Stillwaters
Heritage Farm
Worthington, Indiana
812-272-2609
Old Time Scotch Collies
On the Farm
Here we share a few of our experiences with our Scotch Collies so that you can get a better glimpse of how these dogs work in a real life family!
We got our first Scotch Collie in 2014. "Copper" exceeded our expectations! Whether it was a hike in the woods or farm work, he scared off the poisonous copperheads, protected our flock of sheep from the pack of coyotes in the neighboring field, and helped us catch our stray chickens. Copper was always ready!
He was content to rest quietly on the front porch, but if we called “Copper, the cow’s out!” he would take off in a flash to put that milk cow back in her place! All that with no special training from us! He was just with us wherever we went and intuitively picked up on our needs and desires.
Copper
Our oldest sons had Copper as a companion. Now they are all grown men and we had another young son that needed a buddy. Gunnar filled that spot in our youngest son's life.
On this day, I watched as Gunnar faithfully followed our son from place to place, always staying behind and to the side so that our son had a clear shot. Gunnar was so patient as he would take aim, then move a little here or there to get that perfect shot. All the while, Gunnar never made a sound.
We start training our dogs as puppies to herd our chickens and catch them when needed. This has been one of their most valuable skills to us. Around 8 weeks old, we introduce them to the chicken pen on a leash. Once they learn to respect the chickens, we let them off leash with an adult dog and they "help" catch a stray. Soon, they get a little braver and can catch one on their own and hold it carefully until I say,
"Drop it."
Our Nubian goats usually follow me around like a puppy dog, but sometimes they get a little stubborn, especially when I want to move them to a new pen. That's when I bring in one of the collies! Gunnar is especially good at just quietly nudging them on their rump which sends them into a fast trot in the right direction! I can't help but laugh every time it happens!
How did he know to do that?
When you get a bunch of frightened chicks, they will all run to a corner and clamber up on each other, but these chicks are just carrying on even with Flicka in the pen with them!
One day, at 8 months old, our collie rescued an injured chick from the woods and brought it to our front porch for us to care for! On one hand they are diligent to chase off the buzzards and hawks, but how did they know that the chick was to be saved?
Amazing!
And that is the kind of dog we bring to you: faithful, dependable, loyal, hardworking, quietly doing what is needed with the beautiful nature of the historic collie that was a companion to the shepherd on the hills of Scotland!