Border Collies and their amazing abilities

Border Collies are one of the most, intelligent, fascinating and versatile dog breeds in the world, especially when it comes to herding sheep. On the Kurihof farm their job is to herd sheep, their inexhasutable desire to work and zest for life makes them unrivalled workmates. Because of their remarkable "will-to-please", they have earned a worldwide reputation as very effective herding dogs. Originally bred in the borders between England and Scotland, Border Collies have the ability to move and lead large flocks of sheep, even in difficult terrain, where man and vehicles can not access.

Our Paw-Story is about Nicole Strieder and her life with her Border Collies in Austria. Nicole introduces us to the sheep herding skills of her Border Collies and gives deep insights into the special training methods and unique techniques they use to control the sheep. 

Picturesque working backdrop - the South Styrian Wine Hills 

The Kurihof is located 760m above sea level, in the middle of the South Styrian vineyards, above the Holy Spirit Gorge on the border with Slovenia. Nicole has been keeping and breeding sheep of various breeds since 2000, focussing on Carniolan Stone Sheep, a robust regional breed from the Alps-Adriatic region. Nicole has 50 ewes, which makes every day full and eventful. 

Surrounded by beautiful vistas of steep slopes, verdant pastures and orchards as well as forests, the Kurihof farm is located in a lanscape that for many of us would be our idyll. Beautiful as it may be for pinicing, this exposed location can be demanding and poses challenges when it comes to herding sheep, as the sheep have to be regularly re-coupled, caught and loaded. Initially, this was a task that required the help of the whole of Nicole's family. 

When Nicole first observed a friend's Border Collies at work, it quickly became clear to her that these crazy herding dogs would be an enormous asset to her and would completely transform life on the Kurihof. In 2007, the time had come - the first Border Collie moved in and a very long, intensive apprenticeship began for Nicole. 

Nicole currently lives and works with five Border Collies at the Kurihof. Two of them are pensioners, 14 and 11 years old. Except for small tasks these days they are rarely used, their outings are just excercise and for their own pleasure, otherwise they are allowed to enjoy their well earned retirement on the sofa. Then there is Luce (6 years) and Lenny (4 years), these two fully trained Border Collies are actively involved in herding sheep every day, while Sali (13 months), Lenny's daughter, is slowly being introduced to the family business. Nicole imported Lenny and Luce as puppies from Ireland and Wales respectively.  

Life with a Border Collie 

The Border Collie is one of several herding and driving breeds that are bred worldwide. It is probably the dog with the greatest willingness to co-operate and with the keenest instinct for livestock. This is why it can be used so effectively in rough terrain, on mountain pastures, in stables or pens or can also be easily controlled over long distances. Like many of these breeds, they have an exceptional sense of direction and great problem-solving skills, but what probably makes them so unique is their unrivalled willingness to please and their appetite to work in partnership, which makes them such wonderful colleagues. 

Working Border Collies have an extremely high need for "mental work" - basically, they are bred exclusively for herding, and common dog sports easily underchallenge him. Due to their high sensitivity, they are prone to nervous disorders and over-jumping if they ar not trained correctly and cannot follow their instincts sufficiently.

The Border Collie and sheep herding - the training of a herding dog 

At around 7 to 10 months, Nicole begins to take the young dog to regularly meet the sheep and train it step by step, taking into account its physical growth and mental maturity. By the age of 4, the dog is physically and mentally mature and will hopefully have gained enough experience during training to be the reliable working partner you need to move difficult livestock and master tricky everyday situations.

However, the talent for herding, the strong instinct, the instinctive reading of the cattle in order to anticipate their reactions and to be able to react accordingly, must be genetically inherent in the dog, these things cannot be taught.

As young dogs are not yet able to concentrate for very long, training sessions with livestock usually only last a few minutes at the beginning - quality is more important than quantity. One of the most important things is that the dog first learns to work with the livestock to be herded with respect. The sheep should be moved with as little stress as possible and not as a toy for the dog. 

It is wonderful for the young dog to get to know many different types of sheep and different situations and to build up their wealth of experience and self-confidence from the very beginning. Each breed of sheep behaves differently and is therefore different to herd. It is very important that the dog is always able to adapt to and engage with the sheep.

The instinct to catch up with sheep, i.e. to run around them and bring them to the shepherd, is genetically anchored in most Border Collies. Puppies show the first signs of this as early as twelve weeks old. This is also the first exercise in the basic training of Border Collies, which Nicole teaches her dogs - the aim is to awaken, guide and encourage the dog's instinct and then assign commands to the dog's actions.

Strong nerves and easy to handle  is what characterises a Border Collie when herding sheep?  

Nicole likes to work with dogs that are easy to handle, have strong nerves, have a good feeling for livestock, recognise whether an animal is compliant or rebellious and adjust the work pressure accordingly. On the one hand, the dog must behave respectfully towards the sheep, but on the other hand, it must also be able to defend itself in the event of an attack by a testosterone-laden ram or a ewe protecting her lambs. Nicole also works with her Border Collies on other farms, so she needs reliable partners who can adapt and work confidently in unfamiliar situations, sometimes with livestock that are not used to dogs.

A year with the Border Collies at Kurihof 

November to April is stable season at Kurihof. During this time, the dogs help out in the barn - they keep the sheep away from the feed troughs during feeding or drive the flocks out of the barn and back in later so that bedding can be added. They also restrain the group so that individual animals can be caught and, for example, marked, examined or treated.

During the grazing season, Nicole moves the herds from paddock to paddock with the help of the dogs. The dogs help with sorting, loading and bring the flock to her for daily watering checks. Even if an independant sheep decides to wander off on its own, the dogs help to find the lost sheep and drive it back home.

From April to around the end of May, young wolves roam the region. During this time, the sheep are brought back to the barn overnight from the more remote paddocks with the help of the dogs. 

Communicating with a Border Collie while herding sheep 

Nicole uses different command sets to communicate with her Border Collies. Each dog has its own command set consisting of a verbal and a whistled set. When Nicole works with two dogs, this ensures that the dogs always know to whom the command is meant.

There are various commands. Left around the herd, right around the herd, straight ahead, stop and slow are basic commands. However, there are also special commands, for example to go far, to look back or individualised, adapted commands for special activities on the farm. When the dogs are working close to Nicole, she speaks to them in a low voice; if they are further away, she whistles with the herding whistle. 

Sheep herding with two dogs at the highest level: the Brace 

Nicole enjoys working with two dogs at the same time, especially when the terrain is confusing or she has to navigate through traffic. Nicole's secret passion is a competitive discipline in which two dogs herd together, which is called "Brace". In autumn 2023, she even travelled to Italy to take part in a brace competition. Up against some of Europes most accomplished handlers and dogs Nicole, Luce and Lenny took first place. 

The feeding of herding dogs. What influence does the Border Collie's diet have on its sheep herding performance? 

Nicole knows that dogs that have to perform a lot physically, whether at work, at competitions or as a pregnant, nursing bitch, need excellent food. Without this important foundation, the dogs would not be able to perform at their best on a daily basis. Nicole's dogs are at the canine pinnacle of high performance dogs - physical work and mental work dominate their working day. Not only are they constantly on the move, and under pressure they have to constantly make decisions, assess situations, adapt and keep an eye on the herd. 

Nicole also gives growing dogs supplements for bones, cartilage and joints, which helps them prepare  for their physically demanding future careers. Pregnant and lactating bitches are given Canis Plus® Rabbit, pure meat rolls, meat from the sheep farm and, if their requirements are high, whole goat's milk powder, while puppies are raised on meat and various types of the cold pressed complete dry food so that their future owners are free to decide how they want to feed their dog.  

Big event - The European Herding Dog Championship 

In 1873 the first recorded sheep dog trials were held in Bala, North Wales. The puropose was to assess the working ability of herding Border Collies and to select them for breeding. Elements from daily work are combined in courses that can vary in difficulty and exercises and can be adapted to the age and training level of the dogs. 

On the continent, the biggest challenge is the Continental Sheepdog Championship (CSC). Every continental European country that wants to take part and is affiliated to the British club (International Sheepdog Society) can send its human-dog teams (106 teams from 17 countries). The CSC takes place in a different country every year - in 2024 it was Austria and Nicole qualified to take part. 

To do so, they had to qualify at specially organised competitions in their own country over the course of a year. Austria sent eight teams into the race, Nicole started with Lenny and Luce was reserve.

Nicole prepared herself and her dogs for this prestigious  event by working on the cattle every day and through fitness training, in which she has practised individual sequences of the course, and there is also regular "fine-tuning", in which the dogs learn to listen even better and work more cleanly and efficiently. 

Lenny had a more than passable run at the European Championships and Nicole and Lenny finished in the upper midfield of the ranking. This is an outstanding performance for a first-time starter at a European Championship, especially as stage fright was a bit of a problem for Nicole in the run-up to the event. 

Lenny, Luce and Nicole won the Brace Trial again in Italy in 2024 - an outstanding achievement, in our opinion.