Dear Dog Talk: I read your column in the Tribune Review. I recently saw a letter from a reader who was interested in adopting a border collie mix. Based on my experience, I can tell you, it is a great thing.
A friend found our border collie, Bandit, two years ago at a local state park. No one had reported him missing. At the time, I had a springer spaniel-black Labrador mix that was about the same size and with a personality similar to Bandit's. Bandit came home with me, and we've been a happy family ever since.
I am curious about the border collie's behavior. When several neighborhood dogs get together to play-fight, Bandit often will stand firm and bark at them. It is as if he is telling them to stop, or he is "refereeing" the fight. When the other dogs run and chase one another, he will bring up the rear, barking, as if he is herding them.
When outside, he seems to walk as if he is following a pattern. For example, he will go out to do his business and walk around the house on the sidewalk to one side of the yard. Then he will turn to the right into the grass. He always takes the same straight-line path through the yard to a maple tree, then down to the lower yard. There is no foot trail, just nearly 2 acres of grass.
After he does his business, he will walk to the edge of the yard, by the road, and walk back to the house that way, coming up the front walk. He has other similar pathways for other parts of the yard.
After playing in the backyard, he will gallop to the front yard to me. When he reaches a certain point, he'll stop and hit that invisible "Bandit walkway." He then walks in a straight line along his path until he gets to a certain spot. Then he turns to his right, walks a few steps, then turns to his left when he reaches the sidewalk. He will then follow the sidewalk to the front door.
Any idea why he does this?
Dear Pattern Trained: As a dog-obedience instructor, I've know many border collies. I love the breed, although they always strike me as intense dogs. They seem single-minded. They love to work, and herding is their job.
Barking is a big part of the herding behavior. Bandit's "refereeing" might be his instincts kicking in. The same instincts might explain his travel routes. Consider the top-notch border collie on a working farm. Bandit's great-great-grandpa "Old Jip" might have worked the sheep herd up Pine Hill Road every morning to the North Forty.
He probably patrolled the same perimeter all day, looking out for and guarding against predators. And then, at night, he moved the herd down Steep Hill Lane, back to the night pen. Jip might have done this seven days a week for years.
Jip's instincts to follow a pattern, day after day, were strong. When Jip got too old to work, one of his offspring with instincts to do the same type of work might have taken over.
A proclivity for repetitive patterns might have been genetically passed down to Bandit. To Bandit, working your yard and covering his territory simply might be his instincts telling him that this is his job. At some point in the past, he started a pattern that made sense to him, and he faithfully sticks with it.
Keep in mind that this is speculation on my part. I am not an expert on border collies or farm dogs or genetics. But I do know that breed-specific traits can strongly influence how our pets behave.
Another thought: I have heard of dogs with obsessive-compulsive disorder behavior. I suppose it is possible that Bandit is one. However, I am not a doggie psychiatrist. As a dog-obedience instructor, I'm more like a doggie grammar school teacher. If you have serious concerns, you might want to consult Dr. Nicholas Dodman, the noted doggie shrink and pharmacologist from Tufts University Veterinary Center. He has several books available on his particular approach to dealing with canine behavior.
I'd be curious to hear from readers who have extensive experience with border collies. Chime in, Dog Talk readers. I'd love to hear your opinions about Bandit's interesting behavior.
