Each dog is unique and has traits that will make anyone fall in love with them.
But everyone loves Border Collies.
The Border Collie is one of the most famous breeds there is.
They are really hardworking and talented dogs.
A Border Collie will impress you with their cuteness, intelligence, and their responsible nature.
Did you know that they originally bred the Border Collie in Scotland?
Their names comprise two words- “Border,” because they thrived in the borders of England and Scotland, and “collie,” a Scotch word meaning sheepdog because of their role.
One Border Collie’s work went viral.
Just last year, a Border collie named Hendrix went viral for simply doing his job and doing it well.
It wasn’t because he was cute or was able to do tricks, but because of his exceptional talent for herding cattle.
In the said video, we could hear Hendrix’s owner say herding commands, and the beautiful Border collie was able to listen and act on each command without hesitation.
If you are familiar with herding cattle, then you know that Hendrix really did a great job.
Hendrix’s work is worth watching.
The reason is that, according to the YouTube description, Hendrix, the 3.5-year-old Border collie was trying to herd a group of “unbroken cattle”.
The herd consists of bulls, calves, heifers, and pregnant heifers.
According to his owner, this is a challenging group to herd because they were considered “stubborn,” and wouldn’t hesitate to run off, even with a sheepdog present.
Hendrix wasn’t putting up with attitude.
But as you can see in the video, Hendrix did a pretty good job in driving the cattle.
Different dogs have their own distinct ways on how they handle their load.
Some dogs, such as the Australian Cattle dog, would nip the heels of each animal to make them follow his lead.
This is why they are called “Heelers” by some cattle farmers. Trust me when I say they live up to their name.
A Border Collie uses its eyes.
As for the Border collie, they are known to exhibit the “strong eye” that they use to stare down their cattle load.
They’re quick at learning commands.
Herding dogs need to familiarize themselves with at least 15 commands such as the following:
Come-bye or just the word “bye” – means that the dog needs to go to the left of the cattle, or clockwise around them.
Walk up, walk on, or just the word walk – this means the dog should move in closer to the stock.
Get out or get back – it means to move away from the stock.
Steady or take time – means to slow down or be on alert mode.
These are just some terms that we hear in the video. These were the commands used for Hendrix’s training.
Hendrix clearly knows his verbs.
As you can see, the smart dog followed each command with precision.
Of course, there were some challenges and we could even see one in the clip.
Some of the cattle wouldn’t listen.
One even tried to go in front of Hendrix and almost went into a power struggle.
Good thing the smart dog was able to keep calm and focus on his owner’s instructions.
After some time, Hendrix successfully accomplished his task, which earned him the “good boy” praise.
Training your dog to be a herding dog is not easy. You need to be firm and have lots of patience.
There will be times when your dog might try to play or be confused with the commands – try again. That’s your job as its trainer.
All in all, both Hendrix and his owner did a really great job. Want proof?
See Hendrix masterfully drive a herd of stubborn, “unbroken” cattle in the video below!
Watch the full video below and don’t forget to share.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
