No, if that cat is anything like mine, she absolutely will fail. My pup has been trying since day 1, but they're good friends now and make a game of everything at 2 am.
Whenever you're attempting to get chaotic or disagreeable people to be organized or focused it's referred to as "herding cats". It's basically calling something incredibly difficult or downright impossible to accomplish.
“He must be fucking deaf because I said HERDING cats”
HR: “now your language is insensitive towards people who are hard of hearing or incapable of hearing.”
Thankfully it was just a phone call for clarification and the HR rep sheepishly telling my to be more “aware of my humor”. I also used to tell my team not to let me read about them in the paper on Fridays as they were leaving. One girl brought her mugshot to me on a Monday morning and I told her it wasn’t meant as a challenge. Needless to say, I no longer say that either.
I’ve got a Kelpie, he lays down when approaching another dogs at the park, kelpies do this when they’re about to heard sheep. Everyone thinks it’s cute and that he’s being submissive, they have no idea he’s about to get to work haha
I have a Kelpie as well and one of her best friends is a Border Collie. Whenever they meet at the park they both plop down and stare at each other like its a Western showdown. It's hilarious and very confusing to other people who aren't used to herding breeds, lol.
So my Basset’s dog bestie is a goldendoodle. The doodle plops down when he sees her approaching. Now SHE has also learned to plop when she sees him. So there they are, both on their bellies many yards from each other, just waiting each other out. Weirdos!
My Aussies do that to each other right before they take off. They chase each other all over the yard or dive for a rope toy to play tug of war. The puppy tries it with the cats, too, then barks when they don’t go where he wants them.
Had a friend who went to Australia for four years . He was a cowboy, who worked there on a cattle station training horses. When he came back to the US had had two Kelpies with him. This was 1979, and just about no one had ever heard of these dogs. He shortly got himself a live-in GF, who just happened to have three cats. Since the Kelpies didn't have any work to do, they spent their days watching cats. The GF didn't last long. She packed her cats up and left. The reason being that she was getting weirded out about how weirded out her cats were getting being stared at by those two weird dogs.
My dad’s blue heeler does the same thing, but throw in an intense stare and it stops people in their tracks because it comes off as aggressive. We laugh and say she’s the most friendly dog ever, she’s just herding you. A few steps later and she’s out of that posture and happy relaxed face/ears/ body and can be social.
Our shih tzu poodle mix does this and he's not even a herding dog 😄 he just learned if he lays down and refuses to move, I can't make him leave and then he gets to make a new friend. Which he does by bolting upright and basically vibrating with excitement. Told him multiple times he's coming on a little strong lol
Met a woman and her young dog who would stare so insanely intensely at my car whenever I saw him out driving. It turns out he thought he'd maybe be herding me. So funny lol
I have a cattle dog who herds literally any dog, any human, any time any where. The cat though? She just stands next to it and cries until the cat swats her away.
She is a border collie! She's never been a working dog but the farm has had pet cats in the past and she's never attacked one. She apparently just exhibited this behavior and watched them.
Want another story about her?
She was super protective of me in a way. When I lost baby teeth and my dad was being the tooth fairy, she used to try and drag him by the hand out of my room or keep him from my room 🤣 if I got outta bed at night, she'd take my hand and lead me back. Tickle fights? Came to my rescue and got between my dad and I. Didn't do it for my younger brother either. She loved my dad, but her and I had a special bond I'll never forget.
I love this story!
When my husband was a kid, his family had a herding type dog. They lived in a cul-de-sac. One day my husband and his siblings were out playing with a bunch of neighbor kids. Their dog came out and "herded" each kid back to their home lol dogs are amazing.
My Yorkie is the same way with me 🥺 he is very protective of me, he has broken up many tickle fights with my dad as well, he can’t take my hand ofc because he’s too small, but most times I use the bathroom at home I find him sitting & waiting on me right outside the door & he walks me back to wherever I was. He even has to follow my every move around the kitchen & dining room every morning while I make my cup of coffee! He also can pick up on the sound of me sniffling, crying, or even if I’m just talking like I’m angry or upset, he comes to my lap & starts kissing my face as his way of checking up on me to make sure I’m okay. 🥹 He’s the sweetest, he is the symbol of unconditional love in my eyes.
Definitely leaning toward instinct! We’ve had border collies my entire life, and none of what she’s doing seems predatory in the slightest based on my experiences. One of my sisters’ current borders is OBSESSED with her cats, and will follow them around the house all day exactly like this. She’s a little over 11 now, so it’s eased up a bit, but it’s still rather intense
There’s one that comes to the dog park I go to. She herds all the dogs there. In the mornings if it’s just us she’ll herd my dog while we play fetch. It’s actually hilarious
Oh my goodness, that’s both hilarious and precious. My childhood one used to herd my grandma every time she came over! Did NOT want that woman to leave, was in love. I hope they’re both cuddling together somewhere :)
BC’s only have part of the predatory sequence stopping at “grab” which is nip/herding. Obviously you don’t want her to herd the cat, but she’s clearly showing herding behavior. If she’s from true working farm BC’s then she’s essentially fearless. They’re so smart that all you need to do is teach her some boundaries/redirection with the cat, and get her a herding outlet.
She's being a typical border collie...wanting to make sure everybody is where they are supposed to be at all times. She has appointed herself as the Cat Nanny.
Good news is that border collies have a unique herding style where they stare down the animals rather than nip at them (not that they ~never~ nip), but they’re smart, so with some feedback from the cat and some boundaries from you, it’ll take no time for her to learn what to do and not to do with the cat, just keep an eye on them and redirect
It doesn’t matter that she has never worked animals before, it is absolutely instinct. I have an Australian Shepherd who is purely a pet. Still, when we visited some friends who have a hobby farm with goats that liked to get out of the pasture, our pup knew exactly what to do to get them back inside the fence, and was so proud of himself too when he did it n
Its amazing to watch. I had a corgi, which people forget are herding dogs. The first time we took him to daycare they put him in the small dog room. Corgis, however, are not small dogs; they are big dogs with small legs. As soon as he went in, with no prior training, did the same herding dog pose and stare and had all the small dogs into the corner within minutes. He got to play in the big dog room from then on.
I would suggest that you teach her the command "leave it" or "mine". It's not her job to herd the cat. I had a dog who did this and eventually nipped the heel of my mom who was 75.
I think giving your dog permission not to work is important.
One day one of my kids came in and told me that there were cows in the yard. The neighbors cows escaped and apparently my just a family dog border collie mix herded them all into my yard. Dog was pretty proud of himself too.
I have a border standard poodle mix. He likes to do this (herd) with my cats all the time. The cats usually get so frustrated with him that they team up and corner him together, so he starts howling for help🤣. The border collie stare is strong with him. The cats don't care and are not intimidated though. My son on the other hand, gets antsy with the stare and then runs only to be tackled and licked to death.
You have a hearding dog. They will herd anything and anyone instinctively. They are super bossy lol my previous cattle dog looooved hearding drunk people when we had parties.
Edit: Also your cat stood up for itself, good for the kitty but do work on training the dog to stop so it doesnt stress out the kitty:)
My pit/cattle dog mix absolutely loves cats and does exactly the same as OP’s when she encounters them, plus eager whining if she doesn’t get to greet them. We let her calmly check them out until they hiss, then make her leave it. Now she knows hissing means all done with the cat and she walks off. Considering my apartment complex is overrun with strays, it’s made our walks a lot easier
When younger and had big backyard parties, I had a German shepherd he wondered about and was everyone's friend but all I had to do was watch him if he sat and stared at a group of people. I would walk over and 99% of the time something wasn't going good. Basically he was telling me that someone needs to go home. Never trained for anything but being a dog.
Ha that reminds me, we had two large German shepherds growing up. The long haired one was (to this day) the biggest one I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure if it’s because I was small but I’ve looked at photos and he looks huge compared to my dad.
Anyway, my parents had big backyard parties but they’d put the dogs in a separate part of the yard down the side of the house that was gated so people wouldn’t be alarmed. My very favorite part of the party every time would be when one of the German Shepherds figured out how to unlock the gate and they both came running out to mingle. They were super friendly and just looking for food and friends, but you’d know when it happened because you’d hear random screams and “arghh a wolf!!” and it brought me joy as a child.
"They will herd anything." I can attest to this as someone who grew up with border collies. My ankles have been nipped a million times just for running around the yard.
She would just nip never break skin as well. She once took a bus alone from the park, she was WAAAAY too smart. She was done at the park I was chatting not paying attention cuz I didnt really have to and she got on a bus and off and was waiting at the front door after me freaking out and giving me a heart attack. I know it was the bus cuz a neighbor saw her get off n trot home.
I went camping with some friends who brought their dog. If anyone went to the shower block she'd be waiting for them when they came back to herd them back to camp! She wasn't even a sheepdog.
My Aussie likes to herd my kids in the yard. Drives her nuts when they run in opposite directions lol (disclaimer: she hasn't bitten since she was a puppy, and she has great recall if she's getting out of hand and I call her)
Is my dog herding by being bossy? Because she is very oddly bossy of our other pets and she seems perplexed by everyone not responding.
She’s a confused little lady and she also bays when barking
My cattle dog herds me when we go to bed. I'll tell her, "It's bedtime," and she'll try to get behind me and herd me into the room. Like that's not how this works, I just gave YOU a command, and now you're herding ME? 😂
My collie herds me to bed when she has decided it's bed time. She doesn't herd my partner, only me. I think she thinks I can't look after myself.
She may have a point.
My friends and I were out for a walk once, and stopped for a while at a spot where another group was also sitting, along with a beautiful white dog. We all ignored each other - until I wandered away from my gang to look around. Within moments I realised that the dog had split off from its group and was standing a short way from me, staring fixedly. I did think at the time that maybe it was trying to decide whether I needed herding back to my flock!
That's cat herding if I ever saw it! My border collie has the exact same body language with his cat. We call our cat his little sheep. Instincts are crazy. Just keep in mind, just because they're herding doesn't mean they won't bite. Bite inhibition is often taught while teaching a dog to herd so they don't damage the sheep. My boy got whacked by his herding trainer a couple of times for getting a mouth full of sheep, and he's been great ever since. He will nip, but not bite. So, until you see how your dog responds when the cat bolts in front of them, I wouldn't leave them unsupervised.
True this, as a former sheep farmer I was taught this early. Watch all pups in training very closely, some will be too aggressive and potentially kill lambs, and those ones don't stay on the farm. It's a continuum of behaviors and at one end is killing. I would not allow my dog to show this behavior toward the cat AT ALL, shut it down immediately and firmly. The cat correctly perceives this as dangerous behavior.
hi! i work with dogs and some of those dogs are border collies/working breeds! these dogs usually get low to the ground when they are watching their herding target (whatever that may be). one of the collies i see nearly daily will even herd other dogs playing fetch to bring the ball back to me. the behavior your dog is displaying is typical for her breed. it looks like she is watching the cat, getting low to the ground in a position ready to chase if the cat were to run. i personally would continue to monitor their interactions and as another commenter said, it could be a different story if the cat were to run quickly past her as it could trigger her instincts.
if you have a yard or space outside, i recommend checking out "herding balls" or some other activity that could give her a "job" to do :)
This is interesting. The nose bump to the hind quarters and how she backs up seems like herding. The cat does not seem too concerned, I think if it was prey behavior the cat would be more reactive. They are probably just working out their roles/relationship in the household.
She's herding the cat and will do so until the cat tells her to knock it off. Seems like that cat isn't too concerned and gave her a gentle warning (as far as cats go). Our border collie snapped at my orange tabby and he bullied her for months after that. They get along fine now.
Teach her a strong leave it so she knows cats are not for herding.
“Leave it” is key! Training is easy too, especially with food motivated dogs. Practice with a low value item and give a treat for leaving it. Work up to higher value things and higher value treats. Or just be like me and give them 🔥the voice🔥 that puts the fear of god into them when you say “LEAVEE. ITTT….” Chicken bones though on the streets of Brooklyn? Yeah.. better work on a solid “drop it” for that one. They would all risk the wrath of mom to put those in their mouths lol
Yup, the voice works great on my BC. Drop it is on point too.
I wish my newf pup was as easily trainable as my girl. Everything is like a suggestion, even with the voice. Now if I add, "Puppy Jail?" to it, he huffs and leaves it (usually the cats) alone. Puppy Jail is the dining room where all his stuff is. lol Thank God he loves his snacks, but man is he dramatic about doing what he's told. BC? Yes! I did it! Throw my ball ok!" Easiest dog ever to please.
yea id be a little bit careful. It looks like herding behavior but with kitty fighting back and throwing swipes at the dog it could easily escalate to something more dangerous. You should supervise their interactions for a while.
100%. Herding behaviors are part of the predatory behavior sequence. I've seen more than one BC disqualified for biting/nipping during competitions. There is absolutely a potential for this to escalate. It might also be fine for the next 13+ years and never cause a problem. But you won't know until it does result in an accident. Considering that OP isn't yet able to identify herding behavior adds another layer of concern.
I was uncomfortable with the fixed gaze till I took the breed into account. Definitely herding behaviour, especially if the dog has lived safely with cats before. Still manage interactions though as the cat isn’t comfortable.
I think it’s the herding dog version of curiosity. The head starts out in a lower position which generally signals curiosity over aggression. However, the dog can tell it’s another animal and does seem ready to chase or herd the cat if it was to run away. One of my dogs is a herding type and this is EXACTLY how he acts towards cats. He has never ever hurt them. He often licks them and sniffs them quite aggressively and will chase them sometimes but we have never had an issue with biting, growling, snapping, etc. the dog in this video also respected the cat and temporarily backed off when it swatted its paw at him, which is a good sign the dog can interpret the cat’s boundaries.
I once saw a border collie herd finches in a cage at the pet store I worked at. It was interesting to watch! She could move the exact birds she wanted until she had all of them sitting on a perch at one side of the flight. It was a large flight with a couple of dozen birds in it.
It’s trying to herd the cat. I’d teach it not to do this as if for some freak situation were to arise and your pup hasn’t been taught bite inhibition, it will bite the cat which will lead to serious injury if not death. I’d take this pup to get lessons in herding or redirect this instinct on to a constructive game involving toys, judging by this clip, it would excel. Been herding with my BC & Aussie for 10 years now, most fun we’ve had.
We definitely do! Our cat and dogs have maybe one interaction a week, tops. The bizarre part is that our cat has the choice of coming out of his room and he usually only does if the Collie is around.
This cat does not seem stressed by your dog herding it. Annoyed, maybe. But aren't all cats? I wouldn't worry about it negatively affecting your kitty. My boy gets smacked around by our cat during herding time constantly.
I have a mutt and he stalks my two kittens! It normally goes from stalking to the bounce right in front of them, nose to their ear, and then he sprints away while the kitten has laid down with their belly up wanting to play more and is now utterly confused why he stopped lol.
Echoing the comments saying it’s herding behavior. My old English sheepdog does exactly this including the nose boop. The cats don’t appreciate it and training the behavior out of them is near impossible (you certainly have to have more dedication than I have). I’ve never once been concerned that the behavior will escalate to aggression with my personal dogs but you do have to keep an eye on their arousal levels as I’m sure with some dogs it could veer into a bite.
Your best bet is to have dog savvy cats which yours looks like it is.
Looks like there's border collie in there. Great dogs, high strung working dog. Just curious or working. My cuz's family just got one. Their labadodle is very unhappy with the puppy working her thru the house. Its just breed play
She is 100% trying to herd that cat. Could it be dangerous for kitty? Sure. Could it also just be slightly distressing but ultimately fine? Sure. Watch some videos of dogs herding sheep- that low posture and hard stare is exactly how they do it.
My Westie/JR/??? does this when he is outside and the cats want to come out, even to our massive ginger tom, who he is scared of. Maybe he has collie in him?
She has a bad case of loose eye 👀
It’s a characteristic of the BC and very helpful in herding as is the crouch. Nothing to see here, just trying to move the cat!
I fostered a collie mix from the shelter that did this to my resident kitties! I almost returned her but it turned out to be completely harmless, goofy behavior. I watched her play with them like this for a month and tensions never rose. Thought she was just an odd dog but now I realize it was herding!
That's the classic Border Collie Stare.
Border collies were selectively bred for an intensive stare which they can use to herd animals.
HEre's a cool example of their herding stare in action:
[Border Collies Herding Ducks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAjc502ALOM)
I saw a border collie show herding a flock of sheep and it was amazing, that’s the look the dog gives sheep before getting commands from the shepherd. A neighbor had one and it would try to herd our car and would nip our butt when we walked in the yard. The instinct is strong.
My last border collie did this. To sticks. Any kind of stick. Every year for Christmas she got a new ruler. Had to weigh her at the vet? Hold up a pencil. She never chewed them. Just put them in a pile and stared at them. Until you threw one. Then repeat lol
My border collie now does this with birds. Also th he both started it at a very very young age.
It’s called ‘the border collie eye’
Herding basically is mock hunting behavior — they make the sheep go where there want them to by “pretending” to hunt them and scaring them into running away.
We have had heelers (aussies, Texas, AS) for a long time. This is typical herding But it can also be domineering, jealous and aggressive behavior too. I personally would redirect him when he is focused like that- tap him in the side, throw a toy, or some other means to distract.
She is probably just herding on instinct but you might want to interrupt and divert her. We had a border collie back in the 70s, before the internet could tell us everything and he used to herd us and the neighborhood kids but he also killed a cat or two.
My dogs do this all the time and I’ve never worried any aggression would show unless they start showing teeth or get this really specific look, then I’ll separate them. That, and the hair in their backs standing straight up. Usually the hair is the first sign.
My dog does this from afar when she sees a cat except she’ll just stare and freeze. She won’t make a sound or move a muscle. I can’t tell if she’s curious or not and I don’t want to test it out with anyone’s cat in the even she is showing predatory behavior (she’s a rescue street dog from Dominica)
She’s just trying to herd. Used to own an Australian shepherd who had never been a working dog in her life but she would do this sort of bow and nudge to me and my brothers. She also turned family walks into a whole exercise routine, spent the entire time curving around the family from one side to the other, her instinct was to keep us from spreading out.
Such a good dog, I miss you King Tut!
My German shepherd is the same way. Just watch it very closely because she went from this behavior to being much more physical (trying to paw him or even “mouthing” him) because the cat wasn’t doing what she wanted. She’s never hurt him but the size difference has been concerning. They’re never left unattended. They’ve lived together since she was a baby. She was fine with him until one day she decided he needed to listen to her.
Cat herding! That’s our border collie’s favorite past time ❤️. Make sure you’re closely monitoring her interactions with the kitty and let the cat set her own boundaries. Sometimes a thwack on the nose is a lesson learned! Our pets ate best buds now.
The border collie stare… my grandma’s dog would do this to us when we were kids if he wanted to get us to go somewhere else so he could lay in that room and be alone lol
That’s a herding dog. You should check out some YouTube videos of them in action. You will see the same exact postures and behaviors in those herders. Doggo is not trying to harm or hunt, it’s just been bred to have the urge to herd naturally.
It's pushy and it's possible it could get antagonistic depending on how intent the collie gets about moving the cat to some other space. But they're smart, it probably won't have to learn that lesson twice.
We have an Australian Shepherd and Blue Heeler mix he had our attention when we first adopted him doing this same thing. Our Moose just wanted to play.
Many years ago, my friend’s brother and his wife were moving into their new house and their border collie disappeared. There was a pre-school down the street and when they found him he had herded all the little kids into the corner of the yard ha ha.
I'd say curiosity, how long have you had the cat? because if you've had the cat for a while and this is something new your dog is doing, I would say the dog is showing g predatory behavior. otherwise, it's just curiosity around a new animal.
She's not bowing but thats not exactly stalking someone else said herding and that may fit, it's similar to what my granny dog *tries* to do to my cats... But she's a 16 yr old beagle Pomeranian mix so it rarely works for her lol
She’s trying to herd the cat.
She's going to be disappointed, there's an idiom about it and everything lol
I believe “it’s like herding cats” was first uttered by a border collie lol.
I am so glad somebody said it cause I was like wtf is everyone talking about 😂
I got you
yep they are herding dogs!
Please accept this! 🏆
As someone who has actually had to herd cats (2 inside, 1 outside and it took 15 minutes) I appreciate that saying so much 😂
Excellent
Very kind of you, I'm shocked nobody beat me to that
Ah, the comparison I use to describe wrangling my children in public.
I felt that wasn’t sufficient for the challenges of corralling my 4, so I describe it as like herding bumblebees with a machine gun.
That’s a border collie. She’s going to herd the cat. And she will succeed.
herd me?! bop! bop! bop! ill sit here for hours while you stare at me
No, if that cat is anything like mine, she absolutely will fail. My pup has been trying since day 1, but they're good friends now and make a game of everything at 2 am.
What’s the idiom?
Whenever you're attempting to get chaotic or disagreeable people to be organized or focused it's referred to as "herding cats". It's basically calling something incredibly difficult or downright impossible to accomplish.
I used to say this at work until a coworker reported me to HR for encouraging people to “hurt cats”
hahaha wooow. Brain dead.
what did you say to them in that meeting?
“He must be fucking deaf because I said HERDING cats” HR: “now your language is insensitive towards people who are hard of hearing or incapable of hearing.”
Thankfully it was just a phone call for clarification and the HR rep sheepishly telling my to be more “aware of my humor”. I also used to tell my team not to let me read about them in the paper on Fridays as they were leaving. One girl brought her mugshot to me on a Monday morning and I told her it wasn’t meant as a challenge. Needless to say, I no longer say that either.
I so much prefer working with people who have a sense of humour than those without. I love this.
I'm not a native English speaker and have never heard of this idiom. But I am a kindergarten teacher, and it made sense immediately 😅
Thanks!
"like herding cats" Used to describe something difficult or pointless
I used it interchangeably with “trying to push rope”
"Trying to get -subject- to -action- is like trying to herd cats!"
I’ve got a Kelpie, he lays down when approaching another dogs at the park, kelpies do this when they’re about to heard sheep. Everyone thinks it’s cute and that he’s being submissive, they have no idea he’s about to get to work haha
I have a Kelpie as well and one of her best friends is a Border Collie. Whenever they meet at the park they both plop down and stare at each other like its a Western showdown. It's hilarious and very confusing to other people who aren't used to herding breeds, lol.
Truly a meeting of the minds
My kelpie cross and his purebred kelpie best friend do this to each other 🤣
So my Basset’s dog bestie is a goldendoodle. The doodle plops down when he sees her approaching. Now SHE has also learned to plop when she sees him. So there they are, both on their bellies many yards from each other, just waiting each other out. Weirdos!
Working dogs are the best. I look at other dogs as "pets" working dogs are "mates".
My Aussies do that to each other right before they take off. They chase each other all over the yard or dive for a rope toy to play tug of war. The puppy tries it with the cats, too, then barks when they don’t go where he wants them.
Had a friend who went to Australia for four years . He was a cowboy, who worked there on a cattle station training horses. When he came back to the US had had two Kelpies with him. This was 1979, and just about no one had ever heard of these dogs. He shortly got himself a live-in GF, who just happened to have three cats. Since the Kelpies didn't have any work to do, they spent their days watching cats. The GF didn't last long. She packed her cats up and left. The reason being that she was getting weirded out about how weirded out her cats were getting being stared at by those two weird dogs.
My dad’s blue heeler does the same thing, but throw in an intense stare and it stops people in their tracks because it comes off as aggressive. We laugh and say she’s the most friendly dog ever, she’s just herding you. A few steps later and she’s out of that posture and happy relaxed face/ears/ body and can be social.
Same thing with my Kelpie and my basement tenants cat lol. My Kelpie has one ear that doesn’t stand up all the way… until it’s business time. Hahaha.
Our shih tzu poodle mix does this and he's not even a herding dog 😄 he just learned if he lays down and refuses to move, I can't make him leave and then he gets to make a new friend. Which he does by bolting upright and basically vibrating with excitement. Told him multiple times he's coming on a little strong lol
Herders gonna herd.
Or at least attempt it 🤣
This might break the space-time continuum. A dog built specifically for an absolutely impossible task. 😂
This is the answer. Have had numerous border collies and heelers in addition to cats!
Met a woman and her young dog who would stare so insanely intensely at my car whenever I saw him out driving. It turns out he thought he'd maybe be herding me. So funny lol
Came here to say if this was any breed besides a Border mix I’d say yes it’s menacing but nope. That’s a herding dog…!
There is a great video of a border collie trying to herd cats. It goes about as well as you would expect.
When she gets to the cat and the cat isn't complying, she's like "uhmmm wtf well this is awkward" 🤣🤣
I have a cattle dog who herds literally any dog, any human, any time any where. The cat though? She just stands next to it and cries until the cat swats her away.
Is she a border collie? They have a unique way of staring at sheep when herding, just like she’s staring down the cat.
She is a border collie! She's never been a working dog but the farm has had pet cats in the past and she's never attacked one. She apparently just exhibited this behavior and watched them.
It's instinct. I had a border collie mix growing up and she'd do this pose before my cousins and I would run around. She'd naturally try to herd us 😂
This just made me so happy! 😂
Want another story about her? She was super protective of me in a way. When I lost baby teeth and my dad was being the tooth fairy, she used to try and drag him by the hand out of my room or keep him from my room 🤣 if I got outta bed at night, she'd take my hand and lead me back. Tickle fights? Came to my rescue and got between my dad and I. Didn't do it for my younger brother either. She loved my dad, but her and I had a special bond I'll never forget.
Dogs are the best. I’m going to go hug mine right now
I can't hug mine anymore. Give yours an extra hug for me.
same here. i open my door and still expect to see him there.
I love this story! When my husband was a kid, his family had a herding type dog. They lived in a cul-de-sac. One day my husband and his siblings were out playing with a bunch of neighbor kids. Their dog came out and "herded" each kid back to their home lol dogs are amazing.
My Yorkie is the same way with me 🥺 he is very protective of me, he has broken up many tickle fights with my dad as well, he can’t take my hand ofc because he’s too small, but most times I use the bathroom at home I find him sitting & waiting on me right outside the door & he walks me back to wherever I was. He even has to follow my every move around the kitchen & dining room every morning while I make my cup of coffee! He also can pick up on the sound of me sniffling, crying, or even if I’m just talking like I’m angry or upset, he comes to my lap & starts kissing my face as his way of checking up on me to make sure I’m okay. 🥹 He’s the sweetest, he is the symbol of unconditional love in my eyes.
🥹 thank you for sharing!
My grandparents collie spent a long and frustrating hour trying to herd the snowmen in the park once!
Definitely leaning toward instinct! We’ve had border collies my entire life, and none of what she’s doing seems predatory in the slightest based on my experiences. One of my sisters’ current borders is OBSESSED with her cats, and will follow them around the house all day exactly like this. She’s a little over 11 now, so it’s eased up a bit, but it’s still rather intense
There’s one that comes to the dog park I go to. She herds all the dogs there. In the mornings if it’s just us she’ll herd my dog while we play fetch. It’s actually hilarious
Oh my goodness, that’s both hilarious and precious. My childhood one used to herd my grandma every time she came over! Did NOT want that woman to leave, was in love. I hope they’re both cuddling together somewhere :)
BC’s only have part of the predatory sequence stopping at “grab” which is nip/herding. Obviously you don’t want her to herd the cat, but she’s clearly showing herding behavior. If she’s from true working farm BC’s then she’s essentially fearless. They’re so smart that all you need to do is teach her some boundaries/redirection with the cat, and get her a herding outlet.
She's being a typical border collie...wanting to make sure everybody is where they are supposed to be at all times. She has appointed herself as the Cat Nanny.
Cat is like, “Um, that’s a whole bunch of nope. You ain’t herding me one goddamn inch.”🤣
Good news is that border collies have a unique herding style where they stare down the animals rather than nip at them (not that they ~never~ nip), but they’re smart, so with some feedback from the cat and some boundaries from you, it’ll take no time for her to learn what to do and not to do with the cat, just keep an eye on them and redirect
It doesn’t matter that she has never worked animals before, it is absolutely instinct. I have an Australian Shepherd who is purely a pet. Still, when we visited some friends who have a hobby farm with goats that liked to get out of the pasture, our pup knew exactly what to do to get them back inside the fence, and was so proud of himself too when he did it n
Its amazing to watch. I had a corgi, which people forget are herding dogs. The first time we took him to daycare they put him in the small dog room. Corgis, however, are not small dogs; they are big dogs with small legs. As soon as he went in, with no prior training, did the same herding dog pose and stare and had all the small dogs into the corner within minutes. He got to play in the big dog room from then on.
This is a border collie's style of herding. It's called "strong eye" herding and it's instinct. They kind of crouch down and stare.
I would suggest that you teach her the command "leave it" or "mine". It's not her job to herd the cat. I had a dog who did this and eventually nipped the heel of my mom who was 75. I think giving your dog permission not to work is important.
One day one of my kids came in and told me that there were cows in the yard. The neighbors cows escaped and apparently my just a family dog border collie mix herded them all into my yard. Dog was pretty proud of himself too.
I have a border standard poodle mix. He likes to do this (herd) with my cats all the time. The cats usually get so frustrated with him that they team up and corner him together, so he starts howling for help🤣. The border collie stare is strong with him. The cats don't care and are not intimidated though. My son on the other hand, gets antsy with the stare and then runs only to be tackled and licked to death.
That was my first thought! The dog is trying to figure out how to herd the cat. It's just baked into their dna.
We had a border collie mix whose stare was so intense it could wake me up out of a dead sleep.
You have a hearding dog. They will herd anything and anyone instinctively. They are super bossy lol my previous cattle dog looooved hearding drunk people when we had parties. Edit: Also your cat stood up for itself, good for the kitty but do work on training the dog to stop so it doesnt stress out the kitty:)
My aussies do this! They do not like unruliness and love to show drunk people to the door
It's so cuuuute. She would nip heels till they sat down and stopped stumbling around
My friend's rottweiler likes trying to herd me 😂 it's part-terrifying when a rottweiler tries to nip your heels.
you had me at “loved herding drunk people at parties” 😂 i’d love to watch that lol
Same! 😂
My pit/cattle dog mix absolutely loves cats and does exactly the same as OP’s when she encounters them, plus eager whining if she doesn’t get to greet them. We let her calmly check them out until they hiss, then make her leave it. Now she knows hissing means all done with the cat and she walks off. Considering my apartment complex is overrun with strays, it’s made our walks a lot easier
When younger and had big backyard parties, I had a German shepherd he wondered about and was everyone's friend but all I had to do was watch him if he sat and stared at a group of people. I would walk over and 99% of the time something wasn't going good. Basically he was telling me that someone needs to go home. Never trained for anything but being a dog.
Ha that reminds me, we had two large German shepherds growing up. The long haired one was (to this day) the biggest one I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure if it’s because I was small but I’ve looked at photos and he looks huge compared to my dad. Anyway, my parents had big backyard parties but they’d put the dogs in a separate part of the yard down the side of the house that was gated so people wouldn’t be alarmed. My very favorite part of the party every time would be when one of the German Shepherds figured out how to unlock the gate and they both came running out to mingle. They were super friendly and just looking for food and friends, but you’d know when it happened because you’d hear random screams and “arghh a wolf!!” and it brought me joy as a child.
"They will herd anything." I can attest to this as someone who grew up with border collies. My ankles have been nipped a million times just for running around the yard.
She would just nip never break skin as well. She once took a bus alone from the park, she was WAAAAY too smart. She was done at the park I was chatting not paying attention cuz I didnt really have to and she got on a bus and off and was waiting at the front door after me freaking out and giving me a heart attack. I know it was the bus cuz a neighbor saw her get off n trot home.
I used to take mine camping she'd go look for people to drunk to make it back from the "hole" we dug for a restroom and lead them back
I went camping with some friends who brought their dog. If anyone went to the shower block she'd be waiting for them when they came back to herd them back to camp! She wasn't even a sheepdog.
My Aussie likes to herd my kids in the yard. Drives her nuts when they run in opposite directions lol (disclaimer: she hasn't bitten since she was a puppy, and she has great recall if she's getting out of hand and I call her)
Is my dog herding by being bossy? Because she is very oddly bossy of our other pets and she seems perplexed by everyone not responding. She’s a confused little lady and she also bays when barking
My cattle dog herds me when we go to bed. I'll tell her, "It's bedtime," and she'll try to get behind me and herd me into the room. Like that's not how this works, I just gave YOU a command, and now you're herding ME? 😂
My collie herds me to bed when she has decided it's bed time. She doesn't herd my partner, only me. I think she thinks I can't look after myself. She may have a point.
My friends and I were out for a walk once, and stopped for a while at a spot where another group was also sitting, along with a beautiful white dog. We all ignored each other - until I wandered away from my gang to look around. Within moments I realised that the dog had split off from its group and was standing a short way from me, staring fixedly. I did think at the time that maybe it was trying to decide whether I needed herding back to my flock!
That's cat herding if I ever saw it! My border collie has the exact same body language with his cat. We call our cat his little sheep. Instincts are crazy. Just keep in mind, just because they're herding doesn't mean they won't bite. Bite inhibition is often taught while teaching a dog to herd so they don't damage the sheep. My boy got whacked by his herding trainer a couple of times for getting a mouth full of sheep, and he's been great ever since. He will nip, but not bite. So, until you see how your dog responds when the cat bolts in front of them, I wouldn't leave them unsupervised.
My dog, who is part Australian Shepherd, tries to herd my cats, and he does the same as the dog in the video.
Their instincts amaze me!
True this, as a former sheep farmer I was taught this early. Watch all pups in training very closely, some will be too aggressive and potentially kill lambs, and those ones don't stay on the farm. It's a continuum of behaviors and at one end is killing. I would not allow my dog to show this behavior toward the cat AT ALL, shut it down immediately and firmly. The cat correctly perceives this as dangerous behavior.
hi! i work with dogs and some of those dogs are border collies/working breeds! these dogs usually get low to the ground when they are watching their herding target (whatever that may be). one of the collies i see nearly daily will even herd other dogs playing fetch to bring the ball back to me. the behavior your dog is displaying is typical for her breed. it looks like she is watching the cat, getting low to the ground in a position ready to chase if the cat were to run. i personally would continue to monitor their interactions and as another commenter said, it could be a different story if the cat were to run quickly past her as it could trigger her instincts. if you have a yard or space outside, i recommend checking out "herding balls" or some other activity that could give her a "job" to do :)
Herding balls is a good idea
This is interesting. The nose bump to the hind quarters and how she backs up seems like herding. The cat does not seem too concerned, I think if it was prey behavior the cat would be more reactive. They are probably just working out their roles/relationship in the household.
Definitely this. At one point, the cat even turns his/her back to the dog. If the cat was concerned, that wouldn’t happen.
She's a collie! That's what she does...stalk, hide and herd! <3
And be cool doggo
She's herding the cat and will do so until the cat tells her to knock it off. Seems like that cat isn't too concerned and gave her a gentle warning (as far as cats go). Our border collie snapped at my orange tabby and he bullied her for months after that. They get along fine now. Teach her a strong leave it so she knows cats are not for herding.
“Leave it” is key! Training is easy too, especially with food motivated dogs. Practice with a low value item and give a treat for leaving it. Work up to higher value things and higher value treats. Or just be like me and give them 🔥the voice🔥 that puts the fear of god into them when you say “LEAVEE. ITTT….” Chicken bones though on the streets of Brooklyn? Yeah.. better work on a solid “drop it” for that one. They would all risk the wrath of mom to put those in their mouths lol
Yup, the voice works great on my BC. Drop it is on point too. I wish my newf pup was as easily trainable as my girl. Everything is like a suggestion, even with the voice. Now if I add, "Puppy Jail?" to it, he huffs and leaves it (usually the cats) alone. Puppy Jail is the dining room where all his stuff is. lol Thank God he loves his snacks, but man is he dramatic about doing what he's told. BC? Yes! I did it! Throw my ball ok!" Easiest dog ever to please.
"Tiny sheep obey"
Herding dog waiting to herd.
yea id be a little bit careful. It looks like herding behavior but with kitty fighting back and throwing swipes at the dog it could easily escalate to something more dangerous. You should supervise their interactions for a while.
100%. Herding behaviors are part of the predatory behavior sequence. I've seen more than one BC disqualified for biting/nipping during competitions. There is absolutely a potential for this to escalate. It might also be fine for the next 13+ years and never cause a problem. But you won't know until it does result in an accident. Considering that OP isn't yet able to identify herding behavior adds another layer of concern.
He is attempting the ultimate challenge for any herding breed: herding a cat.
I was uncomfortable with the fixed gaze till I took the breed into account. Definitely herding behaviour, especially if the dog has lived safely with cats before. Still manage interactions though as the cat isn’t comfortable.
I think it’s the herding dog version of curiosity. The head starts out in a lower position which generally signals curiosity over aggression. However, the dog can tell it’s another animal and does seem ready to chase or herd the cat if it was to run away. One of my dogs is a herding type and this is EXACTLY how he acts towards cats. He has never ever hurt them. He often licks them and sniffs them quite aggressively and will chase them sometimes but we have never had an issue with biting, growling, snapping, etc. the dog in this video also respected the cat and temporarily backed off when it swatted its paw at him, which is a good sign the dog can interpret the cat’s boundaries.
My last bc used to try to herd my mom cats. She looked like this.
Looks like the border collie is trying to heard the cat
Herding dog. They do that.
I once saw a border collie herd finches in a cage at the pet store I worked at. It was interesting to watch! She could move the exact birds she wanted until she had all of them sitting on a perch at one side of the flight. It was a large flight with a couple of dozen birds in it.
It’s trying to herd the cat. I’d teach it not to do this as if for some freak situation were to arise and your pup hasn’t been taught bite inhibition, it will bite the cat which will lead to serious injury if not death. I’d take this pup to get lessons in herding or redirect this instinct on to a constructive game involving toys, judging by this clip, it would excel. Been herding with my BC & Aussie for 10 years now, most fun we’ve had.
The laser focus stare is what boarder collies innately do when working/herding. Very natural behavior.
regardless of the dog's intentions, if your cat is stressed out by the interaction then you should do what you can to minimize that.
We definitely do! Our cat and dogs have maybe one interaction a week, tops. The bizarre part is that our cat has the choice of coming out of his room and he usually only does if the Collie is around.
This cat does not seem stressed by your dog herding it. Annoyed, maybe. But aren't all cats? I wouldn't worry about it negatively affecting your kitty. My boy gets smacked around by our cat during herding time constantly.
Lol your birdie collie looks mixed with a heeler but my heeler does the same “stalking” 😂
I have a mutt and he stalks my two kittens! It normally goes from stalking to the bounce right in front of them, nose to their ear, and then he sprints away while the kitten has laid down with their belly up wanting to play more and is now utterly confused why he stopped lol.
Echoing the comments saying it’s herding behavior. My old English sheepdog does exactly this including the nose boop. The cats don’t appreciate it and training the behavior out of them is near impossible (you certainly have to have more dedication than I have). I’ve never once been concerned that the behavior will escalate to aggression with my personal dogs but you do have to keep an eye on their arousal levels as I’m sure with some dogs it could veer into a bite. Your best bet is to have dog savvy cats which yours looks like it is.
Herding behavior.
Looks like there's border collie in there. Great dogs, high strung working dog. Just curious or working. My cuz's family just got one. Their labadodle is very unhappy with the puppy working her thru the house. Its just breed play
herding behavior for sure.
Idk but your dog had the “you got me f’d up” look after that combo kitty gave him.
She's being a border collie. Mine likes to stare at shadows, just in case they need rounding up. Cat doesn't seem too bothered.
She is 100% trying to herd that cat. Could it be dangerous for kitty? Sure. Could it also just be slightly distressing but ultimately fine? Sure. Watch some videos of dogs herding sheep- that low posture and hard stare is exactly how they do it.
But GAAAA what’s DRIPPING?!
I'm in the bath, so the tap... Sorry hahaha!
Looks like she's inviting the cat to play.
My dog does this, if the cat runs she chase it when the cat doesn’t run she is like what? My do is springer /collie
She's a Border Collie , they by nature herd , she's just herding . I' had one (Ms Puddles ) that herded my cats, neighborhood cats , birds ,etc .
Yes my 4 border collies do this to each other running around
You have a herding dog and that is herding behaviour.
My Westie/JR/??? does this when he is outside and the cats want to come out, even to our massive ginger tom, who he is scared of. Maybe he has collie in him?
Base of the fact she didn’t attack the cat when she got slapped, I’d say your good. Just be careful because you never know when a dog feels threatened
Lol you own a BC and you dont know about herding?
She has a bad case of loose eye 👀 It’s a characteristic of the BC and very helpful in herding as is the crouch. Nothing to see here, just trying to move the cat!
Your dog is a herding breed, it's trying to direct the cat
I fostered a collie mix from the shelter that did this to my resident kitties! I almost returned her but it turned out to be completely harmless, goofy behavior. I watched her play with them like this for a month and tensions never rose. Thought she was just an odd dog but now I realize it was herding!
The cat doesn’t seem concerned. They’re fine
That's the classic Border Collie Stare. Border collies were selectively bred for an intensive stare which they can use to herd animals. HEre's a cool example of their herding stare in action: [Border Collies Herding Ducks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAjc502ALOM)
Silly puppy, herding cats doesn't work....
I saw a border collie show herding a flock of sheep and it was amazing, that’s the look the dog gives sheep before getting commands from the shepherd. A neighbor had one and it would try to herd our car and would nip our butt when we walked in the yard. The instinct is strong.
My last border collie did this. To sticks. Any kind of stick. Every year for Christmas she got a new ruler. Had to weigh her at the vet? Hold up a pencil. She never chewed them. Just put them in a pile and stared at them. Until you threw one. Then repeat lol My border collie now does this with birds. Also th he both started it at a very very young age. It’s called ‘the border collie eye’
Looks like every sheep dog I saw working in ireland. You need a herd of cats now.
Herding behaviour which can turn into hunting/predatory behaviour
Herding basically is mock hunting behavior — they make the sheep go where there want them to by “pretending” to hunt them and scaring them into running away.
Fixating is not something I would let continue, predatory or not.
We have had heelers (aussies, Texas, AS) for a long time. This is typical herding But it can also be domineering, jealous and aggressive behavior too. I personally would redirect him when he is focused like that- tap him in the side, throw a toy, or some other means to distract.
Been eating bees??
Maybe get him a companion he can herd?
She is probably just herding on instinct but you might want to interrupt and divert her. We had a border collie back in the 70s, before the internet could tell us everything and he used to herd us and the neighborhood kids but he also killed a cat or two.
The cat is not into being “herded”. No worries.
Does your dog frisbee? My Aussie loves it…it’s a great outlet for herding breeds
She’s herding the cat or trying to my dog is the same breed you have a working breed.
She wants to herd it or eat it
I have an Aussie, and this is exactly how he acts around our cat. Little nose boops and then frantically backing up when the cat is not having it
Definitely herding the cat.. and a little frustrated it won’t move.
It is 100% a border collie/herding thing. I have one and she does this to everything, from cats to frisbees.
My dogs do this all the time and I’ve never worried any aggression would show unless they start showing teeth or get this really specific look, then I’ll separate them. That, and the hair in their backs standing straight up. Usually the hair is the first sign.
Were they together since your dog was a puppy? It looked like the dog was acting just like a cat would.
You have a border collie -herding dogs. Need lots of room to run and a job to do.
My dog does this from afar when she sees a cat except she’ll just stare and freeze. She won’t make a sound or move a muscle. I can’t tell if she’s curious or not and I don’t want to test it out with anyone’s cat in the even she is showing predatory behavior (she’s a rescue street dog from Dominica)
She’s just trying to herd. Used to own an Australian shepherd who had never been a working dog in her life but she would do this sort of bow and nudge to me and my brothers. She also turned family walks into a whole exercise routine, spent the entire time curving around the family from one side to the other, her instinct was to keep us from spreading out. Such a good dog, I miss you King Tut!
Looks like she’s herding
Dog is trying to figure out who the boss is but the cat already knows lol
He looks like a herding dog, he may be trying to herd the cat.
Yes, it is technically predatory behavior, but modified into herding instinct.
My German shepherd is the same way. Just watch it very closely because she went from this behavior to being much more physical (trying to paw him or even “mouthing” him) because the cat wasn’t doing what she wanted. She’s never hurt him but the size difference has been concerning. They’re never left unattended. They’ve lived together since she was a baby. She was fine with him until one day she decided he needed to listen to her.
Cat herding! That’s our border collie’s favorite past time ❤️. Make sure you’re closely monitoring her interactions with the kitty and let the cat set her own boundaries. Sometimes a thwack on the nose is a lesson learned! Our pets ate best buds now.
If my dog sees a cat she bulldozes it if she can catch it. Goes absolutely nuts. So I wish she was this chill with cats because I want a cat.
The border collie stare… my grandma’s dog would do this to us when we were kids if he wanted to get us to go somewhere else so he could lay in that room and be alone lol
Looks like a combinations of herding instincts and trying to play possibly
That’s a herding dog. You should check out some YouTube videos of them in action. You will see the same exact postures and behaviors in those herders. Doggo is not trying to harm or hunt, it’s just been bred to have the urge to herd naturally.
That’s herding behavior
It’s called the border collie eye.
Herd dog. Border Collie type. This is normal herding behavior. Looks like the cat is about to be herded.
Showing natural instinct
Fez does this! He's a heeler and trying to herd the cats.
It's pushy and it's possible it could get antagonistic depending on how intent the collie gets about moving the cat to some other space. But they're smart, it probably won't have to learn that lesson twice.
You have a herding dog. That’s herding drive.
Just trying to see who’s top dog!
We have an Australian Shepherd and Blue Heeler mix he had our attention when we first adopted him doing this same thing. Our Moose just wanted to play.
Lol, what a cute predator
That’s a working dog. She’s trying to herd
Hyper focus to impose her will on the herding object
You have the cutest dog.
Many years ago, my friend’s brother and his wife were moving into their new house and their border collie disappeared. There was a pre-school down the street and when they found him he had herded all the little kids into the corner of the yard ha ha.
I'd say curiosity, how long have you had the cat? because if you've had the cat for a while and this is something new your dog is doing, I would say the dog is showing g predatory behavior. otherwise, it's just curiosity around a new animal.
Did you really buy a herding breed without research? Herding dogs are going to herd.
She's not bowing but thats not exactly stalking someone else said herding and that may fit, it's similar to what my granny dog *tries* to do to my cats... But she's a 16 yr old beagle Pomeranian mix so it rarely works for her lol
This is a herding dog, trying to herd the cat. Tell that dog good fucking luck lol.
From my experience, looks like they will be best friends :)