by Lynn-Nore Chittom

Created on: March 01, 2010

Border Collies are known primarily for two things: their intelligence and their herding instinct.  The herding instinct of the Border Collie is one of the breeds most distinct characteristics and, quite often, its greatest drawback to being an amazing family pet.

In terms of breed-specific distinctions, Border Collies are known as working dogs, and their herding abilities are their number one job description.  On farms this ability is generally used to herd sheep or cattle.  The Border Collie round the sheep or cattle by running circles around the herd.  They then crouch low to the ground and give a direct stare at the animals which they are herding.  This stare conveys control and dominance and implies to the sheep or cattle that the Border Collie means business.  If a sheep or cow do not comply with the threat of the stare, the Border Collie then resorts to barking and growling to insist that the animal being herding return to the fold.  In extreme cases, the Border Collie will chase and bite a sheep or cow that is wandering away from the flock and refuses to come back on their own.  The Border Collie does not intend to hurt the animal, only to force it to return to the fold.

The intelligence and herding instinct of the Border Collie was emphasized in the 1995 Oscar-award winning children's film Babe.  In the story, two Border Collies demonstrate this breed’s natural herding instinct, while a small pig shows off his talents at getting sheep to cooperate through kindness.  Unfortunately, in the real world, the talents of the Border Collie far outweigh the imaginary ability to convince sheep or cattle to herd themselves.  In fact, a single Border Collie can do the work of three to five humans attempting to herd the same flock.

The history of the herding instinct within the Border Collie actually dates back to their wolf ancestry.  Like wolves they use an intense gaze to frighten other animals and then progress to growling and biting.  Unlike wolves, the Border Collie only uses this method for herding and not with the intent to kill.  The attack instinct of the wolf was actually bred out of the Border Collie to develop this breed’s keen herding ability.

Despite their amazing intelligence, agility and ability to learn a variety of tricks, Border Collies are often rejected as a good family pet for some of the same reasons they are excellent work dogs.  Border Collies are high energy dogs which are able to work long hours on a farm, sometimes pulling a twelve or eighteen hour day without stopping.  As a family pet, this can be quite exhausting as the Border Collie needs constant activity to stay content and a bored Border Collie can be a very destructive dog.  Similarly, a playful Border Collie can occasionally forget his place as a family pet and attempt to herd young children.  This situation often escalates as small children respond to the initial stare and bark of their family pet.  A frightened child will instinctively respond by screaming and running, which, in turn, cause the Border Collie to bark and growl and eventually bite, all in an effort to herd the child.  These tendencies make the Border Collie less suitable for families with young children, though they can make wonderful pets for families prepared to handle their herding nature.

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