00:01This is Grace. She lives in Gedding, near Canterbury, and she's currently studying to take her A-levels.
00:07But when she walks onto this field, she goes from student to teacher.
00:11She's a sheepdog handler who's earned herself a spot on the England national team.
00:17Yeah, it felt very, like, surreal because I sort of watched the live stream before
00:22and you see everyone walking up at the presentation and you just kind of think, like, oh, I wonder how
00:27that feels.
00:28And so, like, when you're standing there, like, in the line with the whole team, it feels, like, it feels
00:34really cool.
00:34When she's away from competitions, her dad takes care of the dogs while mum travels with her.
00:39Yeah, it's absolutely amazing. I never, ever thought that Grace would make the English team.
00:46I think the worst feeling of the day was just watching her go from second
00:52and then watching the scores come down thinking, hang on there, Grace, hang on there.
00:57She's able to tell the dogs how to move the sheep using a special whistle.
01:01And depending on the frequency and length of the blows, she can give specific instructions.
01:05Yeah, so every dog really has a different whistle, like, they can be the same, but they're different whistles for
01:12different commands.
01:13So, sweeps, come by, which is left, is...
01:18And then his, say, like, gentle stop is...
01:21And then a walk on.
01:23And if you want it to be a bit quicker, you can sort of...
01:28Now it's my turn. Grace has kindly given me some instructions on some of the commands that sheepdog handlers tend
01:33to give.
01:33So, let's see if I've got any potential.
01:37Come by!
01:41Wow, he's really doing it. He's really running.
01:43Stand!
01:45Come by!
01:51That is just amazing.
01:53Grace says the most important thing is to understand the dogs and their habits.
01:58So maybe I shouldn't quit the day job just yet.
02:01Come by!
02:02Come by!
02:04Come by!
02:06Well, whether they're learning from Grace ahead of the national competitions or taking a breather with me, the dogs definitely
02:12deserve a chance to cool off.
02:14Finn McDermid for KMTV in Gedding.
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