THE Darlington and Stockton Times' Lead the Way campaign has been backed by a dog trainer who says there is no excuse for livestock worrying.

Farmer Marcus Bainbridge, who has trained dogs for around 35 years and has nine of his own, said lessons had to start at home if the issue was going to be tackled.

The 51-year-old, of Eggleston, in Teesdale, said: “It’s like computers, if you put garbage in you get garbage out.

“A dog can be so well-trained to not go after sheep and yet if it’s a type where their primal instinct is to heard sheep then they are going to do that.

“People are not prepared to put in enough training with their dogs and because their dogs are maybe OK at one point, they think they then have a right to give it freedom.

“The think freedom is a right but it isn’t”

He added: “If you have a car, you are responsible for driving it so if you get a dog you need to be responsible for it too.

“People talk about rights and say they have a right to have a dog but nobody in today’s society wants to talk about the responsibility of having a dog.”

The campaign backs the recommendation of a national police report into the issue of livestock worrying and calls for significant updates to the law.

Darlington and Stockton Times says legislation must be changed to make it compulsory for dogs to be on a lead around livestock, not just under “close control” as it states at present.

Mr Bainbridge said the dog’s background also had to be considered, especially if it had come from a rescue or been abused.

“With rescue dogs, you do not always know the history with them, so some could be fearful or some could be very aggressive – you have to factor in their personality because all dogs are different. I have nine and not two of them are the same.”

Giving his best tips on how to keep a dog under control, Mr Bainbridge said: “The obvious one is keeping it on a lead but the one that’s come up in the last year or two is to make yourself the higher value – you should be able to put pressure on their dog so they do as they’re told.

“If there’s no relationship there then it won’t work.”

Mr Bainbridge also suggested dog training classes but stressed the only way to be certain a dog would not attack is by having it on a lead.