Separating unsupervised border collie from sheep

[fpbear]

We have 3 Dorset sheep in a 1 acre back yard. The sheep are helpful lawnmowers, grazing the entire yard. We decided to get a border collie puppy which we will train for herding and as a home companion. The puppy is coming from a good line of herding workding dogs and should be here in a month.

 

We can fence the sheep, but then they will have less room to graze and the weeds will grow in the outer areas. Or we could give the border collie a smaller fenced area, but then the dog will have less space to run around while we're gone at work.

 

I have heard frequent mention of electronet fencing, but couldn't the dog easily jump over this low fence?

[MaggieDog]

Anyway you can rotate areas between dog and sheep? My parents do this with horses - I would assume it would work with sheep. If you divided the yard in half w/ dog/sheep proof fence then the dog could have one side while the sheep graze on the other and then you'd switch them as the grass is grazed down.

[kelpiegirl]

CAnnot stress this enough. You have a dog bred to work sheep. You have sheep. The dog will be drawn to the sheep, the sheep will run, you will have a train wreck. You must not allow your dog in with the sheep unsupervised, ever. Think of it like a little kid with poison lolly pops. No matter how much you teach the child not to touch, the temptation will be too strong, and you then have really hurt your child. Even just WATCHING the sheep unsupervised is a bad idea.

Julie

We have 3 Dorset sheep in a 1 acre back yard. The sheep are helpful lawnmowers, grazing the entire yard. We decided to get a border collie puppy which we will train for herding and as a home companion. The puppy is coming from a good line of herding workding dogs and should be here in a month.

 

We can fence the sheep, but then they will have less room to graze and the weeds will grow in the outer areas. Or we could give the border collie a smaller fenced area, but then the dog will have less space to run around while we're gone at work.

 

I have heard frequent mention of electronet fencing, but couldn't the dog easily jump over this low fence?

 

Is it necessary to separate the dog and sheep from the beginning while unsupervised, or should we wait first to find out to what extent the dog harasses the sheep?

[stockdogranch]

Julie is absolutely right! Under no circumstances let this puppy have access to these sheep. Further, it is not good practice to let the pup either stare at the sheep all day, or run the fenceline next to the sheep, if you divide the area into two sections--pup needs to be out of sight of the sheep at all times when not supervised. A run on the opposite side of the house would be good, or a crate inside when you are gone during the day. Allowing the pup to see the sheep when it is supervised (on leash, alongside the sheep fence, for example) for very short periods (like a few minutes) of time can be ok. Do you have a trainer/mentor lined up to work with? This is really a necessity,

Anna

[fpbear]

Thanks for the tips. We will construct a fence and let the sheep roam in 1/4 of the yard. Then we will let the sheep out to wander in the other areas when we are training the border collie, or when the dog is elsewhere. We will need to find a fence that the dog cannot jump over, they are really good climbers!

 

Now out of curiosity, I am wondering what happens when the sheep are in plain view of the dog through the fence. Wouldn't the sheep move far away to avoid the dog? Is this harmful because it scares the livestock, or is it harmful because it causes the dog to learn bad herding habits to watch sheep in the distance?

[Bill Fosher]

Because it will drive the dog nuts.

 

Some will physically hurt or even kill themselves trying to get to the sheep: digging under fences, trying to jump over them, trying to squeeze through openings where they don't fit, chewing or clawing at wires, etc. And then sometimes they'll succeed in overcoming the fence, which could result in sheep that are injured, dead, or missing.

 

The "best case" scenario is that the dog will simply stare at the sheep all day, in which case you'll have a very sticky dog that will be either practically useless or need major work to free up when you start training it.

 

Nothing good -- either for sheep, for dog, or for shepherd -- can come from allowing a dog to stare at sheep.

[fpbear]

If the fence is not covered (as electric fences are open mesh wire), generally how far should the border collie be from line-of-sight of the sheep in order not to get excited? I could put some space in between with two sets of fences though I prefer not to use a solid fence because then I cannot view the area from afar myself.

[hillfarm]

It would still be better if the dog could not see the sheep at all. My sheep are allowed to run all the acreage but ONLY when I am here, when I am not at home my sheep are in a pen where none of my dogs can see them.

 

My sheep will actually go right up to the dog pens and stick their stupid noses in as if to say ha ha cant' get me now! Needless to say if this went on all the time the dogs would go insane! So don't rely on the sheep staying away from the dogs fence.

 

In order for my dogs not to stare at the sheep they have to be pretty far out, I would say at least 10 acres away. Otherwise if they can see the sheep they will sit and watch them.

 

I live in an area where EVERYONE owns Border collies. When I am out in the big fields working my dogs the neighbors borders are yowling and barking wanting in on the game and they are 1/4 mile away! These dogs are bred to work and they will do it with or without you.

 

Please do what you can to keep the dog from being able to watch the sheep.