Scottish shepherd shares how his border collies round up the flock, and it's so impressive

Annie Reneau
Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:22:50 +0000
Border collies, Dog breeds, Working dogs, Shepherd, Sheep herding, Scotland, Border collie, Smart dogs, Dogs

If you know anything about dog breeds, you likely know that border collies are known for their smarts. They're also known for their running ability and agility, which makes them perfect sheepherding dogs.

Border collies are a shepherd breed, so rounding up flocks is in their blood. But unless you've seen what that looks like in real life, it's hard to know exactly what it means to be a shepherd dog in the literal sense. Thanks to a Scottish sheep herder, delightfully known as Sean the Sheepman on TikTok, we do get to see it, and it is quite a feat to behold.

Sean's sheep flock in the Scottish countryside, roaming vast green fields that look like something out of a children's book. But when he wants the sheep to come home, he sends his border collies out to gather them up and direct them wherever he wants them to go. Watching them work is impressive. Check out this video of the dogs moving the sheep in the right direction when some of them went the wrong way:

@seanthesheepman
#fyp #bordercollie #sheepdog #fypシ #onlyinmycalvins

The dogs follow Sean's commands without fail:

Come by = clockwise

Lie down = stop

That'll do = recall

Away = counter-clockwise

Walk on = keep going

Sean's dogs —Storm, Echo, Kate, and a new puppy named Copper —are an important part of the team and perfectly suited to the work they do. Watch how Storm waits for the signal, then takes off like a flash of lightning. We can't even see the dog in much of the video, but we can see the results of her work as the sheep gather closer and closer together in the right direction.

@seanthesheepman
Amazing border collie dog storm is brilliant to watch when herding sheep #fyp #foru #foryou #foryoupage???? #tiktokviral #viral_video #tik_tok #viralvideos #dog #dogsoftiktok #bordercollie #trendingvideo

Sean explained in a video that training dogs to herd sheep begins with basic obedience training commands—sit, lie down, etc.—and it takes about two years to train them fully. Border collies are naturally intelligent, and they seem to actually enjoy being put to work. They also have energy coming out of their ears. Just watching them run across the fields is impressive, much less follow commands from far away and move an entire herd of sheep where they're supposed to go. It's mind-blowing.

As one person wrote, it "almost looks like an elegant dance." It truly is magnificent to observe.

@seanthesheepman
#bordercollie #fypシ #fyp #sheepdog #tiktok #amazing

People love Sean's videos showcasing his dogs' talents. (He's gained 5 million followers on TikTok alone.) The comments are filled with people in awe of what they can do.

"Such respect for these working dogs, awesome to watch & they look like they love it."

"Oh my goodness - how well do they listen to their own commands! So impressed!!"

"I love watching these! The prey instinct is so strong in sheep- love to see how they respond even to subtle movements by the dogs."

"Such clever puppers ? I love watching the teamwork between you and your amazing dogs."

"Me over here trying to teach my dog to lie down like ?."

"My dog doesn't even sit when I tell him to. ?"

Rain or shine or muddy mess, the trusty doggos are diligent in their work:

@seanthesheepman
Kate #fyp #fypシ #foryou #bordercollie #amazing #viral #trending #tiktok #beautiful

Another reason people love watching Sean's videos is that they hearken back to a simpler time and give us a glimpse of pastoral farm life that many of us don't get to see. While we wouldn't necessarily want to become sheep herders ourselves, there's something comforting in watching something so traditional, using dogs that have long been bred for that very purpose.

You can follow Sean the Sheepman on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.