SHEEPDOGS have been going into college to teach young students old tricks and it's working.

It's becoming so popular Askham Bryan agricultural college near York is planning to run more courses next year after bringing in the experts, the International Sheep Dog Society to help them run traditional training classes.

College Chief Executive Catherine Dixon said while it could be seen as an old fashioned pastime it's added a new dimension to studies for many students and is the first course of its kind in the region. She added: "We pride ourselves on giving students a great experience plus the knowledge and life skills needed to realise their potential. This course complements their curriculum studies and as well as being fun, it teaches important transferable skills such as good communication and the ability to assess a situation quickly and react effectively which will stand them in good stead wherever their future careers lie."

Student Tom Harrison from Easingwold who is studying gamekeeping is now looking at going into training gundogs and sheep dogs himself in the future.

He said: "A well trained dog makes such a difference to what you can achieve when you're moving stock around. I'm currently working on a sheep farm and have my own dog, Meg. Our working relationship has come on tremendously; she really enjoys learning and I've learnt a lot, it's really inspired me."