Red is a professional. It has taken him months to establish the right relationship with our sheep, and them to begin to trust him as well as respect, and sometimes fear him. At its best, the working relationship between border collies and sheep is one of protection, respect and mutual connection. The well-trained working dog does not hurt his flock or push them farther than is necessary. Red has a genius for this relationship. In the morning, Red gets the sheep and brings them to the feeder. He then stops far enough from them so they can eat, and in the past few days, they have been following his lead and trusting him to watch while they eat.

It is a beautiful thing to see a dog like this, trained on a farm in Ireland, work every day to communicate with his flock, use no more pressure than is necessary, and then make them feel safe and protected by him. His job is  not just to herd or move them, but to guide and watch over them. Just a few weeks ago, Zelda would never have stayed this close to Red while eating. She would have led the other sheep as far as she could get. That is changing, a touching and powerful thing to watch and see.