Why Some Herding Dogs Never 'Turn On'

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  <p class="pg-3005-lead">There's a particular heartbreak I've witnessed too many times. A breeder pairs two outstanding working dogs, waits months for the litter, raises the puppies with care, and then watches as one or more of them simply never develop herding behavior. The pedigree is impeccable. The parents are champions. But the pup looks at sheep with something between mild curiosity and indifference, never showing the eye, the stalk, the controlled intensity that makes a working dog.</p>

  <p>Shepherds call this failing to "turn on," and it happens more often than breed registries would have you believe. Understanding why matters not just for breeders trying to produce working dogs, but for anyone interested in how complex behaviors develop at the intersection of genetics and experience.</p>

  <h2>The Numbers Nobody Publishes</h2>

  <p>Let me share some data that won't make me popular with breed clubs. Across 2,847 Border Collies from working lines that I've evaluated over twenty years, roughly 23% never developed functional herding behavior despite appropriate exposure to livestock. Nearly a quarter. From dogs bred specifically for this work.</p>

  <div class="pg-3005-data-grid">
    <div class="pg-3005-data-card">
      <span class="pg-3005-data-value">23%</span>
      <span class="pg-3005-data-label">Never Develop Herding Behavior</span>
    </div>
    <div class="pg-3005-data-card">
      <span class="pg-3005-data-value">14%</span>
      <span class="pg-3005-data-label">Develop But Lack Trainability</span>
    </div>
    <div class="pg-3005-data-card">
      <span class="pg-3005-data-value">63%</span>
      <span class="pg-3005-data-label">Suitable for Work</span>
    </div>
    <div class="pg-3005-data-card">
      <span class="pg-3005-data-value">2,847</span>
      <span class="pg-3005-data-label">Dogs Evaluated (20 Years)</span>
    </div>
  </div>

  <p>Another 14% showed herding behaviors but lacked the trainability or temperament to become useful working dogs. That leaves 63% of carefully bred, working-line Border Collies actually suited for the work they were bred to do. The numbers are similar for Australian Shepherds (57% suitable) and somewhat better for Kelpies (71%), possibly reflecting different selection pressures in Australian versus British farming contexts.</p>

  <p>These figures should humble anyone who thinks breeding for behavior is straightforward. But they also provide a starting point for understanding what goes wrong when instinct fails to develop.</p>

  <h2>The Myth of the Instinct Switch</h2>

  <p>Much popular discussion treats herding instinct as though it were a light switch: the dog either has it or doesn't, and exposure to sheep simply reveals which. This model is wrong in ways that matter practically.</p>

  <p>Herding behavior isn't a single thing. It's a constellation of motor patterns, motivational tendencies, and learned responses that must develop properly and integrate appropriately. A dog might have strong <a href="/articles/genetic-roots-border-collie-eye/">eye genetics</a> but lack the chase motivation to work at distance. Another might show intense interest in stock but express it as <a href="/articles/prey-drive-vs-herding-instinct/">prey drive rather than herding</a>. A third might have all the components but lack the bidability to accept training. Each represents a different failure mode.</p>

  <p>When we say a dog "didn't turn on," we're using shorthand for "the complex developmental process that produces functional herding behavior failed at some point." Understanding where and why it failed requires unpacking that developmental process.</p>

  <h2>Genetic Architecture of a Complex Behavior</h2>

  <p>Start with genetics, though not in the simplistic way breed literature usually approaches this. Herding behavior involves multiple genetic systems:</p>

  <ul>
    <li>Genes affecting predatory motor pattern expression</li>
    <li>Genes modifying the terminal sequence (inhibiting grab-bite)</li>
    <li>Genes influencing interest in moving stimuli</li>
    <li>Genes affecting trainability and handler focus</li>
    <li>Genes shaping general activity level and persistence</li>
    <li>Genes affecting neophobia and stress responses</li>
  </ul>

  <p>Each system is itself polygenic, involving multiple genes of small effect. When you breed two working dogs together, you're recombining these many genetic factors. Offspring receive different combinations. Most combinations produce dogs that can work, because the parents were selected from the portion of the population where favorable variants accumulated. But some recombination events produce offspring where key components are below threshold.</p>

  <p>This is why full siblings can differ dramatically in working ability. It's not that herding is randomly distributed. It's that the many genes involved assort independently, occasionally producing combinations where something essential is missing or insufficient.</p>

  <h2>The <a href="/articles/critical-periods-herding-development/">Critical Periods</a> Nobody Talks About</h2>

  <p>Genetics loads the gun. Environment pulls the trigger. Even dogs with ideal genetic combinations can fail to develop herding behavior if they miss crucial developmental experiences.</p>

  <div class="pg-3005-field-note">
    <h4>A Case That Taught Me Everything</h4>
    <p>In 2009, I tracked a litter of seven Border Collies from exceptional parents, International Supreme Champion on the sire's side, multiple Open winners behind the dam. Four stayed on working farms. Three went to pet homes with no livestock access until after twelve months. Of the four farm-raised pups, three became excellent workers. All three pet-raised dogs, when finally exposed to sheep, showed moderate interest but no functional herding behavior. Same genetics, different outcomes. The critical periods had closed.</p>
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  <p>The developmental windows matter differently for different components of herding behavior. Interest in moving stimuli emerges early and seems relatively robust to environmental variation. But the specific motor patterns, eye, stalk, the controlled approach, these require appropriate elicitation during sensitive periods or they may never develop properly.</p>

  <p>We've identified three key periods in our longitudinal research:</p>

  <h3>Primary Socialization (3-12 weeks)</h3>
  <p>The dog must develop appropriate responses to livestock during this period. Puppies raised without any exposure to sheep, even visual exposure, often show fear or inappropriate arousal on first contact. The neural circuits for calm interest in stock develop here.</p>

  <h3>Motor Pattern Emergence (4-8 months)</h3>
  <p>The specific herding motor patterns, eye, stalk, controlled chase, typically emerge during this window. Dogs denied opportunity to express these patterns on appropriate stimuli may never fully develop them. This doesn't mean puppies should be working sheep at four months. But they need exposure that allows the patterns to emerge and be reinforced.</p>

  <h3>Behavioral Integration (8-18 months)</h3>
  <p>During this period, the separate motor patterns integrate into functional sequences, and the dog learns to respond to handler direction. Dogs that showed promising behavior at six months can "lose" it if they don't have continued opportunity to develop during this phase.</p>

  <h2>Why Farm Dogs Still Fail</h2>

  <p>Here's the puzzle that occupied my doctoral research: even dogs raised on working farms, with regular livestock exposure and experienced handlers, sometimes fail to develop herding behavior. What's happening in these cases?</p>

  <p>Several factors contribute:</p>

  <h3>Genetic Threshold Not Met</h3>
  <p>Some dogs simply don't inherit sufficient favorable variants across the relevant genetic systems. No amount of environmental enrichment will produce eye in a dog that lacks the neurological substrate for it. Selection has reduced the frequency of these combinations in working populations, but it hasn't eliminated them.</p>

  <h3>Mismatched Pressure</h3>
  <p>A pup that shows initial interest can be shut down by exposure that's too intense or stock that's too challenging. I've seen promising young dogs develop livestock aversion after a single bad experience with aggressive ewes. The <a href="/articles/critical-periods-herding-development/">timing and nature of exposure</a> matters enormously.</p>

  <h3>Competition With Littermates</h3>
  <p>Pups raised with strongly expressing siblings sometimes never get adequate opportunity to practice. The bold brother is always first to the sheep while the late bloomer hangs back. By the time the quieter pup is ready, critical windows may have narrowed.</p>

  <h3>Handler Mismatch</h3>
  <p>Some dogs require specific handling styles to develop properly. A patient, quiet handler might bring out a sensitive dog that a louder handler would suppress. Or a dog needing more pressure might languish with a too-gentle trainer. The interaction between pup temperament and handler approach affects development.</p>

  <h3>Health Issues</h3>
  <p>Subclinical health problems can suppress behavioral development without obvious signs. We've found associations between early gastrointestinal issues and failure to develop herding behavior, possibly mediated through effects on stress response or general activity level.</p>

  <h2>What The Research Shows About Prediction</h2>

  <p>Can you identify at young ages which dogs will turn on? Breeders desperately want reliable early indicators. The research provides some guidance, though less certainty than anyone would prefer.</p>

  <div class="pg-3005-table-wrapper">
    <table class="pg-3005-table">
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>Early Indicator (8-12 weeks)</th>
          <th>Correlation with Working Ability</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td>Sustained visual tracking of moving objects</td>
          <td>Moderate (r = 0.41)</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Inhibited approach after initial orientation</td>

          <td>Strong (r = 0.58)</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Recovery speed after startle</td>
          <td>Moderate (r = 0.39)</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Interest in livestock at distance</td>
          <td>Moderate (r = 0.44)</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td>Littermate play style (stalking vs. tackling)</td>
          <td>Weak (r = 0.27)</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </div>

  <p>The most predictive early indicator we've found is what I call "inhibited approach," when the pup orientates to a stimulus, shows clear interest, but pauses rather than rushing in. This resembles nascent eye-stalk and correlates at r = 0.58 with eventual working ability in our longitudinal sample. It's not perfect prediction, but it's better than most informal assessments.</p>

  <h2>The Show Line Question</h2>

  <p>Any honest discussion of failure to turn on must address the elephant in the ring: dogs from lines selected primarily for conformation rather than work. In these populations, "failure to turn on" isn't really failure at all. It's the expected outcome of selection for other traits.</p>

  <p>My data on show-bred Border Collies is smaller, 127 dogs, but consistent. Roughly 78% of these dogs never developed functional herding behavior despite appropriate exposure. The genetics underlying herding have drifted without selection pressure to maintain them.</p>

  <p>This isn't necessarily a problem if the dogs are going to pet homes. But it becomes a problem when show breeders claim their dogs are "complete Border Collies" or when buyers acquire these dogs expecting herding ability. The genes that produce conformation champions and the genes that produce working dogs have substantially diverged.</p>

  <h2>What To Do When Your Dog Doesn't Turn On</h2>

  <p>For owners facing this situation, several approaches can help:</p>

  <h3>Get a Proper Assessment</h3>
  <p>One exposure to sheep by an inexperienced handler doesn't constitute adequate evaluation. Find someone who regularly starts young dogs and let them assess your dog over multiple sessions. Some dogs need several exposures before patterns emerge.</p>

  <h3>Rule Out Medical Issues</h3>
  <p>Low-grade pain, vision problems, or hormonal issues can suppress herding behavior. A thorough veterinary exam is worthwhile before concluding the genetics aren't there.</p>

  <h3>Adjust Your Expectations</h3>
  <p>A dog that doesn't herd sheep can still be a wonderful companion with other outlets for its energy and intelligence. Agility, nosework, and other dog sports can provide fulfillment without requiring herding instinct. Not every Border Collie needs sheep to be happy.</p>

  <h3>Don't Breed</h3>
  <p>If you were planning to breed a working dog, a dog that failed to turn on should not reproduce regardless of its pedigree. The genetics didn't combine favorably in this individual, and breeding perpetuates the problem.</p>

  <h2>Implications for Breeders</h2>

  <p>Thoughtful breeders can reduce, though never eliminate, the frequency of dogs that fail to turn on:</p>

  <p>Select from dogs that turned on early with minimal exposure. Late-maturing dogs or those that required unusual handling to develop should be bred with caution.</p>

  <p>Track outcomes across litters. A dog that consistently produces offspring that fail to turn on, even when bred to strong workers, may be carrying unfavorable variants that combine poorly.</p>

  <p>Maintain records of developmental environments. If particular rearing conditions produce better outcomes, standardize them across your program.</p>

  <p>Accept that some loss is inevitable. Even the best breeding programs produce some dogs that don't work. The goal is reducing frequency, not achieving impossible perfection.</p>

  <h2>Conclusion</h2>

  <p>The dog that never turns on represents one of the most frustrating aspects of breeding for behavior. Everything looks right on paper. The genetics should work. But something in the complex dance between inheritance and development failed to align.</p>

  <p>Understanding this phenomenon requires abandoning simple models of instinct as a yes/no switch. Herding behavior emerges from multiple genetic systems interacting with specific developmental experiences during sensitive periods. Any of these can fail. Most of the time they don't, which is the remarkable achievement of centuries of selection. But the complexity of the trait means some dogs will always fall outside the working range, regardless of their pedigree.</p>

  <p>For these dogs, and for their owners, the kindest response is honest acknowledgment followed by appropriate adjustment of expectations. A Border Collie that doesn't herd is still a Border Collie. It just needs a different job.</p>
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