is knocked endways by the dog. A dog can reason as well as a human being
on some subjects, and better on others, and the best reasoning dog of all
is the sheep-dog. The sheep-dog is a professional artist with a pride
in his business. Watch any drover's dogs bringing sheep into the yards.
How thoroughly they feel their responsibility, and how very annoyed
they get if a stray dog with no occupation wants them to stop
and fool about! They snap at him and hurry off, as much as to say:
"You go about your idleness. Don't you see this is my busy day?"

Sheep-dogs are followers of Thomas Carlyle. They hold that
the only happiness for a dog in this life is to find his work and to do it.
The idle, `dilettante', non-working, aristocratic dog they have no use for.

The training of a sheep-dog for his profession begins at a very early age.
The first thing is to take him out with his mother and let him see
her working. He blunders lightheartedly, frisking along
in front of the horse, and his owner tries to ride over him,
and generally succeeds. It is amusing to see how that knocks all the gas
out of a puppy, and with what a humble air he falls to the rear
and glues himself to the horse's heels, scarcely daring to look
to the right or to the left, for fear of committing some other breach
of etiquette.

He has had his first lesson -- to keep behind the horse until he is wanted.
Then he watches the old slut work, and is allowed to go with her
round the sheep; and if he shows any disposition to get out of hand
and frolic about, the old lady will bite him sharply to prevent
his interfering with her work.

By degrees, slowly, like any other professional, he learns his business.