Mischievous puppies causing chaos at Blenheim Palace looking for their forever homes

• ITV Meridian's Natalie Verney has been to meet the mischievous bunch

Eight boisterous sheepdog puppies have been tearing around the grounds of Blenheim Palace, causing mischief for the estate's head shepherd, Tom Locke.

His two leading sheepdogs, Tweed and Roe, are parents to the litter - two of which will be trained up to take over the job of looking after the palace's 1000-strong flock of sheep.

From four male pups and four females, Tom has already selected two females, Fern and Quinn, to take on that responsibility.

But at the moment the naughty pups are concentrating on having a good time and have already chewed through furniture at their home on the estate.

He said the puppies are raring to go: "We've only just finished lambing so they've seen a few pet lambs and stuff dotted around.

"I am very attached to my dogs, but the pups are now causing chaos wherever they go, even their mum Roe has had enough.

"Tweed has been with me 10 years now and is getting a big arthritic so it’s now time to start training up the next generation.

"You can tell a couple of months old if they're interested in it. And then sort of start doing more stuff with them, about six months old.

"So they actually know what you're asking them to do rather than just aimlessly running around behind them."