Confused about recall

I've had my border collie for 2 months now - she is about 5 years old and had had at least 2 previous owners before spending 8 months in the rescue kennels. Considering all that she is a really brilliant dog and I have been working very hard on her training.

She is now able to walk to heel on and off the lead and her recall is coming along - usually good unless very much distracted! I do it with a whistle.

We live in the country and there are sheep everywhere. She doesn't chase them but she is very interested (she's a collie!). Every so often when we are outside the house she suddenly makes a break for it and dashes off at a hundred miles an hour, does a couple of circuits of the next door field scattering sheep as she goes but not chasing them, then comes back to me. My question is how should I react when she does this? I usually shout 'NO' as she sets off, then try the whistle recall once, but no reaction at all. Then when she comes back I don't tell her off but surely I shouldn't praise her - after all she has just done something really naughty - but at least she does come back fairly smartish.

This isn't something that happens every day, just occasionally.

Would really appreciate some help with this.

i would put her on a lead around sheep
a dog can be shot for looking at a sheep the wrong way - and if she does that at lambing time she can cause some dead lambs

I praise for comming back, but no praise if I have to go and get them

I'm afraid I agree with Ben - you really shouldn't risk her off lead around sheep. Even if you think she is not doing any harm, you don't realise how stressed the sheep can get and you could inadvertenly cause the sheep to miscarry etc.

Even if that doesn't happen, if the farmer thinks there is a risk of this, they can and do shoot dogs - unless of course you know the farmer and know that he is relaxed about what she's doing.

I would go back a stage and use a long line on her so that she has a certain amount of freedom, but you can enforce the recall.

Just one other thought - do you know what a 'zoomie' (tail between legs, running full pelt, often in a zig-zag direction) is and if so, is this what she's doing?

I live in an area where there are lots of cows, sheep etc. My BC isnt interested so I dont normally have to worry about him but my GWPx does and will kill prey animals (so far only a pheasant and a vole) and the smell of sheep certainly gets him interested so there is no way I risk him off lead around sheep. I think a full grown ewe wouldnt interest him but I fear he would go after lambs.

If we are walking through a field of sheep or they are in the next field in close proximity then both go on leads. I will never trust my dogs 100% and always err on the side of caution and I think this is the only way to go around livestock unless you want your dog shot.

Sorry, should have said - the farmer is a friend and knows all about it. The sheep are hogs (no lambs this year) but obviously I want to sort the problem out before I risk her off a lead with any unknown sheep.

Hali - I don't know what a zoomie is - sounds as if this what it could be, so any information would be gratefully received

I`ve never had collies (I don`t want a dog that`s probably more intelligent than me!) but as a breed they do seem to need to work - as my breeds do. I find that my working dogs benefit from learning to do whatever they were bred for, in a small way (the GSD loves `doing` stuff and getting praised, the gundogs love scent games) so why not find a collie trainer and see if she can rediscover her raison d`etre? Duck-herding / flyball, whatever?