BORDER collie owner Dan Scott is no sheep farmer – but that did not stop him being crowned overall winner at the new and young handler sheepdog trials held at Crosthwaite.

Kendal-based Dan, who runs a training business, decided to undergo training himself as a new way to relax after a day at the office.

He and his dog Smit were presented with the Stephen Relph Memorial Shield and also won class three at the event, which involved an outrun, lift, fetch and pen.

They were placed second in class two, which was handling and moving sheep effectively, and fourth in class one, which tested how well the dog can balance sheep in and out of poles.

Dan has been taking lessons in sheepdog handling from Alan and Chris Bradley, who run Lake District Working Sheepdogs from Totterbank Farm, Crosthwaite.

Dan said: “I took up sheepdog handling as a way of doing something completely different.

“It was a bit of a role reversal because at PHX we train individuals and businesses to build skills, but here it was me receiving the training.”