Herding Games Herding People - right into the wrong net

Herding: the activity of bringing animals together into a group
and maintaining that group for care and management.

It is also the process where people follow group thinking or decisions of others and is regularly used in marketing to promote product and brand success.

We can do better.

Knowledge is power.

Herding Dogs

The breed classification Herding, (in the UK: Pastoral) relates to the original occupation of the dogs. It is deliberately broad and unspecific and used as a simple description for dogs that move, protect and manage livestock: from sheep to geese, cattle to reindeers.

Each herding breed of dog has been selectively refined for the:

• type of livestock: sheep, goats, cattle, llamas, pigs
• type of grazing land: mountain, fields, desert, prairies, wilderness
• function: gathering, cutting, driving, protection, sorting.

Pyrenean Mountain dogs are a guarding breed unlikely to walk geese to market. Reindeer are not going to see the driving Corgis that may disappearing in the snow.  Today's herding dogs living in a stock free world can flourish when able to enjoy the activities suited to the  inherited functions of that individual breed.

Generically recommended activities for herding dogs will be a poor fit for many of them. Guarding dogs are unlikely to be sucked into repetitive ball chasing. Border Collies and Working Sheepdogs are a popular subdivision who work in a specialised way using instincts nurtured through selective breeding. This selective process can often make them uncomfortable and quite unsuited for the biting, chasing, grabbing activities that are considered ideal for general herding breeds.

Just because a dog appears to willingly participate in the activity does not make it a suitable or beneficial choice.

It is an easy sell to lump similar breeds together to widen the sales potential. The grouping of gundog breeds often  ignores their historic specialisation: Pointers are not known for diving into water and rarely attend retrieving clinics.

Many farm dogs will roll up their sleeves and turn their hand to many different tasks: tractor companions, general purpose "move the ...  chickens, cattle or sheep" and alert the neighbourhood when sales reps come to call. Specialised farms will need the exceptional dogs that can gather a mountain side (BC), shift 1000 head of sheep (Kelpies), drive 2000 cattle across plains (Aussies).
To develop these specialists there can be a cost to the generalisation of farm work.

“Games”

As far as the dog is concerned this is not a game, this is work.

They will put their heart and soul into trying to succeed within the parameters of their instincts. We should be seeking activities that enable the dogs to experience their inherited skills in a way that is beneficial to their mental well-being and physical fitness.

By labelling it a game there is a danger that if there are mistakes it will not matter since it is "only a game". Considering play and games as something frivolous is a human perception. The purpose of play is to prepare the young for their life skills: hunting, parenting, kill, chase, or shopping.

Games can be destructive and harmful when played thoughtlessly. Dogs can become hyper-aroused, frustrated and physically damaged by the repetition of purposeless chasing and biting.

Herding Games: Recommendations

Widely gathered [chortle] by AI and his pal Google the top recommendation for herding dogs is Treibball or CollieBall. This is the activity that entertains people watching dogs pointlessly try to bite, grab, shove and move large inflated balls. Football for dogs. Big Money, no purpose.

No livestock would ever be subjected to the abuse of biting, pulling and grabbing: sheep, goats, cattle, none of these would survive. Herding dogs would not have been bred for this function.

Rip offs

We have a band of people content to rip off content and reproduce semi-understood material as their own herding games. These come with a range of unimaginative labels and are marketed for your herding breed. Google cannot tell you whether this game is of any benefit to your dog it will just trawl for words; both good and bad. It is no more than marketing.

This cost of this misinformation will hit your dog’s welfare as well as your pocket.

With skilful training all types of dogs can learn to retrieve, protect, hunt, chase rabbits. All dogs can enjoy scenting and working their nose-skills. But when the learning of these activities conflicts with the instincts of that dog there is the potential for distress and the illusion of enjoyment.

Here is Timmi, a rescue of unknown origins but a keen eye for escaping balls enjoying his SheepBall® activities, No stress, no expectation, just understanding and careful development aligned with his individual instincts.

Does it matter?

By gosh yes, it matters for the dogs and for the people that think these activities are suitable or beneficial.

Any type of dog that considers a ball can be substitute prey can enjoy the activity: when played the right way. As much as any dog that enjoys retrieving can participate in disc dog, or those with noses can learn to track or dive into water.

We see the appeal of dogs fully engaged and engrossed in an activity but this does not give us a licence to ask our own dog to be in conflict with their instinct for our entertainment. Some dogs may enjoy licking food off plastic mats or sucking food from a rubber tube but not every dog; for some this has no attraction.

Be wary of the hard marketing appealing to your desire to find the ultimate toy, game or sport. The interest is in income not development of your dog and the "game" salesmanship is playing on guilt to give your herding dog satisfying employment.

No dog, especially but Border Collies, should be active in any herding games without a good understanding of what they are doing, how they are doing it and why.

When misunderstood the dog is the one to pay the price.

 #herdinggames

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