Re: traits of other breeds

Posted by: Heather Reid
Posted on: August 31, 2001 at 09:42:35

In Reply to: traits of other breeds
Posted by: Reagan
Posted on: August 30, 2001 at 18:14:44

Question:

: We have a wonderful 1 1/2 yr old male JR. Our cat got out of the house the other day, which he isn't supposed to do and our JR, Casey, started hearding him and holding him in a certain place, not physically, much like a Border Collie does. We often visit our family at their farm and they have a border collie who Casey spends a lot of time with, could he have picked up this hearding technique from her? When he was "hearding" the cat he didn't make any noise and he had his eyes close to the ground, that's why it reminded me of a border collie. Have you ever heard of dogs picking up traits like that from eachother?

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Hi Reagan,
While I do believe it is very possible for dogs to pick up habits and tendancies from other breeds, I don't think what you are seeing is herding. They don't pick up complete instincts. You need to be very, very careful as this is probably increased aggression toward the cat. My dogs cornered my cat silently (some JRTs are silent workers) many times before they were separated, and long before we had or knew a Border Collie.
Even if it *is* herding tendancy, remember that even the Border Collie will nip the ankles or cheek of a sheep to persuade it to comply. Chances are your JRT won't be able to contain himself or even if he could, your cat won't win that game.
Heather