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Sheepdog handler continues Midas touch





Michael Shearer with dogs Bob and Jim and the array of silverware he took back from the Scottish national trials at Kintore.
Michael Shearer with dogs Bob and Jim and the array of silverware he took back from the Scottish national trials at Kintore.

A LOCAL farmer has been winning trophies and titles all over the place this summer with his two trusty sheepdogs.

Earlier this month, Michael Shearer clinched his third national title after coming first and third in the Scottish Sheepdog Trials at Kintore in Aberdeenshire. In the past week, he has also been busy winning at the Mey and Watten Sheepdog Trials, and now has his sights set on international and world trials in the coming year.

Mr Shearer, of Lythmore, near Thurso takes part in the singles classes with his eight-year-old dog Bob and two-and-a-half-year-old dog Jim.

He said: "Jim won the competition and Bob came third and I’m just delighted with them.

"I enter every year and have won the Scottish twice before in 2000 and 2003 with Bob’s mother."

Mr Shearer said this year it had been a challenging course – very big with a lot of room for the dogs to go wrong.

"The sheep were good to handle too and behaved reasonably well," he said. "There’s a problem sometimes at trials with the sheep because they’re not used to a dog.

"The only thing I would say went slightly wrong was that Jim stopped a bit short on his outrun and lay down a bit too soon. That’s the only big mistake there was in either of the runs and the judges took four points each off for that."

Mr Shearer said there were a lot of good dogs in the competition, but it just depends if you are lucky with the sheep on the day.

"Some of those boys down south go to the trials every week, but I hadn’t been at a trial since last September in Durness," he said.

"I do three local trials at Mey, Watten and Golspie, and I’ve gone to Durness since I was a youngster."

In the competition, each handler does one run with their dog. One hundred and fifty singles runs took place over the three days, with the top 15 qualifying for the International Trial next month at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire against teams from England, Wales and Ireland.

Mr Shearer said: "Thirty dogs compete each day for the first two days and I’ve won that in the past, but the top 15 of those go through to the final to become the supreme champion on Saturday, which is a different sort of course all together.

"People say this year’s course is very big and has trees, which could be a bit of a disadvantage for me. Caithness doesn’t have many trees so it could confuse the dogs a wee bit."

Michael’s success has also qualified him for the 2014 World Trial, which is being held in Scotland for the first time, at Fearn Farm, near Tain.

"The very first time the world trial was held in Wales, I was the captain of the Scottish team and we won the team event with Bob’s mother," said Mr Shearer.

"Two hundred and forty dogs will take part in it and Bob and Jim have qualified to run, provided I enter and the dogs are fit and healthy."

Mr Shearer said he had always had dogs, but only started trialling after he married in the 80s.

He said: "My neighbours were keen for me to go trialling and encouraged me to go to Watten.

"I didn’t do very well, but managed to finish the run. I won a cup for the novice handler, but was the only one going for it!"

Mr Shearer said he did not spend a lot of time on training the dogs as first and foremost they were farm dogs.

He currently has a son of Bob’s who is a year old and plans to start training him after he finishes the harvest.

"It all depends on how good the dogs are," he said. "Jim was fully trained after 14 or 16 months which is exceptionally young for a dog, but others never get fully trained.

"It’s just a hobby really, but luckily we’re doing quite well at it. Bob’s been in the Scotland team four times and Jim was last year at a very young age."

At the Watten trials, Mr Shearer came first with Bob and sixth with Jim, and at Mey he came first with Bob and fourth with Jim, taking home seven trophies.

Mr Shearer said: "It’s just about finding the time to do it. You’ve got to keep them working to keep them fit for it, but the dogs are working every day on the farm anyway."


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