You Will Not See Anything Sweeter Today: This is How a Little Border Collie Puppy Herds (video)

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Although they barely reach the sheep’s chin, this border collie puppy herds the flock and the herd with incredible determination. It is amazing to see their movements considering that this little ball of fur is only a few months old.

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They dart around like a bullet, watch closely and nip at the animals – it is clear that herding is in their blood. It is a very exciting question how such a complex behaviour can be inherited from dog to dog.

Herding dogs move in sync both with the animals and with their owners

This is how breed traits are inherited

This agile little puppy also proves that a significant part of breed characteristics is inherited on a genetic basis. During the development of modern dog breeds, breeders consciously selected individuals for specific tasks over generations. Not only physical traits were fixed, but also the functioning of the nervous system and behavioural patterns. Traits such as herding instinct, hunting drive, or guarding reactions have a complex genetic background and are passed on to offspring.

This is why herding dogs have pointed ears

Herding instinct and behaviour are the result of an extremely exciting and complex selection process. Herding is a modified predatory behaviour in which the dog no longer considers livestock as prey. It is no coincidence that herding dogs greatly resemble predators: their pointed, erect ears, fixed gaze, and the nipping of moving animals all prompt livestock to move away from the dogs darting behind and around them.

Herding is a modified predatory behaviour / Photo: welovedogz.hu

This is what was changed during selection

While in wild ancestors predatory behaviour extends from detecting prey through chasing to capturing, in herding dogs certain elements – such as fixation, stealthy approach, or circular movement – have been strengthened, while the bite associated with catching prey and the instinct to kill the animal have been suppressed. This “fine-tuning” has been fixed at the genetic level, which is why every herding dog is born with instinctive herding abilities.

Besides raw patterns, training is also important

However, it is important to distinguish between tendency and skill. Inherited behavioural patterns already appear as templates in puppies, but controlled, safe, and purposeful functioning requires training. Thus, a border collie puppy may already show instinctive herding traits, but developing real working ability requires conscious teaching.

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