[Homestead] June, July and August

Akka Homestead akkabhomestead at yahoo.com
Sat Sep 6 18:40:52 EDT 2008


First, I generally agree with the vet, with some caveats.  Border collies, especially those from like Scotland and those with bloodlines outside of the AKC, are often mixed breed.  Pedigreed herding dogs do not always have to have one specific breed.  I've had ISDA dogs that had mixed bloodlines.  (ISDS= International Sheep Dog Society---note the space between sheep and dog)  ISDS registers border collies and other herders.  
Point is, that there are generally two types of herding dogs, gatherers and drovers.  BC's are naturally gatherers.  Aussies, Blue Healers, Kelpies, etc., are naturally drovers.  There can be crossing depending on bloodlines.  We are talking instinct, however.
To the untrained eye, to watch a dog gather sheep, especially when they are far away, it might appear that the sheep are being chased, but with a trained dog, not so.  A young dog will chase, but then becomes 'lost' and doesn't know what to do.  He will often look back for instruction or chase in circles.  Their prey drive isn't strong enough, generally, for the dog to attack the sheep/goat/deer with any malintention.  HOWEVER, a drover is a different matter.  They are more aggressive and will not only chase but sometimes bite, a real bite, not just the guiding nip that a BC or sheltie might give.  Drovers are trained differently than gatherers.
Personally, I would not recommend a herding dog for this.  Hounds are better suited, specifically a sight hound.  If you live in the woods, which you must, it would drive a scent hound crazy and he could become lost.  You wouldn't need a large dog, just a good barker that will give chase for a short distance.
One more thing....I don't know about where you live, but in my neck of the woods, the fastest way to lose a dog is to allow that dog to run deer.  Dogs that chase deer are short-lived as folks don't take kindly to that kind of harassment of the natural food supply.  If I were you, I would definitely want my dog to stay on my property.  

Akka B, who's owned  and worked numerous herding dogs,  and owned one very big lug of scent hound (Elkhound) that I miss dearly.

--- On Sat, 9/6/08, Gene GeRue <genegerue at ruralize.com> wrote:
From: Gene GeRue <genegerue at ruralize.com>
Subject: Re: [Homestead] June, July and August
To: homestead at lists.ibiblio.org
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2008, 9:23 PM

On Sep 6, 2008, at 3:20 PM, Lisa K.V. Perry wrote:

> Oldest son worked with a Vet last summer (a year ago), she trains  
> BCs and
> owns several. She told Spencer that since BCs are natural herding  
> dogs it
> goes against their instinct to chase. Makes sense.

I don't think so. A friend's border collie chased anything that got  
into their three-acre clearing. And Dax. a German Shepherd, and Benny,  
an Australian Shepherd, chased anything that got within chasing  
distance. 
<snip>

Seriously, if it were me having such deer problems, I would get two  
puppies of a breed with strong territorial instincts. Two males.

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