The ultimate dog toy

[catsittingstill]

Border collies are beautiful black and white dogs, very sweet, very smart.

They love to herd.

And now, their owners can rent sheep for them.

Comments

[keris]

If I had a dog (my lifestyle won't even accomodate cats) I'd get a border collie. And a house with sufficient grounds that I could have a herd of sheep (or at least ducks, which are amusing when a border collie tries to herd them). They will 'herd' young babies as well, although they don't quite know what to do when one gets wet or hungry.

I love the idea of renting sheep for them -- and the extra to let them play with ducks. And that way of training the dogs, "If you can't play with your toys properly you won't be allowed to play with them".

I remember driving to work down back roads and a couple of men were tryng to move the cows from one field to another. The border collie would have been fine doing it if the men had just opened the gates, but I could see the dog's frustration at these stupid humans flapping their arms and shouting and scaring the cows. I just turned off the engine and sat and watched, and sympathised with the dog...

[catsittingstill]

Yeah, I thought this was a great idea too.

I hope the sheep and ducks don't get over-exercised but I suppose the business takes that into account.

And yes, that is an excellent way of training the dogs--though I suspect there is something more to it and some sort of "If I stand between you and the sheep you are not allowed to just run around me as if I were a tree" training involved.

I too sympathize with the dog in the incident you mention. :-)

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

Writer Jon Katz wound up
buying a whole farm (http://www.amazon.com/Dogs-Bedlam-Farm-Adventure-Sixteen/dp/0812972503/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b) for his border collies to herd sheep on.

He and one or another of the dogs have been on Diane Rehm's show on NPR several times.

[robin-june.livejournal.com]

I always regretted that we did not have our Australian shepherd puppy at the same time that we had a herd of guinea pigs, who did behave like miniature sheep when we let them onto the front lawn to graze.

As it was, all our Aussie had were the rats, who didn't have outdoor privileges, and the two kittens who did, but got really, really confused and agitated when the Aussie tried to herd them.

[pondside.livejournal.com]

That's a great idea! I've only been bitten by two dogs in my life and they were both herders that had nothing to do and were unmanagead by their owners.

[dan-ad-nauseam.livejournal.com]

I wonder if that would have affected the plotline of Safe Havens

[maiac.livejournal.com]

"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."

This made me laugh like a loon. I can see it.

I adore Bordie Collies. They are indeed very sweet and very, very smart.

[qnofhrt.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine has a Australian blue that is also a herder. Mellie tried to herd the cow-print covered garbage cans at the fair grounds one year. She also has been known to herd the three cats she lives with.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the guinea pigs would have been able to tolerate being herded by the Aussie--one thing about sheep and border collies: the border collies aren't three times as tall as the sheep, which may have something to do with why the sheep move, without outright panicking.

But yeah, if it had worked, it would have been beautiful, no doubt about it.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I have one of Jon Katz's books. He is a great writer.

Buying a whole farm is great, but is beyond many dog owners' means--renting one is more doable, which is why I find this idea so charming.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I have read that herding dogs have a lot of energy and intelligence that needs to be channeled and if they have nothing to do they become destructive.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I don't think I recognize this story?

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

And they Have. To. Herd.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

:-)

[judifilksign.livejournal.com]

One of the counselors at work has a Welsh Corgi as a deaf hearing dog. During one of our trainings, she had 20 of us in a corner, elbow to elbow, while the rest of the room was empty. And we didn't even notice until someone pointed it out!

[dan-ad-nauseam.livejournal.com]

http://www.safehavenscomic.com

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I've heard they do that at parties too. :-)

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Okay...

I see dodos and a mermaid and a fiancee of sorts--have I just not gotten far enough back to find the herding?