MacRae Sheepdogs

MacRae Sheepdogs Our passion is to increase the mutual understanding & bond between sheepdog handlers and their dogs. Please visit us www.macraeway,com/academy

Our positive, proven methodology is based on our dogs natural instinct to want to get to balance point; it is a system rooted in making a connection with our dog instead of a correction. We breed, train and trial Border Collies as well as provide on-line sheepdog training, and in-person clinics, lessons & custom training.

09/04/2026

1st night in 🇬🇧, me & Hotel Clerk...—🤷‍♀️😅😂

ME: do you have a dog friendly room available?

CLERK: yes , 1 or 2 dogs please?

ME: 4 😬

CLERK : Oh, sorry, we have a 2 pet maximum

ME: completely understand , could I pay additional fee or get a 2nd room;
we’ve just flown in from United States and have 4 w us.

CLERK: Oh lovely, you’re moving here?

ME: No, we’ve actually come for the World Sheepdog Trial in Scotland

CLERK: You’ve flown across from America, with 4 dogs,
so you can compete in a sheepdog trial ?
Aye, um , so, ok then, you are ,,,

ME : A COMPLETE NUTTER

CLERK : Aye, right , you’ll fit in f*cking perfect, sign here

What day is it? What time? Where are we?Confused af but happy to be here!! 😍😍😍So many crazy challenges to make this trip...
09/03/2026

What day is it? What time? Where are we?
Confused af but happy to be here!! 😍😍😍
So many crazy challenges to make this trip happen
Enormously grateful to everyone that helped make it possible 🙏🙏
Gaggle of dogs pictured ready to go
but as for me, I’ll update more after sleep !
All I know—no Scotland , no party 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💪💪🎉🎉🥂🥂

* in pet taxi on Chunnel from France into Dover en route to 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿




08/28/2026

Have a fantastic weekend 🙌🥂..Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5; she was such an amazing, generous and inspiring person 💙



If you feel frustrated in your training, if you sit with it long enough, you’ll often find her real name is expectation....
07/28/2026

If you feel frustrated in your training, if you sit with it long enough, you’ll often find her real name is expectation.

It may be how you thought your dog would work, what you’d accomplish, how quickly you’d progress, the handler you’d become, how easy it would be, etc.
One of the best gifts you can give your dog and yourself, is letting go of that.

Expectation can breed frustration.
What you want may not be meant for you in this moment, but that’s not to say you won’t achieve it, in fact, you may get something even better.
It does, however, mean you may need to change.

These 5 actionable insights can move you forward.
It starts with the mindset to believe…

1. Believe that abilities aren’t static and they can be developed through hard work, effort, mentorship and that you’re going to improve.
Accept you may have to put yourself in a position to be uncomfortable or possibly embarrassed to push through to the next level; the cost of entry.

2. Focus on small, daily improvements and in the value of compounding good habits, rather than quick wins.
Believe in accountability; success with your dog starts with your responsibility to improve as a teacher—

3. Employ self-discipline over motivation when needed. Even when you don’t feel like it, to get better you have to put in the work.
Rather than comparing yourself to others, strive to be a little better than you were yesterday.
Believe in proactively taking ownership of where you are and where you want to go.

4. Realize every expert was once a beginner, failing more times than a novice has even tried.
Failure is part of the process; it’s going to happen. Believe that failure is an opportunity to learn.

5. If you’re not making progress or achieving goals, get help; self-awareness is strength.
That includes recognizing when you can’t do it alone.
There are many qualified mentors; adapt a positive method with students that have consistent success. Believe in coaching.

Partnership includes holding up your end.
Frustration is a problem you can solve.
When you let go of it, it increases patience, improves focus and revives joy.
Mostly, it can transform your relationship with your dog.; believe—
macraeway.com




2 class dogs + the love of my life channeling his inner David Hasselhoff 😂Auld Mirk, on the right, was Nan’s grandfather...
07/21/2026

2 class dogs + the love of my life channeling his inner David Hasselhoff 😂
Auld Mirk, on the right, was Nan’s grandfather and the foundation of our line.
He was Alasdair’s most powerful trial dog, a son of Redpath’s Spot and Scottish National Champion in 1984.
Mirk was everything we both admire in a dog.

His legacy now includes his Scottish National Championship, 4 generations of US National Champions, Nan, Bill, Alba Cap, Alba Tweed
and Nan's International Supreme.

Long before I ever knew Alasdair, my first puppy also went back to Redpath’s Spot, (Mirk’s sire) through Bobby Henderson’s Craig, and he was very much the kind.
His name was Bear (Auld Mirk’s nickname was Huggy Bear), and after Alasdair met him at five or six years old, he said Bear reminded him of Auld Mirk—the best compliment he could have ever given.
My 2nd dog, Max, was a grandson of Nan’s brother (gr son of Auld Mirk ) and of Elwy Glen, the dog Alasdair was 4th in the Supreme with the year he and Nan won.
Bear is the most powerful dog I’ve ever had and Max the most naturally gifted.
There was quite a connection through dogs before Alasdair and I knew each other.

The dog on the left is Mirk III. He was supposed to go to Jock Richardson (who owned Mirk I & II), hence the name, but it didn’t work out.
Instead, Kenny Brehmer got him at 10 months old and trained him to Nursery level.
That’s when Alasdair had the chance of him.
He was a different type of dog than Auld Mirk, but exceptional in his own way.
Mirk III was the most courageous dog Alasdair ever had. Different than power, courage can be very effective at trials, less intimidating than presence/power and still no backing down.
Alasdair won his first Open trial at Lintrathen with Mirk III in 1983!
He had the opportunity to sell him in 1984, just after he and Auld Mirk won the National.
While selling dogs was part of what he did at the time, he’s the only dog he’s ever truly regretted letting go.

All dogs are special and yet for Alasdair, Auld Mirk and Mirk III, and for me, Bear and Max, they shaped our understanding and enriched our connection with dogs in a profound way that's never been duplicated.
We are more grateful to them than words can ever say❤

Just more of my ramblings, after coming across this pic on a Tuesday morning; have a great week everyone!




You can't force or bully a dog into wanting to try for you, especially when conditions are hot or the task is difficult—...
07/17/2026

You can't force or bully a dog into wanting to try for you, especially when conditions are hot or the task is difficult
—you have to earn it.

Key to this is helping your dog enjoy his work, including aspects of training he finds difficult.
It's an integral part of gaining trust.
Your dog recognizes when situations make him feel uncomfortable and when you help him overcome that discomfort, and turn it into something he enjoys and understands, he associates working with you with positive feelings.
This elevates your connection, encourages mental fortitude and develops resilience.
Your dog's confidence grows, both in himself and in you.
This is in contrast to an approach that focuses on insistence or force to work through difficulty.

It's your responsibility to communicate clearly, not your dog's burden to interpret accurately.
The more unambiguous your method, the less room for misinterpretation.
The smaller the steps, the less new information he has to process.
Your dog's understanding reflects your ability as a communicator and teacher.
You empower his development by setting him up to succeed and if you're not sure how (you don't know what you don't know), the next step is getting help.

Our dogs recall quickly, shed enthusiastically, outrun eagerly, turnback positively and try harder, for one simple reason, they want to.
There are many successful training methods but there's a big difference between training in a way that is intuitive, enjoyable, and in your dog's best interest, versus an approach founded on drilling, imposing your will, or bullying.
Most importantly, the last three don't result in your dog giving you his heart—
You can just train or you can partner.

macraeway.com



I, Torr, do hereby solemnly swear, I shall:✅ Scream whenever I want attention✅ Have freckles cute af✅ Chew your shoes✅ D...
06/30/2026

I, Torr, do hereby solemnly swear, I shall:
✅ Scream whenever I want attention
✅ Have freckles cute af
✅ Chew your shoes
✅ De-stuff Mr. Elephant
✅ Shred Muther’s very important papers
and mostly,
Be the Bestest Boy 💙🩵

Named for the mountain in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 excited about him!🐾



Everyone wants success with their dog but sometimes handlers make the mistake of focusing on results they want, instead ...
06/26/2026

Everyone wants success with their dog but sometimes handlers make the mistake of focusing on results they want, instead of the effort it takes to produce them—

We have instant access to so many things in society but dogs don’t care about technology, agendas, ego or handler expectations.
Effort and dedication are the price of entry, not the guarantee; if you’re not humble, there’s a good chance your dog will do that for you.
While for some success comes easily, for most, including myself, it takes hard work, discipline and a lot of mistakes.
For others it can be even more difficult, coming only after refusing to allow circumstances be the final story.
Success is a process that is not only about winning, it’s also about progress and it’s important to be motivated by accomplishments within your ultimate goal.
Equally important is not to fear disappointment.
While disappointment can gut you in the moment, it also provides the road map for what you need to change and improve.
Change is a fundamental part of development and includes a growth mindset, setting new challenges and holding yourself accountable.

There are no great results without effort and training at times can be hard.
It can test your patience, intention, commitment, discipline and self awareness.
But the amazing thing is, no matter how much you ultimately accomplish, putting great effort into developing your partnership with your dog can be in itself an immeasurable reward, including one of the most profound bonds in your life.
macraeway.com




Big congratulations Mindy Sue Price and Rip , Bluegrass Amateur Nursery Champions! 🎉🥇🏆🐾🥂. They had to leave before the p...
06/09/2026

Big congratulations Mindy Sue Price and Rip , Bluegrass Amateur Nursery Champions! 🎉🥇🏆🐾🥂. They had to leave before the prize giving and awards at the trial last month; just now getting a photo of this talented team.
Thank you to Dee and Liz for the great picture!

This is an award we sponsor each year recognizing the highest combined pointed nursery dog handled over the 4 days by a competitor who has YET to win an open trial—
We’re excited to watch this very promising team, well done Mindy & Rip!🍾👏👏

06/02/2026

I thought Moss’ save at the International Shed yesterday was tremendous❤
(plus mane was flowing 🦁😍)
Video bit long; wanted to tell the whole story….I zoom in after first cut
Still more than 30 dogs to run in the Double Lift.
Nite also got finished (still to run Cym and Bute) and we’ll have both sheds with analysis and commentary on The Academy.

Just got results from Open 3, yay, Moss won 92 points🙌🥇, Linda Tesdahl and Joker 2nd on a 90.👏👏 Cym at bottom of Prizes (came in on single instead of split😬 and Nite had a great run going but a recalcitrant ewe lost us points; she'll likely not try to biff a dog again though 😂)
Brilliant trial. They’ll run I think 2 nurseries after the DL and finish up on Wed.
macraeway.com

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Abbeville, SC

Telephone

(434) 955-3767

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