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Posted on 12/28/2010 9:55:50 AM PST by Nachum
Compulsive Sheep Herders Need a 'Job' to Entertain Them; 'That'll Do'
BATTLE GROUND, Wash.—Sue Foster knew what she needed to do when her border collie, Taff, was expelled from puppy school for herding the black Labs into a corner.
She rented some sheep.
Then she bought another border collie and rented some grazing land. Then she bought some sheep of her own. And a third border collie. Now, like the old lady who swallowed the fly, Ms. Foster keeps a llama to chase off the coyotes that threaten the lambs that go to market to finance the sheep that entertain her dogs.
Once upon a time, Americans got dogs for their sheep. Now they get sheep for their dogs. "I never dreamed it would go this far," says Ms. Foster, 56 years old.
Border collies, first bred along the frontier between England and Scotland, are compulsive herders, with instincts so intense they sometimes search for livestock behind the television when sheep appear on screen, says Geri Byrne, owner of the Border Collie Training Center, in Tulelake, Calif. Left unoccupied, they'll dig up the garden, chew up the doggie bed or persecute the cat.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Arff
great story
Working dogs have to work. They get incredibly destructive if they get bored, and border collies are the worst. They’re incredibly smart, and have to have an outlet for that intelligence and crazy drive they have. Livestock guard dogs (like my in-laws’ Hungarian Kuvasz from years back) adapt better to a non-farm environment, but even with them, owners have to be aware of the different way they think and act from other kinds of dogs.
}:-)4
We just got an Aussie and I can tell we are going to have our hands full.
Any other tips?
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I wonder if they can herd cats?
Say WA? Evergreen State ping
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I’ve seen people get geese for their border collies to herd around the yard.
Neither one of them were very hyper. Oh Mattie would go under the fence..and roam some. But always come back..and never got into trouble.
I now have a Blue Heeler...pup too. Now she's a hoot...but not overly hyper either.
FWIW
I used to own a house one county west of Tulelake. Once I had a tenant with a border collie. Nicest dog you’d ever meet, if you were by yourself.
On several occasions I had to bring in handymen or tradesmen to fix something. As long as there were 2 or less of us the Border Collie would mostly ignore us. As soon as there were 3 of us she’d start circling, crowding and eventually nipping at heels. Before long you’d find yourself standing face to face six inches away from some plumber and his assistant who hadn’t brushed their teeth that morning. It was like a trigger - 3 is a herd and they must be kept together.
I don’t thing she had ever been trained, it just came naturally.
You got it boss. :)
LOL, I grew up on a farm with a Border and lots of cats (lots of pigs too), and the dog would regularly try to herd the cats. To the outsider it appears that she was pestering them, but if you study it, you see that she was trying to keep the group together and moving them along. It was fun to watch. I’m sure the cats didn’t agree.
They do try but the cats have other ideas.
GREAT! I always said if I won the lottery I would get my boarder collie - ish stray, that we have had for 13 years, a herd of sheep! We have 3 cats and they are keeping her young keeping up with them. It is so much fun to watch!
You are right about working dogs having to work. We have an Old English Sheep dog and she will dig or tear something up if we don’t pay attention to her. She really wants to get on the other side of our yard fence and herd the deer.
Keep them active. They’re like border collies, they need some sort of “job” to do—agility, flyball, a spirited play session in the backyard, herding, *something*. Might be a good idea to see if there is an Aussie breed club or group in your area that can give you suggestions.
}:-)4
I would think that if space was a problem, a small flock of ducks or geese would be good replacements for sheep.
Nothing can herd cats and as a Red Hat Queen Mother, I can tell you that you cannot herd Red Hat women either!
We have a black lab, golden retriever mix that lives to hunt. If I do not get her to an open space to stalk birds or squirells, she will make us crazy. :)
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