Border Collies are incredibly popular dogs, and adorable to boot. And if you’ve ever been lucky enough to have one, you know their herding instincts are strong, even if they have nothing to round up (except you).
According to the American Kennel Club:
“Borders have been called the world’s greatest herders, and anyone who’s seen them work—with their sweeping outruns, their stealthy crouching and creeping, and their explosive bursts of focused energy—would have to agree. When shepherds dream of the perfect dog, you can bet it’s a Border.”
Learning the discipline
These super-energetic and wildly intelligent dogs do need training if they’re going to learn to herd properly. So in many countries, they can be formally trained at facilities.
And in a Facebook video by The Irish Post, we see just how adorable “Sheepdog school” can be! In fact, the clip is so popular that it’s been shared over 100k times since it was uploaded in January of 2018 (and millions have viewed it!).
That’s partly because, in this case, the Border Collies are just 4 weeks old!
The sheep, meanwhile, are more formidable.
Then again, there’s no better way to learn than to get thrown into the deep end!
Getting schooled
We’re not sure exactly how this “school” works, but the puppies appear to be allowed to roam the pasture and approach the sheep at will.
And because they are so little, mom is still nearby.
A trio of puppies are the stars of this show and they spend some time looking into the distance trying to decide if this is the day they’re brave enough to try to be the boss of creatures several times the size of them.
Not all of them look confident.
Meanwhile, the sheep have a constant look of “try me” on their faces. So they’re a little intimidating.
But eventually, the pups climb through the fence and give it a try. After all, they’ve got the energy to burn!
The pups have some luck as they get closer, although there’s clearly a human behind the camera that they look to for a little bit of comfort.
As expected, not all of the encounters go as planned.
Some attempts end in hasty retreats.
Who’s the boss?
If they’re ever going to herd their charges, the puppies will have to develop some sense of authority.
And while 4 weeks might seem a bit early to try and dominate a large farm animal, at least one puppy has what it takes to go show them who’s boss (or at least who they can expect to eventually be the boss).
As the pup marches over to confront the sheep, his head goes down a little farther with each step.
And while these sheep are making some serious eye contact, he doesn’t relent!
Our favorite moment is the stare-down. In fact, the puppy does such a good job standing its ground that they nearly go nose to nose.
And it’s hard to tell if it’s affection or like one of those things boxers do before they’re about to meet in the ring and try to punch each other’s lights out.
THAT puppy has faced the fear and is now ready to get those sheep moving!
His friends watch – but they don’t have quite the same luck when they give it a try. (Or perhaps the sheep aren’t up for making too many kind gestures in one day.)
However, if you can’t intimidate a creature with your 4-pound presence, you do have one other option: use your words to TELL them who’s in charge.
Be sure to scroll down below to see the adorably back-and-forth drama for yourself.
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