Surprise!

Alot of sheepdog people get cute cuddly pictures of lambs and puppies cavorting together while they are small.
I've never had pups and lambs at the same time until this year.
So I grabbed Alice and caught a lamb and got my camera ready.

Alice didn't want to have anything to do with a lamb.

So I decided to pack it in and put the lamb back with it's mom.
But when I went to pick the lamb up, it ran, and then something I always find magical happened...
Alice turned on!

Now most border collies don't want to start working sheep until they are between 6-12 months old but Alice is only 3 months old today. 
Even if a pup does start to follow a lamb around, it's really just chasing.
But Alice was working this lamb.

Really working it.
Every time the lamb tried to run away, Alice got on the other side of it and brought it back to me.

In adult border collies, we call this "finding balance". 
It's the point when a dog stops chasing and starts to have a purpose. 
The purpose is to always bring the sheep to the handler.

This was no game to Alice.
She was very serious.

If you have a dog to trial in the nursery classes in 2013, you should be afraid when Alice and Scott walk to the post because she's got lots of time to practice.

Wait!
I have a nursery dog in 2013.
Shoot!  Ford and I better get training now!