Herding Breeds
Do you share your life with a Border Collie or one of their herding cousins? Do you find yourself constantly battling against their herding nature? Maybe you simply want to understand it more, or find fun ways to work their minds as well as their bodies? Are you longing to find that ever elusive ‘off-switch’ that some dogs seem to have while yours doesn’t? Well you’ve come to the right place. Let’s work together to understand your herding dog’s nature better.
why knowing your breed is important.
While most dog breeds have been created with specific purposes in mind, working dog breeds have been bred for specific traits that are useful and necessary in order for them to do a job for us humans. This is especially true in herding breeds.
While these traits are great for dogs working on the farm, however, they can sometimes translate poorly to the pet lifestyle and urban environments. Herding breed dogs can require a lot of mental stimulation and, if they’re not given an appropriate ‘job’ or put to ‘work’, they can often go self employed, finding other ways to meet those needs, and usually in ways you really don’t want them to!
This doesn’t mean that you should be packing your herding dog off to a farm everyday, however, or spending every single minute of the day working them! Instead we can provide them with ‘work’ or a ‘job’ by playing herding style games with them, setting them to brain stimulating tasks (such as puzzles and problem solving), teaching them new things and practicing training exercises with them.
Some common behavioural issues that herding breeds in particular can struggle with include (but are not limited to):
Dog to Dog ‘Reactivity’ - Your dog reacting to another dog in an alarming or concerning manner.
Car Chasing - Chasing after, barking or lunging at vehicles as they pass by.
Inappropriate Herding - When your dog ‘hard stare’s at, flattens down, stalks towards, circles or chases a certain trigger, especially a trigger that moves, including other dogs, people, vehicles, other animals and even children.
Light or Shadow Chasing - Fixating on or seemingly trying to chase or ‘capture’ light refractions or shadows etc.
Inability To Settle - Struggling to ‘switch off’ and do nothing, always needing to be entertained or ‘on the go’.
Can these issues be fixed with training and herding games?
While providing herding breeds with the correct amount of mental stimulation and outlets for the things they’ve been bred for is important and can help to prevent some of these behaviours from starting, it’s also not the answer to everything. There can be many reasons why the above behaviours are happening and while unmet needs can be one reason, it’s also important to rule out other factors, such as pain, health issues, underlying emotions, etc. This is why it’s important to work with a behaviour specialist who understands how the many different aspects can intertwine. That’s where I come in!
How To Book
To keep things easy and uncomplicated, you can book in for herding breed specific training and behaviour support through the same booking methods as clients with other breeds. Simply state that you are looking for herding breed specific support on the intake form when asked what you would like help with, or when we chat via a free discovery call.