07/29/2023
Farmers don't need your failed pets.
So you got a border collie/aussie or cattle dog and now realize you can't handle the energy, protectiveness, neurotic personality.... Maybe your aussie is pretty high energy and kind of nuts - doesn't like cars, loud noises and "city life," or your border collie, raised in a suburban area away from sheep, keeps herding all the neighborhood kids, which has recently progressed to nipping your neighbour's toddlers Molly and Sally and their mom is PI**ED and threatening to call the Home Owners Association about your dog. Maybe your cattle dog is the neighborhood bully jumping fences and biting dogs legs when they're running and the owners are sick of it.
Typically these are dogs that people didn't do enough research on the breed, or what was done was through rose colored glasses (like thinking raising a border collie in the suburbs away from livestock will avoid triggering the herding instinct.) Now there's a problem. A dog they can't handle, that's noise sensitive and chases cars maybe. Maybe it even bit someone. So they reach out, to rescues, on facebook groups or kijiji looking for a farm home for your dog.
Breaking news... farms aren't relaxed places where all the failed dogs of the world can happily rejoice in a care free world, where they won't hear cars, city noises and farmers have all the time in the world to dote on managing their anxiety.
Farms are busy places with machinery and vehicles, sometimes people coming and going all day long (workers, customers and so on.) Farmers are up before dawn working to care for livestock, manage crops and get chores done. There's no union, no overtime, no vacation. From helping ewes lamb, to feeding cattle and pigs to fixing barn doors, weeding crops and moving bales of hay to fixing broken equipment, the working day never ends. So for a dog who can't handle the stimulus of a suburban neighborhood there are equal or more situations to put that dog over threshold on a farm. Your dog won't be happier.
When dogs are used on farms they are working dogs. They have to be stable around livestock, equipment and people. So replacing the cars that your BC is herding on walks is tractors, ATVs, and other equipment. They can't chase the sheep or cows. Or kill the chickens. Your anxious out of control pet might end up with great working ability but it's too much of a liability to a farm. Livestock is worth money, many farmers' main income - taking in your pets is a liability to the farmer.
Many natural behaviors for border collies, aussies, cattle dogs, and livestock guarding dogs are incompatible for the things that many pet owners want - like being friendly with random dogs, kids, people, chill except for when the humans want to hike or walk, happy to burn off steam at a dog park. Farm dogs weren't bred to want to be friends with everyone. Sure your puppy class can help make your pup more confident socially but you can't put square pegs in round holes. Nature has a strong influence on who your pup will be. So when expected to be what they aren't lots of "problems" arise, anxiety, reactivity, aggression, nuisance behaviors like chasing, chasing cars, barking and more. Sidenote - some of these issues exist in dogs even when in the correct environment, but that's a story on responsible breeding/lines and these are dogs who are with owners working to make like livable with their dogs - not trying to provide them a "better life on a farm."
Farmers don't have the time to work through managing your dog's anxiety, or risk your dog killing chickens or injuring ewes or lambs. "Farm dogs" that work herding sheep or tending livestock are carefully selected based on ancestors abilities and raised on the farm to get used to all the elements of farm life, so they can handle the chaos, equipment and learn their job from the ground up. Maybe your city pet might have some herding potential but the farmer (that person who is already working a 12+ hr day and on call 24/7 with no overtime, no union) doesn't have time to fix all these behaviors to see if your dog might have this potential.
So, what do you do with your anxious pet herding breed, since the idyllic perfect farm home doesn't really exist?
Contact the breeder: Most reputable breeders will take their dogs back or assist with issues with their dogs.
Training: Consult a breed experienced trainer (contact us for local recommendations for herding breeds) for an evaluation and assistance for working through your dog's issues. Possibly look into activities like scent detection, agility, tracking, etc to help channel some of the instinct into more productive uses.
Rescue: Responsible rescues can sometimes help place your dog or take it into a foster program for rehoming. However, most responsible rescues are non profit and rely on foster homes. They (we) do not have the means to take dogs immediately because you no longer want them. They have to have an appropriate foster home that can work with your dog to make it adoptable. They have to have finances for the food, care, vetting of your dog (yes, you should update vet work, spay/neuter and give the rescue money to take your dog).
