Herding breeds

I find this in all breed groups really. The truth is it does take a pretty specific person to own a herder... but the same goes for any other group. I love herders because I grew up surrounded by them and they suit me just as MANY other types would not suit me at all. BC's are one of the breeds I most see up for adoption here and I think it is just a simple case of people not doing their research before getting a puppy, not that herders are tough keepers.

Herders are energetic, and demand mental and physical activity, they can be LOUD and reactive and obsessive, as a result many people interpret this as you have to be engaged in multiple dog sports and live on a farm to own one. Maybe that is true for a very high drive example of a herder but there are plenty of others who would do fine in a good pet home. Ours as kids certainly never had sheep to herd and never attended any formal classes. However they had hours a day of frolicking on a decent chunk of land with a herd of kids and being trained to do random tricks by everyone. I guess what I am saying is that there seems to be this elitist attitude and view that there is one set circumstance that people seem to think fits the groups needs of mental and physical exercise when there are several different ways it can be achieved.

I'd agree that it's breeds of all groups that can be difficult.
Frankly, I'd find most hounds very difficult because of their more layed-back nature. I want a dog that's all go-go-go (with a bit of an off switch somewhere in there) so I got a herding dog. We've had a few problems, but mostly, I'd blame that on my inexperience. I'd probably be miserable with most dogs from the hound group.
Do I run my ACD ten miles a day? Nope. Actually, I got sick for two weeks this winter and barely left the house because I was afraid of fainting. She didn't really care about the teencey walks and shortened training sessions.
Something I always wonder, though, does anyone actually exercise their dog the amount people say that breed needs? I got told that my ten-year-old GSD needs three five-mile runs (runs, not walks) a day. Um, sorry, his hips get tired after a six mile walk. Don't think we'll be doing that.

Very well said, this is what I've been trying to articulate and not doing very well.

Its funny you should say that, my collie would have ate me in my sleep if I exercised him the amount most people probably thought I should. On the other hand my westie jogs about an hour a day and hikes multiple miles a week and I am pretty sure all the other (fat) westie owners in the area think I am insane:rofl1: It really depends on the dog not the breed.

I think with some dogs there's sort of a point of diminishing returns with exercise, and eventually can become counterproductive. On the days when my dogs really, REALLY get a lot of structured exercise they all act a bit different... by the end of the day Maisy turns off and sleeps, Pip gets a bit grumpy, and Squash gets just absolutely bananas - just like an overstimulated, overtired toddler.

So although he gets regular, vigorous exercise and lots of free play time in the backyard with Maisy, more and more and more isn't better for what should be my most "exercise needy" dog based on his "breed". So I wonder about that, too, sometimes.

I'm not sure where you are in Ontario, but at least the Ottawa area, we see mostly BCs in shelters not because of them being difficult, they are just the most common breed around. Obviously, when one breed is so prevalent, yah, they will be the majority of dogs in the shelters as well.

Honestly, by far, the easiest dog I've ever dog sat -- either from chaz or elsewhere -- has been the herders. 90% of the dog park by my house.. Are herders.

Well, Rosey is a mixed breed, so theres no place telling me her breed needs blank amount of exercise a day, but at 15 1/2 years old, I'd she doesn't get three 1-hour walk at least a day, she's hell to live with. It doesn't matter of she was running for 4 hours, or doing training for an hour, she needs those walks, which are 95% of the time training as well. So yah, she does get a lot of exercise, but it's mainly so I don't gt annoyed and drop her off in the middle of nowhere

I really wish I could borrow a BC or an Aussie for a few weeks, LOL. Maybe one day I'll have an opportunity to foster. I'd love to be around a lot more of them to see the differences for myself.

They seem like they would get along well with a dog like Jackson from what I've read and seen but I've been around very few in real life.

What I really love about Jackson is his devotion to me - he's always got his eyes on me, even tho he doesn't necessarily like to be cuddled, held or fussed over. But he just always wants to be WITH me. He enjoys dogs who will engage in play games and chase (he loves to run, and be chased) but also be respectful of him (i.e. he gets very irritated with my uncle's GSD and her play style, which consists of lots of pouncing and swatting with her paws and just being rough all around).

As for me? I personally love a more aloof dog. I'd like it to be friendly towards people but not really seek out a ton of attention. This is how Jackson is.

I also don't mind a dog that needs a lot of attention or stimulation or exercise. I have a slight feeling I probably give Jackson more than most give their BC's, lol. So I feel like that wouldn't be an issue for me. I'm already used to Jackson who requires a lot out of me (not even just in terms of exercise, but more so just attention and mental stimulation). To me, he's easy, because he's so willing to learn and easy to train. But he's also SO smart and in turn, can be quirky.

But more and more I've been thinking that I am not sure another small terrier would be a good match for Jackson, but maybe I'm wrong. I don't know if Jackson would do well with a dog who would probably be more willing to "challenge" him, but I dunno. I also started changing my mind when Jackson REALLY loved this particular Aussie at the dog park and I was so surprised!

But I really need to be around them more to be able to say for sure. Either way, a second dog will have to wait a year or two.

I haven't read through all the posts, but I can say I have three Australian Shepherds and none of them are difficult. They do have a herding drive, but it only comes out when our horses are running in the pasture, and the dogs run to the fence barking. Thats it. We have a large fenced yard so they get plenty of exercise.

Um, that is EXACTLY what I was getting at, not that they are difficult but that people do not do research and simply get what is available and that is why they end up in the shelters.

I agree completely. I love the herders, but there are herding breeds I would have a hard time with. And I know I can't live with retrievers.

Nope, it's that owners of herding breeds are kinda quirky and hard to deal with.

Meh, just tell them Mia is a MiniMali.


BCs go to agility seminars? I thought they were born knowing how to do it.


That would be why Nyx swam to you...Figured by the time she got there, she'd be tired enough that you could handle her.

I frequent a Vizsla forum quite often because that is the breed that my husband wants for his hunting dog and I just read a discussion yesterday about how many people have stopped telling people that they are Vizsla's and are now calling them "Hungarian Pointers". They are doing this because people don't educate and just go get the dog because it was pretty and the one they saw was well behaved. Also, a lot of the big time hunters did this to help "maintain the identity" of the breed so they will not fall to the family type dog that the Golden and Lab are today.

I think that when you get to be very passionate about a breed and see people frequently that cannot handle them, you get possessive and tend to exaggerate. I have a feeling this will happen to me when I get my Koolie, however with my Boxer, because she is a family pet, I tell people who are interested "She is great with kids, she is funny, BUT, she does require quite a bit of exercise and can be extremely stubborn."

I know personally I could never have a hound, terrier, or toy dog because my personality doesn't mesh with them. I don't think I could handle one. I feel that if you read all of the "hype", so to say and still think you can stick through it, even better. Not all breeds are the same, not all dogs are the same. It just sucks because the average person doesn't do research before buying/adopting, thus bitterness becomes of it.