Nature Nurture

OSU animal scientist Dr. Monique Udell explains that when a herding dog turns out to be an excellent performer, it's the result of DNA and early training. A dog's breed can determine how well it follows human commands, according to a new study from Oregon State University that found that dogs bred for predatory traits are better at following some human gestures. "We can set dogs up to succeed by capitalizing on each breed's inherent strengths instead of treating all dogs as if they came from the same mold," Dr. Udell said. Border collies are perceived to have an uncanny ability to read people, like when they anticipate owners taking them for a walk," said Udell, who is also the director of the OSU Human-Animal Interaction Lab and an assistant professor in OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences. "What people are picking up on is a predisposition in these dogs to watch for movement and respond accordingly.There is other research out there showing that if you take a border collie, they have this preparation genetically to engage in these sorts of behaviors even without training. But they do still have to be exposed to the right types of things, for example, such things as sheep, that they will have to chase later in life, they need that exposure early in life to fully develop that capacity. For example, if you have a border collie and you want it to be a good herding dog, you should expose it to sheep early in life in order for it to develop its tendency to chase. This is how it can realize its full potential. However, if you lack early experience or you are a breed that is less biologically prepared for that task, you might not ever be as good as another one who has had all of those advantages.