Sheepdog World Championships: Grandfather and grandson aim to be top dogs

In two weeks’ time, teams from 32 nations will battle it out for a global title in front of tens of thousands of spectators.

No, it’s not another football tournament - this is the competitive world of international sheepdog trials.

The World Sheepdog Trials Championships are held every three years, and next month the tournament will be staged in Northern Ireland for the first time.

The Gill Hall Estate in Co Down will have a multinational flavour as challengers from Brazil and Argentina face off against contestants from Finland and the Netherlands.

Those chasing the title include teams from the four home nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

And 21-strong Team Ireland has a unique duo – grandfather and grandson Sammy Long and Sam Fagan.

Sammy is a seasoned international, but 16-year-old Sam will be the youngest competitor in the championships.

Sammy farms just outside Ballybofey town in Co Donegal, and it was there that his toddler grandson became enthralled with sheep dogs.

“Sam would always want to be out in the field with me,” said Sammy. “He’d be watching me herd the sheep, and he just picked it up. He’s a natural. Now I think he’s teaching me more than I’m teaching him.”

Sam explained: "From day one when I saw him doing it, I wanted to do it too.”

The teenager said it’s all about keeping the sheep calm, and a good sheep dog can control their mood.

"You have to gel with the dog, you have to get the dog into your way of thinking, or either be in the dog's way of thinking" he told UTV.

"Train him, softer commands when you want him to be calm. When you want him to speed up if a sheep broke, for example, and ran down, a quick command then to make him run faster. But it’s always important to make sure you don’t scare the sheep or spook them because then they’ll just scatter."

Aficionados of sheep dog trialling describe it as an art, rather than a science.

“It’s really man and dog in perfect harmony,” said young Sam. “And everything is directed by voice commands and whistles".

The fields next to their home reverberates to the shrill sound of whistling as Sammy’s border collie Jack and Sam’s dog Tweed are put through their paces.

"Jack has a natural ability and I just harness it,” explained Sammy, clutching a shepherd’s crook carved from sheep’s horn and engraved with the Long family name.

“He listens to my commands and does most of what I tell him to do."

“There are only four commands - 'come-by' means to the left, and 'away' is to the right, then you have 'lie down' and 'get up'."

But what about those whistles?

"Sometimes these dogs are working a thousand yards or more away,” said Sammy, “so the voice doesn't carry as well as a whistle. Whistling is a lot easier on the throat."

Grandfather and grandson are looking forward to pitting their skills against 240 competitors at next month’s World Championships.

Up to 50,000 spectators are expected at Gill Hall when the four-day tournament gets under way on September 13th.

And that grandfather/grandson combination is unique among the teams.

"I think Sam and myself are the only two to achieve that at the moment,” smiles Sammy.

But the family connection to the World Championships doesn't end there.

Sammy's daughter Sophia - and mum to young Sam - is on the organising committee for the World Championships.

"To have two so close together on the same team is phenomenal,” she said. "They'll need a bit of luck on the day, but hopefully we'll manage to get through piece by piece.

"Semi-final first and then the final,” she said with a smile. “I’ll have fingers and toes crossed for both of them."

It’s the biggest event in the sheepdog trials world, but which of the 32 nations will whistle up a win and emerge top dog?

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