The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [12]
Nipping the Herding Instinct
Q We have a two-year-old Shetland sheepdog named Casey. She is a wonderful dog except for one thing: She is always chasing our three young children. When the kids run and play in the backyard, Casey goes after them and nips at their heels. This really upsets the kids and they start to cry. Casey has torn their clothing and I’m afraid she is going to hurt one of them accidentally. Why does she do this and how can we stop her?
A Shetland sheepdogs belong to the class of herding breeds, which range in size from the shaggy Old English sheepdog to the stubby-legged corgi. My old corgi, Jazz, took great delight in rounding up my cats whenever one dared to slip through his doggy door into the backyard. He would herd the frustrated feline back to the door and sound the alert for me to check out his successful mission.
In your situation, Casey is simply fulfilling the legacy of her breed. Shelties were bred to herd livestock in their native Shetland Islands, off the coast of Scotland. They helped farmers move sheep from one pasture to another and along country roads to market. To get the sheep to comply, the dogs chased and nipped at their heels. Unfortunately, without sheep to attend to, Casey has chosen to herd your children. The rapid, erratic movements of children playing often trigger a herding dog’s instincts.
This herding tendency is difficult, if not impossible, to suppress. Hundreds of years of breeding went into creating Casey’s behavior, so it’s not something she can just turn off. One solution is to use another form of play to divert her attention. When the kids start playing, engage Casey in a game of fetch. Many herding breed dogs will gladly give up trying to herd unruly children in favor of chasing a tennis ball or nosing a soccer ball or empty plastic jug around the yard. Of course, this only works if you are around to supervise. If you don’t have time to play with her while the kids are running around the yard, your best approach is to remove the temptation and keep Casey in the house while the children are playing.
It’s very likely, however, that Casey won’t appreciate being shut out of the fun and will bark and whine at the door. Don’t let her develop this habit. Practice some obedience work with her to get her attention off the children. If she refuses to be diverted, move her into a room where she can’t see or hear the kids playing. If Casey is crate trained, this would be a good time to make use of the crate. Put her in the crate with a treat or toy and let her stay there until the kids have gone on to a more sedate activity. But do make sure that she has plenty of other opportunities to run and play — she is a young dog with lots of energy to burn. I recommend you spend five to ten minutes each day encouraging Casey to practice herding acceptable objects in an enclosed area such as a backyard.
However you choose to deal with this situation, it’s imperative for you to do something to stop Casey’s behavior. Although your dog may not intend to hurt your children, her nipping and chasing may well result in injury to one of your children or to one of their friends.
Have Nose, Must Travel
Q Whenever I take my beagle, Wesley, on a hike, he stops listening to me. We spent a long time in obedience class learning all the commands, and at home and in the park, he listens well. But when I take him on our weekend hikes to a local wilderness area and remove his leash, it’s as if I don’t exist. He puts his nose to the ground and takes off. I can yell, “Wesley, come!” until I lose my voice, but it does no good. I end up having to run after him and physically grab him to get his attention. I worry that he’ll become so engrossed in sniffing that he will wander off and get hit by a car or get lost. Why does he act this way?
A Beagles, like all hound breeds, were bred specifically to track prey by following scent. The breed has been used for hundreds of years to hunt fox, rabbits, squirrels, and other small game. Hunters on horseback follow packs of these dogs,