Border Collie Breed History

Border Collies are, of course, a herding breed. Herding is about stopping and controlling movement. They were bred to work alongside their shepherd to gather a large number of animals together and then control and drive those animal’s movements.

So when working with herding breeds, we need to be mindful of the characteristics that go along with being a successful herder.

Herding breeds are quickly aroused to meet the need to go from zero to 10 in the flick of a switch. If a sheep breaks from a herd, a Border Collie needs to respond immediately and stop and control the movement of the one that’s running away.

The hunt sequence used in working dogs is wired into pet dogs too.

Eye – Stalk – Chase – Grab – Possess – Disect – Chew

For Border Collies, the part of the herding sequence that is most relevant is to eye, stalk, chase, and grab.

It’s intrinsically reinforcing for Border Collies to do these behaviours.

Border Collies need to be environmentally sensitive and aware of all the things that are going on around them so they can work with their handler at a distance while protecting their own safety and security.

When we think about all of these traits that are essential for them to perform their job of controlling the movement of sheep or livestock, we can see how and why behaviour problems can often show up in domestic environments for the breed.

For thousands of years, we’ve been creating a high arousal, easily frustrated animal that likes to be able to control movement and gets very, very easily upset if they can’t do that. When a Border Collie isn’t able to perform the eye – stalk – chase of the hunt sequence, their innate need to fulfil those behaviours is stifled. And this often shows up with lunging, barking, nipping or chasing things that aren’t safe.

They’re hugely environmentally sensitive, have a very close bond with their handler, and have enormous energy to complete the task they were bred to do.

A Collie’s early life experiences were likely to be on a farm, in kennels and spent watching their parent’s work with their shepherd and the sheep. They had little to no exposure to homes, people, streets, cars and all the things they’re confronted with in an urban environment.

It wasn’t important that they were super friendly to everybody that came into the farmyard or that they could cope with traffic. It was imperative that they had the endurance and natural herding ability, and quick action to instantly do everything that the farmer needed.

It’s possible to have an urban domestic Border Collie, who lies down by your fire at night or gets snuggled up on the sofa with you, with the right training and lifestyle considerations. A Border Collie can be perfectly happy, well-nourished, and a beautiful member of the family.

But we need to know what to avoid and what to do to bring out the very best in them.