Yes sir , Yes sir .sx Women are taking on the men in the dyed-in-the-wool art of shepherding .sx Will they win ?sx It's still trial and error .sx BEVERLEY CUDDY .sx Men obviously unused to wearing suits filled the hotel foyer .sx Scores of ruddy , wind - blasted faces cracked with shy smiles as old acquaintances were renewed .sx I was sitting in the lounge of a hotel used by all the top competitors at the International Sheepdog Trials .sx Tomorrow , they'd be relieved to revert to comfortable tweed caps and stout brown boots .sx All , that is , except one .sx I had travelled to Lanark to meet the Scottish team captain Julie Deptford - the only woman in the competition .sx Earlier in the day , I'd made an unscheduled trip to the showground .sx My simple but bright skirt suit wouldn't have warranted a second glance in the city .sx The two PR girls with me from trial sponsors Pedigree Petfoods were more aptly dressed in Barbour coats and wellies .sx When a group of grinning Welsh shepherds passed by and chorused " Hello , ladies " , we couldn't have felt more ridiculously feminine had we been wearing six-inch stilettos and bikinis !sx .sx Julie , a frail , blonde 28-year-old , couldn't help but stand out among her male colleagues .sx Rather than attempt to blend in , she wears her blue jeans extremely tight , a short suede jacket instead of de rigueur tweed , and covers her head with a stylish and expensive Akubra Stockman hat .sx How did these most traditional of men accept her into their flock ?sx Not only is she younger than most of them and unashamedly feminine , she's an extremely good shepherdess - surely a bit much for some men of the old school to take .sx .sx " They've been great .sx But you need the temperament to mix in and put up with their jokes .sx They've taught me all I know .sx " .sx Julie was a hot favourite for the international title .sx Her name was on everyone's lips .sx She earned the team captaincy by winning the Scottish national trial .sx Add to Julie's record the One Man And His Dog success of shepherdess Katy Cropper , and it would be easy to conclude that women are better at this shepherding lark than the men who have traditionally dominated it .sx Is it due to women being better at understanding their dogs ?sx Julie wouldn't hear of it .sx " Women can be too soppy .sx Maybe that's why there aren't more of us competing .sx Dogs tend to take advantage - you have to show them who's boss .sx " .sx I witnessed Julie's sternest gaze .sx It was impressive .sx The Daily Record photographer who asked if she and her dog would pose in a Tam O'Shanter regretted it .sx Nevertheless , her collie Gwen has been known to try it on .sx " She can lull you into a false sense of security .sx If you fuss her too much , she gets the impression she's in charge !sx " Julie says .sx " Gwen's a fat little pig and she takes a lot to keep in shape .sx At a trial a few years ago , she squeezed out of the car and ate nine ham rolls !sx It was a long hilly course and there was no way she'd have got around with her belly touching the ground .sx " The vet administered soda but Gwen was still reluctant to give up her picnic !sx .sx The setting for the championships was stunning , but there were plenty of sights to see on the showground .sx A battered old van advertised hand-painted 'Mollie the Collie' plates and clocks .sx But where was Mollie ?sx A jolly man enlightened me furtively :sx " Don't mention Mollie - I sold her to a farmer in Wales and my daughter still hasn't forgiven me !sx " .sx I was encouraged to buy a pounds1 plastic dog whistle .sx It remains stubbornly mute .sx The tweed hats in all shapes and sizes were slow to move .sx Every head I could see was already well covered .sx People were flocking to the Sheep Shop to buy 'Ewe's not fat - Ewe's just fluffy' sweat shirts .sx I didn't tell the crook salesman that you just couldn't get good staffs these days , even though I was tempted .sx He proudly showed me his most expensive stick .sx " You wouldn't want to go around whacking cattle with this one , " he told me .sx He was right .sx There was even a stand called the Shepherds' Friendly Society selling pensions and savings plans .sx As the man on the stall had the only working mobile phone for miles , it soon turned into the Journalists' Friendly Society , as depressed Daily Record staff phoned their newsdesk with the bad news that Julie and Gwen wouldn't wear the tartan berets .sx Did Julie win the international title ?sx Did she get even close ?sx No .sx Despite the press and PR girls willing her on , she had a dreadful round .sx Obstinate sheep were blamed .sx .sx Gwen still picked up a free tray of Pedigree Chum for her efforts .sx Lamb variety was conspicuous by its absence .sx Slimline Tonic !sx .sx Christmas is traditionally a time for wicked extravagances , when those extra inches creep onto the hips .sx However , new motivation now comes in the form of the Slimmer of the Year awards .sx .. BRIAN KELLY .sx Dogs don't feel guilty .sx It's our little human foibles about what's right and wrong that make them wag or cower .sx Similarly , dogs don't pick up the Sunday newspapers after a binge , read the fat-phobic , lose-20kg-by-Wednesday ads and think " ooh , I'll never get a boyfriend looking like this ; I'd better bow to social pressure , send pounds30 and await my free dumb-bells " .sx Still , it's all the more reason why owners , ultimate controllers of what passes canine lips , should take care .sx .sx Len Bowden smiled as he said it , but it still sounded confessional .sx Ultimately , it was .sx He is owner of Lucky , a Springer Spaniel who lost 23 kilos , to become runner-up in this year's Hill's Pet Slimmer Of The Year contest .sx Len , a retired council worker from Dagenham , simply said :sx " I thought I was being kind .sx " .sx Exactly .sx What loving , caring pet owner can resist the little learnt signals that beg 'feed me' ?sx What owner doesn't want to spoil and fuss ?sx By its very nature , Lucky's success in the contest involved more than a little 'coming forward' on Len's part .sx Rather than ignoring the problem for fear of revealing his own weakness , he cared enough for his dog to seek help .sx Fourteen months ago , Lucky didn't even look like a Springer .sx Before being taken to vet Denise Lambert , she couldn't climb stairs , could barely stand , and would collapse on walks .sx She weighed 43kg - as much as a Rottweiler and almost twice as much as she should have done .sx Titbits had to go for a start .sx Lucky went onto a Hill's balanced diet specially formulated for dog obesity .sx Had she not started her diet , last year's scorching summer may have been too much for her already-pressured heart .sx Slow and steady won the race .sx As Lucky lost weight gradually , Len upped the exercise , and this year's model was a proudly revealed , inquisitive little soul at the recent ceremony in London .sx She still has about four kilos to go and by that time , will have lost more than four stone - not bad for a human , let alone a dog .sx Apart from endangering its health , overfeeding a dog takes the shine off a big part of the joy of ownership .sx So says behaviourist Peter Neville , still breathless after charging across half of Wiltshire in an attempt to keep up with two of his more frenetic dogs .sx " Fat dogs don't play , " he says .sx " Because they're obese , they don't tend to move much .sx Their activity demand gets replaced by cyclical things like lots of feet-licking .sx The pleasure of playing with your dog is lost .sx " Dogs are more prone to obesity than cats because they are programmed to scavenge and take advantage of anything going , whereas cats can regulate their energy intake more closely .sx " Because giving titbits is an easy and intense point of short - term contact between dog and owner , many people begin to make a habit of it .sx " If you must do it , he says , make it something like a carrot stick .sx Slimmer of the Year is not an owners' contest .sx It's for vets , and this year's winner , Ian McAllister , won a trip to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress in Vienna , in October .sx Winning owner Carol Collidge received an automatic camera and a year's supply of Hill's product best suited for her pet .sx Hill's winner was Sacha , a cat , who , being diabetic , was not brought to the ceremony as the stress could have played havoc with already touchy blood-sugar levels .sx And stressful it was , indeed , what with such a lavish spread .sx All this talk of dieting certainly rumbled a tummy or two .sx Lucky stood by bravely and behaved - looking , but not drooling .sx Other dogs to do well included Jack , a formerly huge Labrador , and Bullseye , a Jack Russell who managed to halve his weight .sx Jack weighed 48kg , was grumpy and very lethargic .sx Post-diet , he was 16kg lighter , and neighbours thought it was another dog .sx His arthritis has eased and his heart rate has slowed .sx Bullseye slept like Rip Van Winkle and ate like a horse .sx Now a trim 6.8kg , he enjoys running along the backs of chairs .sx Meanwhile , Lucky misses her choc drops , but is happier to enjoy what appears to be a second puppyhood instead .sx She dashes about , and is curious and keen on her walks with Len .sx Apart from that , she no longer impersonates a throw rug .sx Quick Bites .sx by David Appleby .sx FEEDING RITUALS .sx Today somewhere in the Arctic Tundra the breath of a wolf pack will be billowing like smoke in the near frozen air , half held as they stealthily approach their prey , their eyes searching for clues that will tell them which of the Musk Oxen is the easiest to catch - a limp , or signs of lethargy will give the game away .sx In a final rush the wolves will stampede the herd and , if lucky , they will succeed in bringing down the food they need to survive .sx If what has gone before would leave an observer perhaps slightly revolted but spellbound , what comes next has the fascination of some ancient ritual .sx The dominant male and female take over the carcass and defend it from the rest of the pack .sx Body language plays an important role in preventing actual aggression .sx The pack slink submissively around the carcass until the dominant pair have had their fill .sx .sx Meanwhile , at home Jason keeps on barking at the cupboard where the food is kept because it is time to be fed .sx Co-operatively Mum opens a tin , placing it and some mixer in a bowl and puts it down for him .sx As he finishes he settles on his bed and she serves up the family's meal .sx Jason sleeps , content in the knowledge that he's 'boss around here' .sx After all , he knows the importance of who eats first , even if his owners don't .sx The joy of sitting .sx 'Sit !sx ' - Not only the best place to begin , but also the most useful of commands for every sit-uation .sx BY DR :sx IAN DUNBAR & DR MICHAEL STRONG Over the years , dogs have been trained to perform an astonishing variety of acts .sx Some will readily fetch objects like dead birds or the Daily Mail without eating them .sx Others will roll over and 'die for the Queen' , sniff out drugs , catch a flying frisbee , leap through a firey hoop , rescue a lost child , or salivate at the sound of a bell .sx But of all the things that dogs have been trained to do , the sweetest , most important , and certainly the most useful is also the most commonplace :sx to sit .sx Of course , dogs will sit of their own free will , and that is part of the beauty of it .sx 'Sit' is usually the first , and sometimes the only command an owner successfully teaches his or her young puppy .sx There is a good reason for this .sx After a few times of being rewarded for sitting when it was going to sit anyway , a puppy will readily do so more often and especially , whenever its owner issues the order .sx All other commands are more difficult , and owners often lose interest or patience at this point , and give up .sx