Border Collies as Working Dogs - By: Camille Goldin

Border collies were bred to herd sheep and cattle and consequently have intelligence, energy and a strong herding instinct. They know just how to lower their heads and give animals a no-nonsense gaze that makes them run in the direction in which the dog wants them to run. They are still taught to herd animals, starting as puppies at around five or ten months of age.

To teach a border collie to herd, a rancher often will take a dog of around five to ten months of age into a pen with several sheep. The rancher will have the sheep stand against the fence and stand between the sheep and the dog, allowing the dog to run toward the sheep from either side. That will give the dog the general idea of how to herd sheep together by keeping them from going off at either side. A dog who charges into the middle of the sheep has to be taught that that is not the way to herd them. Practicing in the pens until the dog has the idea about how to herd will lead to the next step, taking the border collie out onto the range. There the dog needs to practice keeping the sheep together in a herd. Sometimes a sheep will challenge the dog by refusing to move, and the dog will need to nip it to show that it must obey. After the border collie learns to herd the docile sheep he or she can be put in charge of sheep who are not used to dogs or lambs who tend to run off. Practice makes perfect, and the more experience the dog gets with sheep the better able he or she will be at watching, moving, and being in the right place at the right time to avoid losing any sheep.

Herding farm animals is not the only thing border collies can be trained to do. In families, border collies will herd children and send them back to bed if they are found wandering around at night. Bear in mind, though, that nipping livestock is part of a border collie’s job, so your dog might nip the children it herds.

Border collies are also used as sniffer dogs for mountain, lowland and urban rescues. Dogs are trained as scenter dogs in open areas such as parks. A treat or toy is used as a reward for the dog to find. First the dog is told to sit. Then the grass should be mashed down to make the grassy scent available. The treat should be placed upon the grass and the dog allowed to find it. After the border collie learns to find the treat in the grass, a trail of mashed grass is made with the treat at the end of the trail. After the dog has learned to follow a simple trail to a treat, a stranger should show the dog a treat or toy and go off and hide behind a tree or rock. The dog is then allowed to find the person and receive the reward. Once the border collie is used to finding people it has met, it can be trained to sniff a personal object with a stranger’s scent on it and search for the same scent. At the end of the trail, the dog should be praised and receive a reward.

About the Author

Camille Goldin, informs how well Border Collies are suited as Working Dogs. Get information on Dogs and Dog Groups from TrainPetDog.com

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Camille-Goldin/77114

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