wish. Only when he
commanded it did they bark. With their drooping, bushy tails and sharp
noses they reminded Donald far more of wolves than dogs. Sandy was kind
to all of them, but it was Robin and Prince Charlie of which he was most
fond. They had been bred from dogs his father had brought from the Old
Country, he explained to Donald. There were few persons in the world for
whom he cared so much. Once when Robin had been lost on the range the
herder had traveled the hills three whole days to find him.

"What makes shepherd dogs so different from other dogs, Sandy?" asked
Donald one day.

"Some of it is in their blood. They seem to want to herd sheep--they
can't help it. Then some of the credit of a fine sheep dog is due to
his training. Why, I was months working over Robin and the Prince. I had
them with goats and sheep from the time they were born. As soon as they
were big enough I began teaching them to come when I called 'em. A good
dog has got to learn to come to you when you speak. If he has done wrong
he has got to come and be punished. Some dogs will run away when they
see that you have caught them doing the wrong thing. You cannot let a
sheep dog do that."

"But how do you train them so they won't?"

"I will tell you. It seems a heartless sort of way, but I had to do it.
I tied them with a long piece of rope; then I called them. As soon as
they came I spanked them good and hard, and afterward I'd pat them and
give them a scrap of meat. They understood in time. They would come
anyway--sure thing. If I whacked 'em it was all the same to them. By and
by when they got so they would mind, I didn't have to whack 'em, and now
it is seldom I lay hand to 'em. It was no pleasure to me, I can tell
you, and I quit it just as soon as I felt sure they would walk up like
gentlemen whenever I spoke, no matter if they knew beforehand that they
were to be whipped. You can see why this had to be, Don. Of course you
know such dogs have the nature of wolves. In fact the better the
shepherd dog, the more like a wolf he is. Now a wolf is a born enemy of
sheep. Sometimes the wolf in a shepherd dog will get the better of him
and he will turn about and kill the lambs instead of guarding them. If a
sheep-dog is once a killer he has to die. You can never be sure of him
again. So you cannot turn a dog loose on the range unless he will come
to you when you speak."

"I suppose he might start killing sheep and you would not be able to g