This is a very frank interview! Someone said to me that they have heard all the Churchmount interviews on soundcloud and that this one is by far the best. This one is where the world renowned Nigel Watkins is talking sheepdogs. Nigel is true to form...

What trails does a veterinary surgeon look for in a sheepdog? I first met Dr Viola Hebeler back in 2015 and the European Nursery Championship. I was attracted to her dog’s way of working and got to see him run again in the final there.Viola works as a...

I know that I don’t need to remind you of the gravity of the situation we are facing at present with this virus. However, I think that as sheepdog enthusiasts, we are very lucky in that at least we can escape from the news into our own dog world for a...

I asked John if our course this year would be as good as England was last year. John said why don't you come up and have a look and see what you think. So that's what I did over Christmas. While I was there I asked John for a few of his thoughts.

I am fortunate in that I often find myself in conversation with Con McGarry. Last year we traveled together to the European Nursery Championship in Holland. We were due to travel again to it this year but of course, Covid19 changed all our plans. That...

I was on my way to the ISDS directors meeting and I called to collect my dog Bruce from Ian. Ian stands sheepdogs for stud at his kennels. He keeps Serge Van Der Zweep's Gary and James McGee's Sid /Seth and people bring their border collie female...

In this interview Sue shares some advice and tips for successful sheepdog trial judging with me before a judging assignment.Sue has been involved in sheepdogs for over 30 years and has judged in sheepdog trials nationally and internationally. Sue was...

I first met sheepdog trainer and handler, Mr. Tony Rofe, when we traveled together on a trip to the European Nursery Championship in Holland. The ENC is a sheepdog trial where Border Collies from all over Europe, the UK and Ireland can go to compete. In...

Toddy Lambe represents everything that is good about working dog trialling. Toddy has won the International Sheepdog Trial Supreme and a couple of National Sheepdog Trials to date. Toddy is not farming on big runs of ground or with big numbers of sheep....

In this interview I asked Serge Van Der Zweep to give me some insight into how he got started. He discusses which handlers influenced him the most, what advice would he give an open handler and how he prepares for a World Sheepdog Trial Final.Serge is...

What does it take to achieve success in sheepdog training and competitions? I was lucky enough to talk to Alastair Mac Rae about qualities in successful dogs and the mindset and ambition of a top handler.The plan was to make a 15-minute interview....

One Man and His Dog and the impact of Brexit on farming. Neil Gillon’s Hill Trial had to be cancelled this year because a mist came down on the hill making visibility impossible, but as we say in Ireland, “its an ill wind that doesn’t blow some...

Erik is a world class handler but he is the kind of trainer who adjusts his training and thinking to whatever dog he is working with. Erik also shares his knowledge and experience, by giving lessons to handlers at his training centre in Denmark and also...

In this interview Mirjam talks about how she got started in sheepdogs. To my surprise, I discovered that she was a city girl growing up. She had no exposure to livestock and didn’t even own her first dog until she was 24. Mirjam describes what it was...

Like alot of people, I know that James is a top handler. I know that he has won an International Supreme and a World Trial. What i didn’t know is that he won the second National that he ever ran in and then went on to come 2nd to Neil McVicar and Spot...

Michael comes from a very famous family that have been sheepdog trialing at the top levels for decades going back to before the war. Michael began handling dogs at the age of 12 and by the age of 24 had secured winning his first English National....