May 15, 2008 – Cloudy cool. Going to Granville to take pictures of the writers this a.m.
  One of the keys to making a border collie calm, aside from having work for them to do, is giving them a chance to work off some of that nuclear energy that never seems to quite be sated. Once or twice a day I take the four-wheeler out and we take off through the woods and trails, and the border collies, Rose and Izzy tear ahead of me at 20-30 miles per hour for three or four  miles. Towards the end, they slow a bit, and so do I, and then, when we get back, they collapse on the ground with what we call “long tongue,” a sign that they are momentarily tired and thirsty. When you see this while herding in the summer, you get them to water, as they are fools for work and can easily get heat stroke.
  When you see the long tongue, you know you’ve given them a good workout, so long as you don’t overdo it.
  This calms them and settles them down. I like them to be settled down when I go to work. Lenore runs part of the way – too much hard running for a young Lab, and she has no trouble settling down anyway.
 You don’t need sheep to keep a border collie happy, but some good aerobics helps. It’s good for them also, keeping them trim and with a good low heartbeat. The two things I want Jeff Meyer, my vet, to tell me are that the dogs are lean and have low heartrates, two of the most critical signs of canine health.

Next to herding sheep, Rose loves running ahead of the four-wheeler most. Keeps her fit for herding, too.