A sheep in suburban Christchurch is doing its bit to show just how smart a sheep can be.
Leaping a jump is just one of 29 commands Lucky can follow. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Lucky, who is six years old, and originally from a farm in Burke's Pass in South Canterbury, knows a few tricks.
In fact, he knows so many tricks that his owner Caroline Thomson needs a list to keep track of them all.
"He does sit, bow, turn, back, shake, stay, jump, pose, pose is his favourite, through, so that's when he'll go under something, wait, go to bed. Now go-to-bed he learnt by getting feijoas, feijoa is his most favourite food. If you give him a feijoa it's instant," Thomson said.
In total, Lucky can follow 29 commands.
When Thomson first got him she noticed he would often sit next to her, so decided to see if he would do it on command.
Lucky and his owner Caroline Thomson. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
"I had a fist full of willow leaves to start with and I'd say sit and he'd sit and eat his leaves. And from then on every trick, every command that I wanted to give him it wouldn't take long, a day or two days and he'd cotton on to what it was I wanted him to do."
Thomson has had Lucky since he was a newborn six years ago, and took him in when his mother was not feeding him.
By the time he was six months old he had already learnt about 15 commands.
"I haven't really taught him anything new for quite a long time but he's remembering what he has learnt and it's quite amazing really because I'm not talking to him or getting him to do the trick all the time but he does remember the word."
While Lucky was amazing, Thomson said most sheep could be trained if people had the inclination to do so.
"I think it suits people to think that they are dumb. I mean you wouldn't eat them otherwise. There are whole paddocks of these amazing, intelligent animals that it suits people to not to think that they're bright."