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SHEEP-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 64
Border collies have been selected for many years on account of its working traits. They are natural herders with an ability to gather sheep out of a field. They have an inborn sense of distance to work off the sheep to keep them quiet.
Tending Breeds:
A tending dog is one that original helped shepherds to graze their sheep around crops. This type of dog would take their sheep out to graze and then patrol them along the grazing area and thereby keep the sheep restricted to the unfenced space where they were meant to graze. This breed includes, Belgian Malinois, Belgian Sheepdogs, Belgian Tervurens, Bouvier des Flandres, Briards, German Shepherds (known as Alsatians in the UK) Beauceron Pyrenean Shepherds and Pulis.
Driving Breeds:
These breeds of dog were bred to help drovers (sheep movers) to market along country lanes. One of the most popular dog for this job is the New Zealand Huntaway, these dogs are capable of driving very large flocks of sheep by barking and moving back and forth behind the sheep. Other breeds include, Welsh Corgis, Old English Sheepdogs, and Australian Cattle Dogs.
SELECTING YOUR DOG
You can start with a puppy, or buy a mature dog that has been trained. A puppy of course is the least expensive, but it won't be ready to work for some time and will require a lot of training from you, and there is the possibility that he may not be up to the job.
With a mature, trained dog you know he has been doing his job for sometime and knows what is expected from him, but of course he is more expensive than a puppy.
The puppy:
If you decide to go for a puppy, it is a good idea to take a look at its parents and their working ability. You should see both parents working to see if their puppy could meet your needs.
Both parents should be able to gather a group of sheep a few hundred yards away from the shepherd and fetch them to him/her in a quiet controlled manner. They should be able to hold the sheep in a group for the shepherd, single out an individual sheep and control it without the use of force. They should be able to move the sheep without difficulty or force, and demonstrate a gentle, but firm ability to move the sheep in the way that would not upset ewes during the last stages of pregnancy.
If you are buying from a breeder, the breeder should be willing to provide you with the names of his customers. You can then speak to these people to see how their puppy turned out. You should get a vet to check the eyes of the parent dogs to ensure that they are clear of progressive retina atrophy (PRA) and "collie eye anomaly (CEA). Both these conditions are heredity and can lead to some loss of sight or blindness. Needless to
Tending Breeds:
A tending dog is one that original helped shepherds to graze their sheep around crops. This type of dog would take their sheep out to graze and then patrol them along the grazing area and thereby keep the sheep restricted to the unfenced space where they were meant to graze. This breed includes, Belgian Malinois, Belgian Sheepdogs, Belgian Tervurens, Bouvier des Flandres, Briards, German Shepherds (known as Alsatians in the UK) Beauceron Pyrenean Shepherds and Pulis.
Driving Breeds:
These breeds of dog were bred to help drovers (sheep movers) to market along country lanes. One of the most popular dog for this job is the New Zealand Huntaway, these dogs are capable of driving very large flocks of sheep by barking and moving back and forth behind the sheep. Other breeds include, Welsh Corgis, Old English Sheepdogs, and Australian Cattle Dogs.
SELECTING YOUR DOG
You can start with a puppy, or buy a mature dog that has been trained. A puppy of course is the least expensive, but it won't be ready to work for some time and will require a lot of training from you, and there is the possibility that he may not be up to the job.
With a mature, trained dog you know he has been doing his job for sometime and knows what is expected from him, but of course he is more expensive than a puppy.
The puppy:
If you decide to go for a puppy, it is a good idea to take a look at its parents and their working ability. You should see both parents working to see if their puppy could meet your needs.
Both parents should be able to gather a group of sheep a few hundred yards away from the shepherd and fetch them to him/her in a quiet controlled manner. They should be able to hold the sheep in a group for the shepherd, single out an individual sheep and control it without the use of force. They should be able to move the sheep without difficulty or force, and demonstrate a gentle, but firm ability to move the sheep in the way that would not upset ewes during the last stages of pregnancy.
If you are buying from a breeder, the breeder should be willing to provide you with the names of his customers. You can then speak to these people to see how their puppy turned out. You should get a vet to check the eyes of the parent dogs to ensure that they are clear of progressive retina atrophy (PRA) and "collie eye anomaly (CEA). Both these conditions are heredity and can lead to some loss of sight or blindness. Needless to