Like it or not, Australian Cattle Dogs are herding dogs. It’s ingrained into them. We cannot pretend it doesn’t exist in our city-dwelling hiking partners.
HERDING DRIVE in a dog refers to a natural, instinctive behaviour that motivates a dog to control the movement of other animals such as sheep, cattle or even people. It is part of what is called PREY DRIVE, but instead of killing or consuming the “prey,” herding dogs use their instincts to gather, move and manage the livestock in a controlled way.
FIVE KEY TRAITS OF HERDING DRIVE:
- EYEING – A focused stare used to control the. movement of livestock
- STALKING or CROUCHING – Moving low to the ground to intimidate or direct livestock
- CHASING – A strong urge to run after moving objects or animals, often with a purpose (not just for fun)
- NIPPING – Gripping at the heels or nose of livestock to encourage them to move in a given direction
- CIRCLING – Running around a group of animals to keep them gathered or to move them in a direction together
THE PURPOSE:
The purpose of this weekly exercise is to:
- Watch for natural instinct and talent
- Look for consistencies (or lack thereof) from week to week
- Help guide the placement of the puppies to appropriate homes
THE METHOD:
Weather permitting we try to do four weekly exposures at 6 weeks through to and including 9 weeks of age. In weeks 6 and 7 we work with the whole litter of four — if it were a larger litter we would split into two groups. The pups gain momentum and modelling from each other and at this age there is not a lot they can do as a group to the sheep. We watch the sheep closely to make sure none of them turn on the baby puppies or bully them. In weeks 8 and 9 we will do these exposures in pairs because by that point the puppies will have a bit more confidence, they will be faster and therefore require a closer watch by me to intervene where necessary.
THE RESULTS:
So far in this litter it seems that both Peter and Shazam have the most consistent interest in sheep. They both like to keep everyone together. They are both thinkers & problem solvers. From what we see so far from both of these pups is that it would be a real shame if they were not working livestock regularly in their lives. Could they live happy lives in an urban setting? Yes, absolutely. Does this natural instinct need to be considered in an urban placement? Yes, they would each need to be with a more experienced handler who has a dog-sport training expectation. The differences between these two pups lie in personality. Peter has an old wisdom way about him and is not one to really stir up a lot of trouble while Shazam, on the other hand, is a very busy boy. Both pups have off switches but Shazam is a more operant puppy who finds himself in a few pickles when he gets bored. The personality differences in these two puppies along with the talent we see they have with livestock will absolutely contribute to how they find their perfect homes.
Barry has also been a bit inconsistent so far with livestock however in this particular week, he is way more keen so the jury is still out on his aptitude. From a personality perspective, he is very much like his sire, Lucky but Barry can also be a drama queen at times. I am very interested to see how he does in Week 8.
You’ll notice that Tony is not making much of an appearance in this video. He has been hot and cold with sheep so far and in this particular week he seems to be in a bit of a sensitive period. It is not a fear period but more of a “I want to be near my person right now” kind of thing. He is quite happy to come along for the family sheep experience but he really doesn’t want to get in there and get too involved. Tony has become a very easy puppy to live with. He values time with his brothers and people equally.
OTHER SHEEP EXPOSURES:
DAY 41: First Sheep… First Bath!