Home of Ricky and Meg Hutchinson, their family, their dogs and the 'Shadwell' prefix in the beautiful Littledale.
Mission statement - At Littledale Sheepdogs we aim to work, breed and compete with dogs which have the attributes we believe border collies should have. A solid allrounder, capable of any farming task or competing at the highest level of trialling, well-balanced in character and capability.
Ricky was born and raised in Littledale. Sheepdogs have always been a part of his life with his father, uncle and extended family being strong followers of the sport of trialling and the artform of training. He can first remember running a dog at the age of 7 when at 4ft1 he was nearly fully grown. His first experiences of trialling in his teens were terrible. After leaving school, daily shepherding coincided with the arrival of his first good dog Peg (Hanna). Soon his abilities and achievements started an upward curve. Since Peg, he has been joined by Wenndale Roy, Sweep, Jock and Jonah to name a few. These dogs stand for the beliefs at Littledale Sheepdogs. Ricky's biggest achievements include 2017 Supreme Champion, 3 English National Championships, 2 Reserve Supremes, 4 Brace International Championships and 9 English Brace Championships.
Meg was born and raised in Norfolk on a family farm. Here sheepdogs played an important role. Both of Megs' parents are avid enthusiasts of both the breed and trialling. At the age of 10 Megs parents gifted her her first dog; Heathgate Hippy. Meg still has dogs that go back to that line today. She is particularly passionate about ISDS registered sables. At the age of 13, Meg started competing alongside Hippy who was the perfect first dog. With natural talent and the ability to ignore her handler when needed! Together they did many young handler competitions and trials all over England. From then Meg has been fortunate to have several talented work and trial dogs over the years most recently Ember, Sophie and Katie. Her biggest achievements include English National Champion, 3 English National Team places, English Nursery Final Champion and BBC OMAHD Brace Champion.
Jumped at the opportunity of an online lesson with Ricky and am so glad I did. It’s easy to see why he’s been so successful. Feedback was quick and well explained. Thank you Ricky and Meg 👍
by David Oliver
Great training day with Ricky Hutchinson yesterday, all the dogs showed great improvement .. my whistles were better, my dog was listening .. the local pet friendly accommodation was excellent 🙂
by Claire Ridge
I reached out to Mr. Hutchinson for a virtual lesson. I was looking for guidance to correct the bottom of my young Open dog's outrun, help with a re-direct, and his method for training a shed. Using a couple videos back and forth, Ricky answered my questions and provided a path forward for this dog and two more younglings coming up. Couldn't be happier. I'll be back!
by Dave Imas
