You Are Not Ready For a Herding Breed

Imagine being wired to notice every little movement. Then one day, you notice a strange person staring at you and then before you know it; you get adopted.

You move in with a strange human being who was not ready for you—or who never understood that you were bred for something more than looking beautiful in family photos or being an energetic companion on weekend hikes. Something deeply ingrained in you is suddenly treated like a problem.

You were meant to notice movement, anticipate it, respond to it, and control it. But there are no sheep here. Instead, there are children running through the house, bicycles passing the window, cats darting across the room, cars moving down the street, guests arriving unexpectedly, and a thousand small changes you cannot ignore.

The people who chose you may have wanted your looks, your intelligence, or the image of the life they thought they would have with you. They may not have understood your job—or what happens when a dog bred to work is given no meaningful work to do.

Then begins a journey of frustration, misery, misunderstanding, and eventually, far too often, labels: reactive, anxious, aggressive, out of control, or too much dog.

That is why most people should not own a herding dog—not because these dogs are bad, but because they deserve homes that understand what they were bred to be.