I had a border collie, and she tried to herd the birds in the yard. It’s amazing to watch them work – if you ever get a chance to watch the sheep dog trials, it is worth it.
We’ve lived with this wonderful breed for thirty years. They have a rep for intelligence that can’t be overstated. The herding / activity thing though is individual to each dog. We’ve had a princess BC who would only look at sheep in some form in her bowl and thought games were fine for me just don’t include her; a prince who liked the sheep just fine and then went on his way; and a BCxLab who was more nanny than herder. On the other hand, our friends had two BCs who couldn’t leave off herding “the prince” when we all got together for a visit. You could see him glaring over his shoulder at them saying, “Leave it, mate!” They are wonderful dogs to live with as long as you get the right one and respect their need for input, be it mental or physical.
night ranger almost 11 years ago
Union Sheep Herders 341.
captainofgondor almost 11 years ago
I had a border collie, and she tried to herd the birds in the yard. It’s amazing to watch them work – if you ever get a chance to watch the sheep dog trials, it is worth it.
dogday Premium Member almost 11 years ago
We’ve lived with this wonderful breed for thirty years. They have a rep for intelligence that can’t be overstated. The herding / activity thing though is individual to each dog. We’ve had a princess BC who would only look at sheep in some form in her bowl and thought games were fine for me just don’t include her; a prince who liked the sheep just fine and then went on his way; and a BCxLab who was more nanny than herder. On the other hand, our friends had two BCs who couldn’t leave off herding “the prince” when we all got together for a visit. You could see him glaring over his shoulder at them saying, “Leave it, mate!” They are wonderful dogs to live with as long as you get the right one and respect their need for input, be it mental or physical.
Dani Rice almost 11 years ago
Our neighbor has a border collie who will herd anything, but she’s partial to the cat, and guests. (And she does try to heard the birds, too.)