the next couple of days?

-Oh yeah, should be close I think.

Good, good, well I hope you're looking forward to it

because we certainly are and the competition is about to start.

Now, opinion is a bit divided about whether running first is an advantage or disadvantage.

We drew lots earlier and first up in the young handlers Fraser Shennon with his dog, Fizz.

The one problem with living in Scotland is it's always raining.

The day I saw Fizz, she was jumping up and wagging her tail at me.

We seemed to get on very well with each other.

I'm 15-year-old,

my dog is coming four in August and I've been dog trialling for a year-and-a-half now.

I'm excited about being part of the team but I just don't want to let the side down.

I bought Fizz from a relation to enter dog trialling as well.

She was just a good-natured dog and she seemed to

listen to me and get on with me.

I've never really had one as good as that before.

I wouldn't want to be without her, but I know it willnae last forever.

I got into trialling because of my papa.

It's another name for my grandpa.

He's been dog trialling for 50 years and he was put in for Scotland

in the first ever One Man And His Dog, and he won it.

David Shennon and Meg won the single championship for Scotland.

Everybody has got high expectations of me. It would mean

a lot to win One Man And His Dog,

make my papa proud and I'd feel proud of myself if I won it.

Well, no need for the waterproofs today, Fraser.

Fizz seems to be enjoying the sunshine as well, so first competitor

in this young handler's competition and we're predicting that Fizz will run off to the left, Gus.

Yes, and she's away.

So this is the outrun.

Yes, went a little bit square.

Maybe the judges might have taken one off for going on the downside of the pen but it's a good line.

She's got the sheep spotted and she's coming in just right.

Every handler has their own specific set of whistles.

They're all unique to their dog.

Looking for that 12 o'clock position, lies down beautifully.

That's good, that's a nice start.

Moving on to the lift.

Sets the tempo, really, for the course.

Yes, they've accepted the dog and they're coming up the field now towards Fraser.

Just two points lost for the outrun.

Two points lost for the lift. Things going OK.

Fraser was a little apprehensive as to how Fizz would get on.

He says it's two days since Fizz has seen sheep because of the journey here.

Coming towards the fetch gates.

They jibbed but they're through.

Very nice, great stuff.

This line is good up the fetch, Fizz working well.

She lies down when he asks her to stop and sometimes it can be to her

disadvantage, but these sheep are reacting all right to her and it's a very good start at this stage.

He won an open trial in spectacular

-fashion, Gus.

-He won it really well against the adults, yes.

He was well in front and he did take a good shed

so he'll no doubt be fairly confident all the way round

this field now that he knows she's reacting right.

17 points awarded for the fetch, on 43 at the moment.

Well, that's good at the moment, and they're nicely coming in.

And through the gates themselves, and a good tight turn.

This is going good, Gus, isn't it?

It is, it is.

He was saying to me just before he took to the field that this

is the point he's slightly concerned about, actually

judging the distance of these gates.

Yes, yes, quite possible.

They've got their heads up, they're ready to do a run and escape if they possibly can.

Especially the white-faced one, she's going round the back now.

Now they're coming through and they're nicely through, but that was well done.

So then, on to the shed looking for any two.

23 out of 30 for the drive.

Now just seven lost.

It's still a good round.

To be fair, to be first up for the young handlers, it's a tough thing

because all the spectators and competitors are behind watching them, and here's Fraser first out.

Everyone is getting a judge of the course from his round.

Very true.

Interestingly because these sheep have been so compact, it might be tricky to get two off.

Especially if they suspect that you're trying to pull one or two of them away.

Come-bye

There's a chance, an opportunity. Asking the dog through, in she comes.

On to the two sheep.

Well, maximum marks.

Excellent for the shed.

That's a confidence builder.

So far, so very, very good.

Yes, fingers crossed.

Come-bye. Come-bye.

The sheep just having another little look at Fizz.

They're nicely bunched here.

He's getting them towards the mouth.

They're coming on to the edge.

But she's coming up on to them again now. They could well spin in now.

The others are looking good now.

That's it and in they go. Great stuff.

Look at that - Fraser swings the gate shut with great glee.

Absolutely superb performance first up,

and that has set the benchmark.

Nine for the pen, a total of 85.

What a start for Fraser and Fizz, and what a start for Scotland.

Let's see what he makes of it.

I got all my gates and I finished so I'm quite happy but my lines weren't as straight as I'd have liked.

I thought I lost quite a lot of points just because my lines weren't straight.

Any pre-round nerves Fraser might have had certainly didn't show.

That was a great round and a tough act to follow for our next young handler.

She loves me!

My name is Elin and this is my bitch Eryri Taran.

I live in Snowdonia Park and I'll be representing Wales in One Man And His Dog.

I live at home and I've got nine brothers and sisters.

I've got four sisters and five brothers and I'm the oldest of the girls.

My dad first got into trialling.

I went with him to the different sheepdog trials and

I enjoyed it because I met different kind of people.

They just like to see different kind of dogs and spend time outside.

My dog's full name means "Snowdonia thunder" in English.

She's quite fast for her size and thunders are fast so I think she deserves it.

She's a busybody. She likes nosing and she's really jumpy

and interested in everything.

I taught her that but it's not part of her sheepdog training!

I hope I'll never give up trialling, I enjoy it so much.

On the day of One Man And His Dog, I'm not sure what the chances will be.

I hope I'll do a good job, but we'll see on the day.

On we go then with our second young handler of four and a bit of Snowdonia thunder in Cheddar gorge.

Away goes the dog to the left.

No doubt she'll have just wanted to get on with this round, and now

she'll be focused on the sheep and all will be forgotten.

Yeah, the dog is just about wide enough, she might cast out further.

Ah, she is doing now so that's good.

If the dog goes too deep into the field, it can lose sight but she gave it a whistle then.

That was a very good start, the dog compensated. It was coming in too tight before but it's opened out.

It's covered the sheep and it's lifted them well.

They're just bending a little bit now though to the left.

15 scored for the outrun. Two points lost for the lift.

It's going near the edge of the gate.

Will they go?

Well corrected, that!

We breathe again, as all the sheep managed to go through the fetch hurdles.

She's now using voice and whistle commands.

No doubt she is talking to the dogs, she'll be speaking in Welsh because that's her first language.

Yes.

She's stopping the dog.

I'm not the expert in the Welsh language.

It's an awkward spot here as the sheep start to come round the post.

The dog is going round, the sheep are going round.

Turning down on to the first leg of the drive.

SHE SPEAKS WELSH

Just four points lost on the fetch at this stage.

She's four points behind where Fraser was.

Off go the sheep.

So back through those fetch gates, that's the idea.

Round through the gates and on to the cross drive.

It's a good turn.

She's got to ask the dog round so she's gone off line on the cross drive.

-Ooh!

-She's got them back on line, now she's got to go round fast.

And come in through the gates... What a recovery!

-She's done it!

-She got through!

That was sensational, wasn't it?

It's points lost but she did get the obstacle and that matters a lot.

So over the sheep come to the shedding ring.

Any two can be separated from the group.

21 scored for the drive.

She needs to find an extra six points.

One broken away, going round the edge of the ring, but if

they go out of the ring there's points to be lost.

There are 10 points available for the shed.

It's a lonely place as well, isn't it, that shedding ring, Gus?

You feel so self-conscious, don't you, when you're in there?

Very, very! Yes.

The possibility here of the back two. She might well try for the back two here.

Maybe it comes. If she can just get the dog in...

Oh, it shot back across.

She'll have to lose points for that but I could see what she was after, and it was a fair

chance to have a go there, but unfortunately that one sheep

shot across and joined the others so she's got to start all over again.

It's the luck of the draw sometimes whether you can get this but there's a chance coming now.

There's two off.

The dog comes through,

and nicely taken.

Nicely taken. When it eventually came, she got it well.

Three points for the shed so, yeah, it's a shame but the

opportunity didn't come for her so she's obviously been penalised.

Now she's got to try and get them in the pen and they're going down towards the side.

She's got to get that gate open.

After remaining quite still for a while, these sheep

are keen to stretch their legs, but moving over to the pen.

At least they're sticking together and this is one

time when it's great to stick together because in they go.

A textbook pen.

What about that!

A lovely way to finish. A little bit sticky in the middle with the shed, but in general it was a good round.

Yes, it was to her disadvantage that they wouldn't part in the shedding ring, but then things

went right at the pen when they stuck together and in they went.

One point lost on the pen for the slight deviation on the journey over towards

the pen but let's have a look and see how the scores add up.

A total of 72 for Elin.

Pretty good.

It was hard to shed them because she's a dog that will gather them together but I'll be happy with 72.

It was a great start but it was the shedding ring that let her down.

Our next competitor is 15-year-old Amy from England with her dog, Mist.

'Trialling gives me more confidence because I'm not the most confident of people.'

When I'm out there, I'm like a completely different person. I don't

'really care about what other people think.

'I switch off because I want to do my dog proud, and make her feel like she enjoys it as well.'

And wanting her to enjoy it and not to give up.

Mist and I have won quite a few competitions.

I think it takes passion of the sport, passion of your dog,

how well you and your dog work together to be a great handler.

I love any type of animal.

'At the moment I've got cats,

'chickens, geese, sheep, dogs.'

It's like an ambition of mine to stay with animals in my life until...

the end, really!

I don't think I'd ever be without Mist.

It's like, no, really weird, I could never imagine my life without her now.

'The bond between us two is really close.'

If England win, I'll just be like really, really happy and,

I don't know, just really excited and pleased and proud.

So Amy is very matter-of-fact about her trialling. She said, "Well,

it'll either go my way or it won't."

Away she goes wide.

Yes, really wide, in fact.

The only snag is, if the dog goes too deep into the field, it

might miss seeing the sheep because they're over a slight rise so it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Here she comes.

Absolutely perfect.

That's good,

-that's good.

-Bang centre.

Oh, got them going nicely.

Yes, she has and they're coming at a pace down

that bank.

Just two points lost on that outrun.

It was very good, yes. Just a little bit too wide from her feet but, after that, brilliant.

10 points scored for the lift, maximum points.

Yeah, look at that right through the middle.

A superb line then towards Amy.

Well, she's got them steadied down.

They were quite touchy at the far end of the field but she's settled them.

Open. Take your time.

Talking to Mist.

Mist responding very, very well.

Round come the sheep, round comes Mist.

What a good turn on to the line!

Tight turn. The judges will be pleased with that.

Just two points lost for the fetch.

Excellent, excellent.

Reading the sheep as well, Amy, looking at every single movement

that the sheep are doing because, although you've got to keep an eye on your dog, of course, you've got

to look at every little flinch that the sheep are making as well

because that gives you an indication as to which direction they'll bolt off into next.

Here they come towards the gates.

Will they accept and go straight through the white gates?

-Yes, they have.

-This is going very well indeed for Amy and Mist.

Super right turn on to the cross drive.

It was a good turn, the dog gave plenty of room so there was no pressure on to the sheep.

So the sheep are still nice and settled and the line as good as they go on this cross drive now.

Here she is asking of the inside flank. She's taken it.

This is going to be close,

but they've got to look goal behind the first gate.

And then in between the two gates themselves.

And she's lined them up nicely.

Look at that for in the middle.

Absolutely perfect. Mist taking that come by in a clockwise direction to swing them back in.

Heading towards the shedding ring.

Now, she should stay at the post until the first sheep goes into the shedding ring in itself.

There we are. Into the ring. Amy goes to meet them.

Well, that was a good drive.

25 and a half scored for the drive.

It's out of 30.

She's got two already that are marching towards her.

Through taking that pressure off.

She's got to lull them into the...

There we go! Very good.

This is something else, Gus.

She's doing everything right at the moment.

Fingers crossed now that they stick together now into the pen.

As predicted, full marks for the shed.

Brilliant.

They're looking towards the gate.

Nearly down the side. Don't upset them now.

You've kept them lovely and calm.

Oh, what a disappointment.

Two round the back.

What a shame. She's calling the dog in.

She's got to regroup them.

That is good now.

If things go nice and calmly -

there's one thinking of challenging the dog.

The one on the inside. That's the one that's blocking things.

They're in. They're in. Very good.

Absolutely superb from Amy and from Mist.

A big pat for Mist.

6.5 given for the pen.

Let's see how those scores add up.

Marvellous. Three points clear so far of Fraser.

A total of 88.

Let's see how it went from her perspective.

The sheep - I couldn't have asked for a better pack, really. The dog,

I found she was a bit pushy at the start. That's why I was yelling my lungs out.

At the end, she kind of steadied down a bit.

We got 88 and I can't believe it.

Our final competitor in the young handlers has the oldest dog.

She's nine-years-old, but will that age prove an advantage or will it hold her back?

Let's meet her handler.

'I'm Cormac Kearins from Sligo in Ireland.

'I'm 17 years of age and I'm going to run Elliott at this year's One Man and his Dog.

'I'm involved in farming because I love it.'

I go out every day, I work on the farm, I do different jobs, I help out my father and my mother.

I love working with animals.

I love working on the land.

I've never thought about anything else other than being a farmer ever since I left primary school.

'I first got into trialling because of my father.

'I was just going on 13 when I started working with Ellie.'

So, I was a bit young, really, to get such a high quality dog.

'But I worked myself there and she took to me straightaway.

'And I took to her.'

Sit down.

Ellie is nine-years-old.

She's fit, she's willing.

She put her heart into working.

Even though I think she might be the oldest dog in the competition, I don't think she should be ruled out.

She might surprise.

To win One Man and his Dog would be a lifetime achievement.

It would also make me more ambitious for the future and will be a realisation of a dream.

So, the trusty old girl by the side of the Irish young handler.

No doubt, Ellie here will know exactly what Cormac wants to achieve.

They need a score over 88.

Yeah, she's gone out all right. I thought at first she might be

going fairly straight, but no, she's got the maturity here to know what trialling is all about.

She's taken a fairly good line down. Just coming in a little bit now as she comes around towards the sheep.

Well, the dog hasn't pushed the sheep offline through being that little bit

tight, so it'll be interesting to see what the judges do. But the lift was just a little bit short.

You have to be careful he doesn't put too much pressure on here.

Maximum points for the outrun.

8.5 scored for the lift.

That's a brilliant start.

That's better.

Cormac is 17 years old and won his first trial aged eight.

So he's pretty experienced as well.

Sheep all settled.

I thought he might have been upsetting them at first, but he's

got them settled and they're coming right towards the fetch gates now.

Will they try and go either side?

No, they're going to go straight through the middle.

Speeded up a fraction as they went through.

Then he's got them settled again.

What a delightful start here.

There's just half a mark in it now between Amy at this stage and Cormac here.

-So the sheep then heading up

to the field. They'll go round Cormac and back down.

This is the tricky bit.

He's got to try and keep them as close as he possibly can to the white post without them turning back.

That's going to cost him a little bit there.

Sit down! Sit down!

And they're coming around now.

That was the on the real fault there, where they turned back on themselves.

The judges will be taking a little bit off there.

An 18 scored for the fetch for Cormac as well.

There's still just half a point in it.

Going down the drive OK. Just gaining speed a little bit now as they go towards the first drive gates.

There's one ewe on the left-hand side going to have to be tucked in.

She's still out

of line. Will he get her in?

He's turning her in. Great stuff.

That was a good recovery there.

Keep it cool. Keep it cool. Easing back that little bit.

The sheep are coming in a fraction high, but he seems to have coped.

Nicely on line as they go towards these second gates.

They've got to be pulled back through the gates.

So they go in behind the first one and then all five sheep should come through the two gates.

This looks good.

They're through.

Very good.

This is going to be very, very tight indeed.

Tremendous standard from these young handlers this year. It really is.

They head towards the shedding ring, and not forgetting here that Amy scored

maximum points here.

-10 points in the shedding ring.

-He's got an opportunity coming here.

He's got to be careful. Calls the dog in.

He's got them.

And it looks like that could be 10 points.

It could well be.

25 and a half scored for the drive.

Exactly the same as Amy.

And nine at the shedding ring. So, he's half a point down now on Amy.

Is it going to be Ireland's year?

Sit! Sit down! Sit down!

They're all turning. Let's hope he doesn't have a burst here.

Spin round.

One at the back spotted the pen.

Steady, steady. I think they're covered this time.

There's only one way to go.

Well, it's a super pen.

Is it worth more than six and a half?

In my book, yes, but we'll have to wait and see what the experts say.

It is enough. It's eight and a half scored.

How does that fare?

Well, it brings a grand total of 89 and a half.

What a calm and mature performance there.

It's a good score. I'm happy enough with it.

Happy to get around and get on well with it.

I felt earlier unwell, actually. I was nervous enough,

but when I got out there, got used to it and got on with the job.

Well, I think it has to be said, Gus, very high standard indeed with the young handlers.

I think it's been better than for a long, long time, really.

Well, we'll have a look at Fraser's pen here because it was a super finish for him and Fizz.

I didn't think he was going to be beaten after that. It was superb.

Moving on to Elin there.

Again, a fine example of really good trialling, up until the shedding ring.

It was a shame because it was to a very high standard, but that's what cost her the points.

Over to the pen and we'll move on to Amy here and Mist.

It was an uncharacteristic score of six and a half for Amy.

It was a shame she lost that, but even though she lost that, she still went into the lead.

The pressure was really on then for Cormac and Ellie, but what a start.

Maximum points on that outrun.

I didn't think a previous run would have been beaten,

but it was a great run right the way through and he went on to the top position.

Calm, cool and collected.

Super stuff from him.

Well, just to confirm the positions at the end of our first round.

Wales are in fourth place, Scotland in third,

England in second, and leading by just a point and a half, it's Ireland.

So, Cormac, an almost faultless round.

You must be very, very proud of Ellie.

Yeah, I'm very proud of Ellie. I thought it was a good run and got paid off well.

No plans to retire her yet?

-There's life in the old dog yet?

-There's plenty of life in her yet.

There certainly is. Well done to both of you.

Well, it was an extremely impressive performance from all our young handlers, so congratulations

to all of you because you made it look incredibly easy. Believe me, it's not.

Getting a dog to concentrate at this level requires a unique bond between handler and dog,

as Matt discovered recently when he met up with a trialling legend.

I trained my first sheepdog nearly 20 years ago.

As a lad, I was just fascinated by the relationship between man and dog.

And one gentleman who has perfected that art is national and international champion Jim Cropper.

Very good to see you.

Great. Great.

Now, you've brought along some of your pack here.

What age do you start showing them sheep?

Anything from four months old, I would say.

You can't make a dog work. The dog has to want to work.

Right then, Jim.

So we've got this pen set up here with the sheep inside.

That's how I usually start these dogs, on a long rope

to keep a good check on your dog if he gets out of control.

You see, I'm walking him way here.

When you're training a dog, you're working on the dog's instinct to herd.

So you're channelling that herding instinct, that wild instinct, to yourself.

You are the pack leader, you're the master, and you've got to get that bond going between you and dog.

Right then, Jim. We've seen the puppy stage and now we're going to move on to the finished article.

This is a three-year-old who has been running well. I'll give you a dash with black.

So, here they come. Here are the girls.

The dog's coming in with him on his horn. He's thought for himself.

All he needs is a little whistle here and there and he understands.

Do you start with the word commands and then introduce

the whistle slowly so that they can associate the two together?

That's right. Start with the commands and then slowly gone to the whistles until they take them both.

Two easy whistles so the dog differentiates quickly which is its right and left.

A working dog is so keen that even if a bitch is ready

for mating, the dog won't take no notice until it's finished its work.

That's his come-by whistle.

Now, I always remember it, come-by and away, it's like a clock face.

When the dog's running clockwise, starts with a C, so that's come-by.

And then anti-clockwise starts of with an A and that's known as away.

Walk on. Stand there. Lay down.

-Come-bye.

-The speed at which he's reacting to what you're saying is something.

-Oh yeah. Lay down.

-What process do you use to hone that, then?

He's waiting for every word that you say.

It's what we were talking about earlier. Getting this bond going between you and the dog.

He's waiting for your every move and every little click of your voice or anything.

Lie down. I've known dogs use up to 80 or 100 commands.

They're marvellous, dogs, marvellous.

There's three species, really. There's you, there's your dog, and there's the sheep.

And if you get it all right at once, you'll maybe win the trial.

-I wouldn't mind having a little crack with him, if I could.

-Go on, then.

-Is he a one-man dog?

-We'll see!

We will. Right then, Black. Come.

Come-bye. Lie down.

He's looking at me saying, "What are you saying?"

I don't know how you talk, Jim!

It's about

pitch and tone. You've got to sound a little bit more like me.

Come-bye. There he goes.

He's off now. Come-bye.

Good lad.

-I'll leave him with you for a day.

-Lovely stuff. Jim, pleasure.

You're going to make a dog man, after all!

Thank you so much. Honestly.

-Wonderful insight.

-We've had a good morning, yeah.

If you think communicating with one

dog is hard, then try communicating with two at the same time.

Yes, next up it's the Brace and here are Matt and Gus to explain the course.

Ten sheep are set next to the lift post at the far end of the course.

The handler sends one dog to the left and the other to the right to reach them.

20 points are available for each dog.

The dogs approach the sheep and together get them to move gently towards the handler with the lift.

A total of 10 points each.

The sheep are then taken on a straight fetch through the fetch gates towards the handler, 20 points.

The handler directs his dogs to take the sheep around the handler's post and then, starting to the left,

they're taken on a triangular drive through two sets of drive gates.

The drive ends when the sheep enter the shedding ring. 30 points.

The handler then chooses one dog to divide the ten sheep into

two lots of five inside the shedding ring for 10 points.

On completion of the shed, the handler uses one of his dogs to move

one group of five sheep towards an open pen.

Once the sheep are penned, the same dog must hold them until the round is complete. 10 points.

The handler can then turn his attention to moving the final

five sheep into the gated pen with the remaining brace dog.

The trial is complete when these final five are in the pen and the gate is closed. 10 points.

The course should be completed within 18 minutes and there's a total of 140 points at stake.

Thanks, boys. Well, it's got even windier on judges tower, but luckily Dick and John are still with us.

They haven't been blown off their perch yet.

They're here to ensure fair play and to deduct points because, remember,

you only lose points with sheepdog trialling.

Now, Wales is currently lying in fourth place, so it's their

competitor that goes up first for our next round.

The man charged with that daunting task is Ian Jones,

and he'll be running with his dogs Jess and Tom.

I've been trialling quite a long time.

I suppose you could almost say I've been doing it since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

I've never been in a city much.

Don't suppose I'd last five minutes in an office.

Wouldn't be much good there anyway.

We've been working this farm about 20-plus years.

We've got stock bulls of our own to put to commercial cows.

Belgian blues. He's enjoying this. He loves a good scratch.

Both dogs I'm working today are related.

They're brother and sister. Tom is four years old, Jessie is about eight.

Jessie is quite independent.

I think she's only ever worked for me. I suppose she's probably a one-man dog now.

She will run and run and keep running.

And Tom is slightly more laid-back, but he's a very powerful dog.

He'll probably get to be a one-man dog as he gets older.

But you need that on an open hill.

They've got to know who to come back to.

I would like to win, if I could.

But, with two dogs and a lot of sheep, it could be a struggle.

There's a lot of other good competitors in it.

It depends how things go on the day.

I'll give it everything I've got.

Well, Gus, Ian said in that piece that Jess loves to run and

run, so she'll be well suited to this course.

Tom's eager. He'll be running off to the right. There he goes.

There goes Jess off to the left.

It'll be interesting. They could well come behind the sheep fairly close together.

In the Brace, of course, the handler has two sets of whistles.

One for each dog. So they don't get confused.

And Tom's stayed behind.

Now then, there was a cross then from Tom. And again.

The judges will be taking some points off.

And the sheep have been lifted.

Each dog gets a score for its outrun.

20 full marks and 17.

And for the lift, two scores as well.

Just dropped 3 points between them.

A 9 and an 8.

Well, nicely through the centre of the gates.

Are there different techniques of working with two dogs?

Or is it generally one dog looks after one side and the other looks after the other?

That's how it should be, but sometimes they both vie for the same job.

They become workaholics.

So it's a job to get them to share the work.

Stand there! Stand!

There's Tom waiting for his command to go round.

Stand there! Stand!

Stay there! Stand!

Now the sheep have...

Oh! We've had one break away. They've recovered and got it back in.

Some dogs would have gone in and possibly engripped, but there was good control there.

15.5 scored there for the fetch.

Solid round so far.

And the sheep going very nicely through the gates.

They need to come round though. Tom needs to come round

and push them. He's going quite wide, but he's turning them.

He's starting them on to the cross drive.

Just not quite flowing at the moment.

It's a bit stop and go. The judges may well be penalising.

When they come towards the fetch gates now, they need to be on Ian's side of the fetch gates.

They're a bit low in the field.

He's turning them uphill a little bit.

Interestingly, I was just chatting to Ian earlier and he was saying

that he's marked out certain little nettle patches there that he's aiming for.

And that's how he's judging the distance.

Now, he doesn't want to turn at speed here.

Tom's going flat out to turn them in, but he might turn them too soon.

Jess is covering her side.

He looks like he's going to get it.

That's a good recovery and the sheep go right through the middle of the second drive gates.

Well, as a pair, they won the Welsh National in 2009.

Came second in the international competition as well.

22 scored for the drive.

Very good. Stringing out a little bit.

Here's his opportunity coming, but the black-faced ewe has gone back across to the other five.

-Here she comes again.

-Stand!

He's asking Jess in. That's it. She's come in.

-Stay there!

-Successful shed.

Full marks for the shed.

So this then is an open pen. There's no gate on it at all.

-Stay there, Tom.

-Tom's eager to get involved as well.

He's desperate to get involved, but Jess is working away tremendously.

Jess will hopefully pen these without too much trouble.

Stand!

Stay there! Stay there, Tom!

Jess will wait patiently whilst

her team-mate will go off and do his stuff.

Just 1 point lost there at the pen.

The sheep are coming now back towards the

gated pen.

I think Jess will stay there.

-Oh, she's come away!

-Stay there!

Turn right! Left! Stand!

If he can get these sheep into the gated pen and those

others don't come out, he's not going to lose any points for it.

Steady. Steady, Tom.

Oh, there's two in nearly, one in.

No, no, no, don't grip.

That's it. Now he's in with a chance.

Well, he's shown his authority without gripping.

He could well do it. The other sheep are still in the pen.

The gated pen shuts. He's got both sets of pens completed.

APPLAUSE

-Goodness me. What a round that was.

-Brilliant.

5 given for the pen. Let's tot everything up.

It's a total of 115.5.

Well, I'm sure Ian wouldn't have predicted a finish like that, but let's see if he's still smiling.

I was beginning to wonder when I got out on the field what I was doing here.

But it's finished and not too bad, like. We'll see.

It's up to everybody else now, isn't it?

A very respectable score indeed.

So, how will Peter Martin from Scotland fare with his two bitches?

The dogs I'm running this year on One Man And His Dog -

the first one is two-year-old Tess.

The other one I'm running is Maid who is six years old.

Hopefully it'll be quite a good combination.

Both are actually good outrunners, which saves me a lot of legs.

And that's the most important thing nowadays!

Started off as a deer stalker.

Then somebody asked me if I'd like to work with some sheep and I really enjoyed it.

I thought I could do this more as a permanent basis,

and that's what I've been doing for the last 35 years.

On days like this, it's wonderful when the weather is lovely and sunny and clear.

It's most enjoyable.

My closest neighbour is my son and my daughter-in-law and my two grandchildren.

Which is very fortunate for us because the two granddaughters are interested in sheep.

She's got grand wee feet for packing bags!

Border collies are probably one of the cleverest dogs about.

They're really quite intelligent animals.

It's amazing the things you can teach them.

It's only the second year I've been running them because

Tess was quite young last year. We'll give it our best shot.

I watched One Man And His Dog many years ago and it was very fascinating.

I thought, "I wouldn't mind having a try at that."

Never thinking I'd get on the television 25 years later.

Here we are!

It's quite a moment this, for Peter,

if he never thought he'd be here on One Man And His Dog.

And 25 years later he's standing at the post, ready to send out Tess and Maid.

Maid off to the left. There she goes.

Tess is off to the right. Just two years old.

HE WHISTLES

Both dogs again have stopped without crossing.

We've got Maid on the left, Tess on the right.

Fresh sheep for every runner. They're beulahs.

They can be a little bit stroppy and then once the dog comes close up to

them, they can suddenly shoot off. It has to be a very careful lift.

So, 19 scored for Maid's outrun.

17 for Tess.

9 for Maid's lift. 6 for Tess's lift.

Right through the middle.

Hit the accelerator and off they come up towards Peter.

Come-bye!

Sometimes, when you're starting to put a bit of pressure on one dog, the other holds back a little bit.

Again, it's Tess that's wanting to do most of the work here.

Maid's just holding back thinking, "Hold on, don't get us in trouble."

But the sheep are turning.

Stand there, you!

Stand there, you!

15 scored for the fetch.

A lot of times, the sheepdogs don't like the sheep to get away from them.

They think they're going to lose them and

it's a great struggle to try and keep them behind the sheep, pushing away.

There is always that instinct for the dog to bring the sheep towards

the handler, especially if it's a young dog that's used to working.

-That's the majority of the work they do.

-It's what they do naturally.

There you go. There's the come-bye whistle and she's round.

Yeah. Very wide. Maid coming round as well.

But there's a stop.

Tess is on the far side, looking at the sheep. Tongue hanging out there.

So, the line is not too bad.

Maybe just a little bit high, as some of the sheep are starting to think about grazing.

Again, if the judges are going to be watching this, he's going to be taking the odd point off

because the sheep are just not flowing properly.

Wait, wait, wait!

Wait, stand there, you!

It's the enthusiasm of the younger dog, Tess, that's making her just move that little bit sharply.

Coming towards those gates. They need to go behind the first gate.

They're almost there, but they're thinking of grazing again.

They're not at all worried with the dogs.

-Out!

-Maid's doing her bit.

They've come in very close.

He's going to get these gates.

Oh, and through they go. Well, that was difficult.

That wasn't an easy job. Maybe it'll be a lot easier

now to come from the second drive gate through to the shedding ring.

Peter goes to pick up his stick and go into the shedding ring to meet them. Now, which dog will he use?

Looks like Maid, the more experienced dog of the two.

-20 scored for the drive.

-Lie down!

Looks as if it could come... Is the fifth one coming?

Bring the dog in. Great.

He'll probably use Maid to push them away.

He's going to use Tess to pen, but I wonder with all this enthusiasm

whether she'll stay at the pen if he gets them in?

Full marks for the shed.

-Looking good, though.

-Away!

Steady, steady. They're going in backwards.

We just need them in.

It doesn't matter if they go in reverse, as long as they're in!

They're in. Now then...

Well done, Tess. Full marks for your pen.

And so it's up to Maid.

He's probably going to bring these sheep around the back of the pen.

-Out, out!

-So that they'll come in off and he can pick either side.

-This might be the better side to put them in.

-Lie down!

Look at Tess. It rather looks as if she's got her feet fixed to the floor.

-She knows her job, doesn't she?

-Certainly does.

That's the sheep I'm worried about, the one that's nearest now to Peter,

-with the peculiar eye marking.

-I think they're going.

She's going in. She's gone in.

Will the white-faced one go in to follow her? Yes.

APPLAUSE

A super performance from young dog and old.

A score of 8.5 for Maid at the pen. Let's total everything up.

It's 114.5.

That's a whole point behind Ian Jones and Wales.

I've just got to live with it. Can't change it now. Quite pleased.

Well, congratulations to them and the end of their

round marks the critical halfway point in this competition.

Ireland were leading after the Young Handlers round.

But Wales have 115.5 points in the Brace and Scotland

are just one point behind on 114.5 points.

So they've set a very high standard.

Which means England and Ireland's competitors have it all to play for.

But to find out how they do, I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Then we'll show you the final two rounds of the Brace

and bring you the last crucial round in this competition - the Singles.

Only then will we know which team is going to be crowned One Man And His Dog Champions of 2010.

You'd be absolutely mad to miss it.

See you tomorrow.

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