Video. Every person with a border collie around learns to be inventive about giving their dogs some work to do and giving them as many opportunities as reasonably possible to run a bit. We have sheep, and Red and Fate work them two or three times a day.  Red is a serious dog, he grew up learning to work, he was never into playing.

Fate is loosening him, up, we have found a new game on our walks that Red loves and Fate loves, it’s called “Go Get Red,” and it’s simple. Red likes to walk on up ahead of us, Fate likes to prowl alongside the road and smell things and chase chipmunks. So I started calling her to my side, saying “ready,” (a herding term for us) and she crouches down and goes into her stalking position. I move forward and say, in as high a voice as i like to use, “Go Get Red,” and she takes off after him, running like a fiend. Red loves this, when she reaches him, he turns and the two of them run together.

We do it until I see some tongues hanging down a bit.

Usually, we do this five or six times, and then I say “that’ll do,” and we resume the normal walk. Border collies are usually obsessives and work addicts, so you have to mix things up. Since her surgery, Fate is twice as active as before, for reasons that are not clear. This game will come in handy.  Most border collies are crazy, so are most of the people who own them. And if they don’t find things for them to do, they’ll be twice as crazy.

We are lucky to have sheep and country roads that are still dirt. Come and see.