We’ve had our first casualty due to overly exuberant herding instincts. Jackie loves to run, fast and hard, and she runs up to Gunner and bumps him with her snout. It is an invitation to play, but yesterday things got a bit too boisterous and Jackie bumped into Gunner’s head too forcefully.
While I don’t want to discourage Jackie’s high herding drive, I am also keen to control it for the benefit of all. We have stepped up our efforts with recall training, sit, down, and stay. I want to focus Jackie’s high drive, so am working with her on the basics while thinking ahead to foundation games for agility, such as touching a target or following a hand signal to walk over different surfaces.
High herding drive can be awesome to work with in a dog, with the emphasis on work with. Herding drive is not something I want to lay dormant to figuratively explode in my face later or be used for behavior in which I’m not interested. So I am working with Jackie to reinforce calm behavior between her brothers, allowing her to play with Gunner but only when he gives consent and only with no physical contact that is so rough.
To reinforce gentleness I stand near Gunner and manage his personal space, reinforcing gentle behavior on Jackie’s part around Gunner. It is definitely management at this point, with reinforcement added when applicable for gentle behavior near Gunner. It is interesting to observe that Jackie is interested in bumping into and chasing Gunner, not Rosco; conversely, Gunner is only interested in bumping and chasing Rosco, not Jackie. Rosco likes to chase toys much more than chasing another dog.
Jackie has to have other possibilities to exert her herding drive, like running, and luring exercises where Jackie follows a target to get onto a mat or elevated surface. Continued basic obedience training will also stimulate her brain, turning glucose into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which will tire out a girl!
Gunner is going to be fine, and his eye is already less red than pictured here. Good old triple antibiotic ointment is always on hand for the rare bumps and scrapes life doles.
- Hard play versus more sensitive nature = management required and work on reinforcing calm interactions
- Gunner loves to herd Rosco, but is never forceful or rough; Rosco is quick to stand up for himself with swift retaliation in the form of a strong snarl and lunge if activities get too rough for his liking. Gunner on the other hand is more passive and shrinks when aggressive behavior is displayed toward himself; keeping Gunner and everyone safe and feeling confident is paramount
- Outlets for herding drive as well as brain games continue to be important
- Triple antibiotic ointment has been a go-to solution for small scrapes in people, horses, and dogs
