The Border Collie hunting dog is often considered a close friend in ranch households because of its superb herding instincts and the easy training to become a hunting breed and protective owner.
This article will send you the most general information about this English-born dog. Can a Border Collie be a hunting dog? How to train and care for it? Let’s find out together!
Overview of Border Collie Hunting Dog
The Border Collie hunting dog is an intelligent dog breed bred to lead a flock of sheep and is the superior sheepdog breed in Scotland and England, known for their aggressive, intense stare, high energy level, stamina, and unlimited work capacity.
Border Collies are still raised today for sheep on farms and ranches worldwide.
The Border Collie is knowledgeable, easy to train, to be a hunting or guard dog, and promises to be a great family companion if they run, play, and get plenty of training.
Traits of Border Collie Hunting Dog
The Historical Origin of The Border Collie
The ancestors of the Border Collie have been around since humans in what is now England first used dogs to guard and herd sheep.
In the country bordering Scotland and England, herding dogs have become the most valuable possession a shepherd has, and the best working dogs have been bred together.
Types are diverse, depending on each region’s terrain or job requirements.
Border Collies are associated with their native Scotland: the word “Collie” are Border Collies good guard dog, which refers to a shepherd dog and is of Scottish dialect.
Character
The Border Collie is an energetic dog. The distinct personality of this breed is alert, active, hardworking, high energy level, and intelligent. They learn things exceptionally quickly.
This breed loves to have a busy day.
Border Collie behavior problems are that they have to be active; if they have nothing to do, they get bored, leading to unpleasant behavior, such as digging, barking, or chasing cars.
They tend to lead the herd, and their coercion can have the opposite effect of what they want.
Without sheep or too idle, they will fill their excellent herder instincts and begin to find ways to control this herd.
The herd can be children or anything that moves; cars are also within the range of Border Collies.
We can call them Border Collie hunting dogs because they also have the chase instincts of an excellent hunting dog.
Health
Border Collies are generally in good health, but like all dog breeds, they are susceptible to several breed-specific health conditions.
You must learn about their common ailments if you are considering this breed.
Shepherd Ability
If you’ve ever enjoyed watching the sheep in the Border Collie herd, you’ll realize that you’re observing a master shepherd, not an ordinary shepherd dog.
They quickly took the shepherd’s orders and sent the whole flock to where the shepherd wanted them to go.
Their way of maneuvering their communities was surprisingly precise and skillful, like a human with long experience in herding sheep, not a dog.
Is a Border Collie Hunting Dog Good At Hunting?
Many questions are raised because of curiosity about the ideal hunting instincts of Border Collies, such as “Do Border Collies have hunting instincts?” or “Do Border Collies have a strong prey drive?”.
The answer is always “Yes.” Many owners love hunting and need a companion; the Border Collie is reliable.
The Border Collie’s first task before training to take on another job is to help its owner hunt. Hunting is a primitive instinct, so they are still considered good hunting dogs.
However, with some dogs, the predatory character has gradually been eliminated, making them gentler and easier to integrate into human life.
The instinct to hunt progressively gives way to other more valuable traits such as hunting sheep, looking after the house, etc.
Therefore, you must know the purpose of using the Border Collie and then train them to your liking.
Guide to Training Border Collie Hunting Dog at Home
Train Border Collie to Protect The Owner When Ordered
You should train your Border Collie to be familiar with physical exercises to train them to protect their owner when receiving a command signal.
Step 1: Select the command. Choose a familiar word to signal the Border Collie to alert, such as barking. When using this command, use a tone of voice so the dog can understand.
Step 2: Practice with basic commands.
- Tie the dog’s paw to the base of a kitchen table or yard fence.
- Offer the dog a treat and step back out of their sight.
- When the dog barks or makes other sounds, come close and reward the dog.
- Repeat the action several times to associate the praise with the reward, forming a response to the command.
- Once the Border Collie has gotten used to the command, take them to other areas and continue to train their response.
Step 3: Be firm and clear when giving orders; when you want to test the Border Collie’s reaction while walking, stop and look directly at them and then say the command in the familiar tone of the previous times. If they don’t respond, give the reward and repeat the action.
Note: When the dog barks incessantly, do not reward the dog; instead, wait for it to be quiet and repeat the command. If the dog does the right thing, reward him.
Train Border Collie To Hunt And Attack When Ordered
To train a Border Collie to attack or hunt on command, you need to stimulate their aggression, and the training should be applied when they are about 8-9 months old.
Step 1: Leash the dog to a fixed object. It would be best to choose chains about 2-3m long or more, so they can quickly move.
Step 2: Tease the dog by hitting the ground hard to stimulate its aggressive nature, and make as loud a noise as possible to enable the dog to want to attack people. You should wear protective gear during training to protect yourself.
Step 3: Start teaching the dog to attack after stimulating the dog’s aggression.
Step 4: Use the actions in step 2 to stimulate the attack and let them attack. Wear hand protection and let the dog bite directly into the glove. You can let go of the gloves and let them bite for safety.
Note: If you want to shorten the training time for the Border Collie to attack when ordered, contact the dog training schools.
How to Take Care Of a Border Collie Hunting Dog?
The Border Collie is a dog that can adapt to many places, and they like the most places where they can run freely.
Border Collies also tend to herd and chase instincts, so Collies’ houses and farms must have a fence around them to prevent them from running out to hunt animals or cars; motorbikes and bicycles run on the road.
And equipped with an electronic collar to locate them if lost.
You need to give Collies daily physical activity and be willing to provide them with work or play. You should spend time researching games for dogs to keep them active all day.
The recommended daily water intake is 1.5 to 2 cups of high-quality dry food, divided into two meals for a medium-sized dog.
Conclusion
The Border Collie is a breed suitable for families if it is appropriately raised and trained early.
They are friendly with children and other pets, although their herding and hunting instincts will cause them to bite, chase and bark at children uncontrollably.
Therefore, when a stranger comes to the house, the owner should chain in the crate the Border Collies to avoid hurting their guests. Hope this article brings you moments of relaxation!