WHAT IS A BORDER COLLIE?
Border Collies are one of our oldest working breeds, dating back in written history to 943 A.D. when the Welsh king Hywel Dda extolled their virtues as superb sheep dogs and made a law dictating their value. They continue to be discussed and admired in writings in 1486, 1541, 1576, and 1700, such was their popularity.
The first recorded Sheepdog trial was held in Bala, Wales in 1873. Because of the working ability of these dogs, interest in such trials spread rapidly. Soon they became common in all of Great Britain. In the 1800s, trials were introduced to Australia and the US and continue to this day.
Border Collies are a distinct breed, even though their appearance can vary tremendously. This dog is bred for working ability and not for a particular look, and can be smooth or rough coated, have erect, semi erect, or drop ears and can have blue eyes. Coat color ranges from mostly white or black to reds, roans, blues, tris, and merles. Most people commonly recognize the classically marked Border, a predominantly black dog with white around the neck, on the legs, and on the face.
Some people mistake the Border Collie for a Shetland Sheepdog, a Rough or Smooth Coated Collie or a Bearded Collie, all of which are separate breeds. This dog can sometimes be heard to be referred to as a Scotch Border Collie, Farm-type Collie, and Irish, Welsh or English Shepherd. It was not until 1915 that they were dubbed Border Collie by the secretary of the International Sheepdog Society. He added Border to the registration forms because the best working dogs came from the edges of Northern England and Southern Scotland.
The Border Collie is a very versatile breed, and can excel at a number of different duties and sports. Their work on farms can include the handling of livestock ranging from cattle to small ducks. They are seen in vast numbers in the competitive obedience rings, as well as in the sports of agility and fly ball. Additionally, they are often worked in tracking, Schutzhund or protection work, and have occasionally been trained as sled dogs, hunting dogs, and working military dogs. They are not generally the most common breed in Assistance Dog work or Seeing Eye Dog work, but they have made very efficient records in these areas as well.
One area where a Border Collie does not outshine other breeds is as an ordinary house pet. These dogs still remain very true to their working heritage, and a Border Collie without a job will invent his own or go crazy trying. These animals MUST have a committed owner who is considerate of this dogs extraordinarily sensitive nature AND provide it with a role in life.
WHAT DOES A BORDER COLLIE DO?
Border Collies have a distinctive style which sets their work apart from other herding breeds, namely his use of what it termed eye . Puppies as young as 8 weeks of age frequently display this trait. This trait is unique to the Border Collie breed. A dog using eye does so by fixing a mesmerizing stare at the livestock which, combined with the low, crouching stance and movement of the dog, seems to hypnotize the group into cooperation with the collie.
Border Collies also differ from some of the other herding breeds in their style of working the stock. German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Old English Sheepdogs, Corgis and other livestock dogs function more by driving. These dogs run towards the livestock and nip at their heels, driving them to a designated area. Border Collies circle around the stock in a wide outrun pattern so as not to frighten the animals and then slowly, calmly, head then towards the shepherd or the designated area. Because of this, these dogs have developed a kind, gentle manner which does not alarm or threaten the animals the are working with, and if the need arises, will use strategy rather than force to move its charges.
Because of their ability for peaceful, calm interaction with livestock, Border collies are used around the world on a wide range of species. These animals include not only the aforementioned ducks and cattle, but also chickens, geese, sheep, turkeys, swine, goats, and horses. They are even used in Australia to herd ostrich and in Norway to herd reindeer. Tales abound of other animals that they will herd, such as a dog in the western states who was sent out after the cattle and returned instead with a head of 50 antelope, capable of traveling up to 50 miles an hour! If not given a proper job, Border Collies will herd children, other household pets, even bikes and cars. Puppies ca n sometimes be caught play herding leaves!
WHY DO WE USE BORDER COLLIES TO HERD MIGRATORY CANADA GEESE?
Due to their Federal Protection status, the once rare Canada Goose has flourished to the point of being considered a public nuisance in some areas. Conflicts arise in public parks, private residential areas or corporate complexes during breeding and nesting season, when the adults aggressively defend their young and foul public passageways. Additional complaints include the fouling of small water sources and the destruction to the vegetation upon which the geese graze.
Different solutions have been tried, with varying success, to address this conflict between wildlife and urban communities. These include habitat management, lethal destruction, egg addling, and the introduction of other, incompatible waterfowl. Border Collie management of the geese, along with programs designed to discourage their frequenting disputed areas, has proven to be the most successful.
A Border Collie works the wild flocks in much the same way as he works domestic livestock. In cooperation with his handler, he is trained to utilize his instinct to run out away from and then around behind the geese, waiting to be directed on pushing them in towards the dog handler. Naturally, the geese will instinctively take to any water nearby. The trained Border Collie will then repeat the outrun process in the water body, putting pressure on the geese to move into the handler who is working with the dog from the shoreline. If the water body is too large for the dog to negotiate, it will return to the handler and perform the same task perched atop a kayak. Responsible handlers monitor water temperature and provide a personal flotation device (life vest) for their dogs.
As the geese feel themselves being herded into the person (a perceived predator) by the dog (another predator), they leave the water body and take to the safety of the air. Normal predators , as well as other breeds of dogs, do not normally follow the geese into the water. The specialized use of the dog in the water communicates to the geese that this particular area is not safe for them, and they fly out and move on to one of their auxiliary habitats, where they are not causing problems with the public.
Being very intelligent creatures, the Canada Geese will quickly learn that the Border Collie always insists on the same routine, and they will vacate the area. Sometimes this will last permanently; other times, especially with resident flocks, they will need to be reminded on a maintained and managed basis.
WHY CANT OTHER BREEDS DO THE SAME JOB AS THE BORDER COLLIE?
Any dog can chase animals in a predatory manner. Most dogs, running loose in parks, can be observed to race straight up to geese, who respond by flying to the safety of the waters. Some dogs will even swim after the flocks in the water. The geese, however, being very strong swimmers, simply and easily keep eluding the dog, which quickly tires and quits.
Some have attempted to train other breeds to do work similar to the Border Collie. Other herding breeds have failed at the task because they do not possess the unique out run herding style of the Border Collies and instead attempt to drive the animals straight on. These dogs also present hazards to the geese, because as mentioned earlier, they perform their driving task by nipping at the heels of the livestock that they are working. A nip or bite by a dog can be very dangerous to a goose.
Some people have attempted to use some of the sporting or retrieving breeds, such as Labrador Retrievers. These dogs possess absolutely no herding instinct, and have also been trained to use their mouths to retrieve, thus posing the same threat of biting damage to the birds.
There simply is not another breed as suited to this task as the Versatile Border Collie!
