If you’ve ever wondered what a Border Collie is good for, Saturday is your chance to find out.

Circle M Farm at 303 McDonald Road, Sweetwater, is hosting a Border Collie sheepherding demonstration on Saturday, June 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will benefit Monroe County Friends of Animals’ Junior League. There will be an exhibition, games, prizes, wagon rides and a pig roast.

Circle M owner Debbie McCulloch said she hopes the exhibition will become an annual event.

Dog owner and Loudon County sheep farmer Bob Steppe said guests could expect to see what Border Collies do when they are working on an actual sheep farm.

“Wherever you find a sheep farm, you’ll find a Border Collie,” he said. “They’re equivalent to six human workers.”

Some of the dogs’ chores include gathering sheep, bringing them to or away from the handler, driving them through gates, separating one sheep from the flock and holding it, and putting the sheep in a pen. 

The dogs are given verbal commands or they respond to a whistle. McCulloch provided the following list of commands that spectators might hear on Saturday:

•Come Bye - clockwise movement by the dog

•Away to Me - counter clockwise movement by the dog

•Lie Down - to lie down, or stop any movement by the dog, “stand or there” also pertains

•Walk up - walk toward flock

•Outrun - dog moves away from handler in a wide arc to the head of the sheep.

•Head (of flock) - side of sheep flock away from handler

•Lift - dog begins a fetch

•Fetch - dog moves sheep toward handler

•Drive - dog moves sheep away from handler

•Wear - dog makes short movements behind sheep to move them toward handler, pen, etc (toward a specific target)

•That’ll do - work is finished, leave the sheep

The dogs you will likely see demonstrating on Saturday belong to Steppe, who has about 60 sheep on his farm. In addition to being working dogs, his dogs, Mollie and Sweep, have competed and won many Border Collie competitions. They have demonstrated at Fall Creek Falls State Park, the Museum of Appalachia and at Scott County’s Homestead Days.

melissa.kinton@advocateanddemocrat.com | 337-7101