Elliott Rodgers

Sheppie is my five year old Border Collie. He is my furry best mate who keeps me company, gives me cuddles, listens to me and shares secrets no one else will know. I’ve had him almost two years and he came to me from Border Collie Rescue. He was originally a Trainee Military Police Sniffer Dog. The trouble was he got to excited when he found explosives and this made people understandably nervous especially given the IED threat faced by our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. At some point during his time with the RAF he damaged his tail and he had to have most of it amputated, he still has enough tail to wag though.

So he went of to Civilian Police Dog School to be a passive drugs dog. They discovered like many border collies he was obsessed with chasing torchlight and they had to fail him. In their defence he really does go totally loopy whenever there’s a torch shining on the ground.

Since he’s been with me I’ve taught him some more skills, including working to hand signals, whistles and how to work off lead including crossing the road. I’ve also taught him to lay beside me when I throw a tennis ball or dog frisbee and wait until he’s told he can go find it. I haven’t managed to teach him that black sacks of rubbish aren’t toys or how to do the washing up!

Sheppie’s Favourite….

Colour(s): The colour of tennis balls!
Movie(s): Wimbledon, all those tennis balls!
TV: Those dog food adverts and the tennis… mmm tennis balls! I’d make a great ball dog at Wimbledon!
Music: The sound of the fridge door opening, the rattle of the dog biscuit box or even better the dog food tin being opened! Ooooh I nearly forgot the noise tennis balls make as I rip them apart! Ooooh and the flapping sound my rubber disc makes when I get it and shake it really hard!
Place(s): Park, definitely the park! It’s also fun at the Drawing Room Cafe in Chesham since everyone comes and says hi!
Food(s): Food is always good. Am a big fan of cheese!
Drink(s): Water.. in a bowl or a puddle is great! Apparently when I make a puddle on the lounge floor it’s not so good though!
Possession/Thing(s): The orange ball lobber Elliott uses to make those tennis balls fly – until I catch or my rubber flying disc! Or maybe the rubber ball on a rope Elliott throws for me to chase! So MANY toys! Oh I nearly forgot my little piggy who grunts when I squish him or chew him!
Flower: What’s that?
Quote(s): “Want some dinner?” or “Want to go to the park?” – Elliott

Sheppie Knows

Sheppie knows a wide range of commands, I’m also getting him to respond to hand signals and whistles. Here’s what he knows (those with a * have an alternative hand signal and those with a # have an alternative whistle). Some commands can be combined of course as in Where’s your piggy?

The “usual commands”

1. sit*

2. stay (context as in stay lying down/sitting somewhere and also as in you stay [here]; you’re not coming out with me this time)
3. lie down*
4. off*
5. no
6. good boy*
7. dinner
8. treat
9. biscuit
10. park
11. quiet (as in be quiet, stop barking so much)
12. Shut Up! (as in I really want you to be quiet)
13. find* ….
14. drop* ….
15. fetch ….
16. give (as in give me the ball)
17. Where’s your/is ….. (as in alternative to find)
    • Piggy (Piggy toys that used to grunt; I’m trying to teach him the colours – pink, black and orange)

    • ball (as in grab your ball and don’t leave it behind)
    • disc (as in frisbee; as in grab your frisbee and don’t leave it behind)
    • stick
18. leave (as in leave the ball/disc/toy/stick alone it belongs to another dog),
19. paw
20. other paw
21. mine (as in that biscuit is mine – paws off),
22. bad boy (as in bad boy that biscuit was mine. Why is it now in your tummy?)
23. come*# (as in come here),
24. cuddle (as in come here and give me a cuddle)
25. bath (he knows what it means but interprets it as quick run and hide in case the bath is for Sheppie!)
    slightly “less usual ones”

26. Who is it? (as in Who is it? time to bark)
27. wait*# (before doing something eg: running after a ball and wait before being told to cross the road [see below])
28. ready (as in you ready something is about to happen)
29. gentle (as in stop being so rough)
30. calm (as in calm down instead of racing acting like a loon)
31. walk with me (as in walk close behind me)
32. go squat (as in go take a ****; he will only go in very long grass, under hedges or in woods)
33. left*#
34. right*#
35. wrong way (as in you’re going the wrong way to find something eg: ball),
36. move (as in your in the way and about to get squished)
37. be nice (as in it’s only a little puppy, they aren’t going to do you any harm)
    I trained him to cross roads off the lead so he understands these commands and others in context eg: wait, stay

38. pay attention (keep your eyes on me while were crossing the road)
39. cross