The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-06-17

The Prairie Farmer gives a correspond
ent's account of a remarkable shepherd dog
Il will add a short account of what | used
10 do with my dog Colonel which 1 fear,
those who have never seen a well broken
dog work will be apt to class among dog sto-
RES.
When Colonel was six months old |
drove him with a flock of sheep from OHIO
to Illinois, spending forty-seven days on the
road. He had never been behind a flock OF
sheep until the day | started. In four weeks
time | could send him into a hundred acre
pasture, and he would make a circuit of it
and bring the flock out without leaving a
sheep, and without hurrying them out of 4
walk. BY the way, it is very important TO
break Il dog to go slow-most dogs are too
eager, and hurry sheep too much.
| ferried the Wabash river at Africa. The
boat ran upon a low level bar where there
were no yards or fences TO assist in getting
the sheep aboard. With two hands and the
dog | loaded the boat without having 70
catch one of them, and the flock made FIVE
boat loads. | got up on the bank where the
dog could see me well, and then by motions
made him he would jam the flock down tight
to the boat, and when well jammed up he
would mount on their backs, and by barking
and nipping-not severe enough to call it
biting-shoved them right in. No ten men
without a dog could have loaded them so
soon, If they could have done it at all.
When | had occasion to drive not to ex-
coed ten hundred sheep a few miles, | wanted
no other help but the dogs. | have driven
that many sheep along the road six or eight
miles, where 1t was unfenced, sometimes, on
one, and sometimes on the other, and some
times on both sides, myself being ahend of
the flock, the dog behind, the sheep so strung
through the timber that perhaps | did not see
the dog for an hour ct a time.
When the flock got to spreading out fam
shaped, as Il flock will where there is a chance
to pick, Colonel would 90 out and turn in
the corners, passing up just far enough TO eff
feet that purpose, and no further. He used,
apparently, as much Judgment in passing up
the side of the flock Just so far as would a
man. When he was in doubt about an or
der, he would stop and look back until the
order was repeated.
| have many Il day driven all over the
prairie, and taken a flock in every direction,
by walking on before, leaving him to bring
the sheep after me, without looking at him
or speaking TO him. | could send him two
miles into the prairie, after a thousand sheep
which were strung for half a mile, and he
would collect and drive them all up 10 me.
| have owned other dogs which would do the
same, but none but him that did not rush the
sheep too hard.
| could send Colonel over a fence on
ahead a quarter of Il mile, to stand in a cross
lane to prevent the flock from turning out of
the road. | have herded Il thousand sheep
with him for weeks on pieces of grass sur
rounded by other crops. | would watch one
ide and let him guard the remaining sides.
His manner was to steal quietly along in the
'dge of the corn wherever he saw the sheep
approaching too near, and show himself
merely sufficient to make them turn their
IN another direction, yet not enough to
them over to the other side of the