herding
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| What are the reasons that you want an OES over another dog? The reason I ask is because I wonder if another breed may be better suited to your needs. Herding is an instinct bred generation over generation into the OES so I would think it would be nearly impossible to train it out. |
| I would have to agree with Jill. To ask an OES not to herd to some extent would be like asking a lab not to fetch. That is what they are born to do. This is just my opinion. |
| I also agree. |
| I have to agree as well. We've shared our lives with four OES over the last seventeen years, and every one of them had no access to livestock and a HUGE instinct to herd. As a result, all but one of them herded shoes!
Whenever we had/have company shoes were/are gently picked up from the door and brought to the feet of the owner. When all the people are in the same room, and all the shoes are safely where they belong, the sheepies can finally rest. We have, of course, curtailed this by keeping all shoes in an enclosed closet, but forget to fully close the door and the herding comes right back. Since we never let them be around livestock to herd and they felt they had to compensate by herding footwear, I can only guess that asking them not to heard llamas would be much like asking them not to breathe, shed, snuggle, or snore. On the other hand, if you did decide you WANTED someone to herd your llamas I don't think you could choose a better, gentler, kinder breed for the job. And they'd do it with a huge sheepie smile. |
Geesh - you're lucky that your's only herd shoes  Since we lack sheep, our sheepdogs are reduced to herding cats  They only relax when all the cats are in their appropriate spaces (according to the dogs).
So, I have to agree with the other posters. I just don't think that you would be able to take the herding instinct out of the dog. Jennifer, Baxter, Cassiopia and Abby |
| As an OES and also a previous llama owner, I don't think you have too much to worry about. Llama's are generally considered "unherdable" for dogs. Ours never were able to be herded, but our sheep definitely were.
Llamas don't put up with much from the dogs. Our were all quite tame and yet were very protective of our sheep and lambs. |
| Nor knowing llamas but having fledgling working dogs I agree with Dawn - even dogs that live with sheep don't herd all the time- herding is an instinct, but using it on livestock has to be trained and part of herding is "not herding". Besides even with a herding instinct, most gdogs are really only chasing the sheep/llamas/cats and that definitely is something that they should be trained not to do. |
| As far as I can tell, none of the three that I've had have shown any desire or instinct to herd. |
| I think my Rheba herds ZZZZZZZZZZZZ's. She finds them wherever she goes. She loves sleep! |
ARTabone wrote: I think my Rheba herds ZZZZZZZZZZZZ's. She finds them wherever she goes. She loves sleep!  Maybe she can teach my Sophie the fine art of ZZZZZZZZ herding. She never stops  |
Ron wrote: As far as I can tell, none of the three that I've had have shown any desire or instinct to herd.
That surprises me! I haven't met one yet that doesn't try to herd. In our experience, it's generally children! They dive and shoulder them all over the yard. It's a big game for everybody. I've mentioned here before that my oldest had a chance to see what happened when we went to a sheep farm....having never seen a sheep in his life and he instantly drove them right to their pen. Sat at the entrance and smiled. The chasing I've experienced has been with cats, squirrels and birds. I have no idea how they would behave around larger livestock! |
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