Month: May 2019

Working with Border Collies to do anything practical, like herding sheep, takes a “quiet hand.” Oh, there is time for play, but when at work, on the farm or with goose control, it is best to “remain calm and herd on.” It is sometimes easier said than done, but the nature of nature requires it. You in fact are entering a more natural realm when working with a dog and with sheep or geese. Lots of body movement and yelling and heightened emotions are distracting if not distressing to animals. There is play, and there is work. But be careful because one informs the other.

When I am at my best at handling my Border Collies and one mix breed for farm for or goose control work, it is when I am awake and sensitive to what the dogs are doing and how they are reacting. Of course, you need to be aware and understanding of the farm animals or geese as well. It takes time to learn what to look for and discipline to be concentrating at a quiet but intense level all the time you are working. Your dogs will know when you drop off, are agitated and or unsure. Conversely, they will know when you are spot on. When I am confident and focused, I feel my dogs are too. And this clear and focused and quiet attitude translates to better work and is better for the sheep and geese.

The whole point of shepherding is to have healthy sheep. Wild goose control with Border Collies is about humane and effective work. This is an alternative to lethal measures and should be done with care through knowledge. Border Collies are an ideal breed of dog for this because they are breed to take care when herding sheep if not other farm animals and poultry. Knowledgable and practiced handling will guide the Border Collie or other good herding breeds through there work with care with minimal fuss. If they could the sheep would thank you for it, as would the geese. Actually, they do, by being healthy and staying safe. There is a lot that will harm farm animals and geese, like predators such as coyotes and fox to disease and harsh weather. It is our job to watch over and keep things as healthy and as safe as possible.

But what is the point of using the dogs for goose control? It basically is about “drawing lines in the sand. “With farm animals and poultry herding, you move, say, the sheep to the safety of a barn or to a new field for fresh grazing. With goose control, the hazing accomplished by herd-chasing creates a buffer zone between human space and the geese which have been considered intrusive. This is the case with other wildlife too. You can either fence for deer or haze, as is also the case with wildlife like bear and coyote that really should not be in our “space.” I do agree that these are wonderful animals, as are the birds and should definitely have a place in the world. But to allow geese to take over playing fields is like allowing bear near your home that may only end up doing damage if not threaten you or others, if not just create a big mess.

We hear about it from”both sides.” Controversy is Us in the present, so there seem to be two sides. Some people want the geese left alone and there are those who would just have them shot. That is not actually true; we meet more people who feel that the solution to this goose(wildlife) and human “problem” fall somewhere in between. It just seems that there are “two sides”. It seems hard to really see that geese should be “left alone” in some cases where geese are all over a property.  Geese can make what I call “wall to wall poop.” This can be disgusting, imagine goose feces all over grade schoolers shoes. Goose droppings can pollute the water at beaches. Male geese can be aggressive toward humans when their female is nesting or the young are being raised.

Of course, the geese did not ask for the development of their habit. But much of the “habitat” we are talking about is human contrived lawns and fields. Wild geese are dabblers, a type of waterfowl that eat off of the bottom of ponds and other water bodies. But geese have adapted with development or had to, like deer and coyote. The real solution, I think, to this problem with wild geese is to preserve adequate wild lands, but in many places that is not happening. I also believe that wildlife should be kept at arm’s length, so to speak. Not hazing deer, coyote, bear, and raccoon from your home can only lead to many issues. I believe animals should have a place in the world we live in; they all are wonderful animals, birds, etc and should be respected.

It can be hard to get people to agree on a solution or if there indeed is a “problem”. That is why municipalities, school districts, and other entities have management personnel to come up with solutions. It is rare that everyone in, say a town will agree if a solution is the correct one. This is probably not news to you. But I guess what I am saying is that goose control with Border Collies, is a solution that lies between killing the geese and leaving than alone.
Hazing geese or other wildlife is the word often used to deter wildlife, in a nonlethal way from a property. On our homestead, we haze rabbits from or near the gardens, as an example. Raptors, coyote and even bear can be hazed effectively to avoid human-wildlife conflict. Science is starting to show that the benefits of hazing may outweigh those of hunting and produce less “problem animals”.

There are other means to haze geese than using Border Collies of course. There are blanks, lasers, decoys( dogs and coyotes) and other herding breeds can be used. Herding breeds, mostly Border Collies are used because of their instincts. Geese understand that Border Collies, when working, have that stalking instinct and move away from it. Remember as in their farm work, herding sheep etc, this is all a “mind game” — this is a prey-predator relationship at work, in a controlled manner. Border Collies do not set out to hurt sheep on the farm; they just use that instinct enough to carefully move sheep, poultry, and cattle from place to place.

We apply the Border Collies’ training and instincts to working with families of geese if need be. This “need” we let the client determine. Imagine being a camp owner when fifty geese, adults and young show up on your beech every morning during the summer. That’s a lot of work hours to pick up the goose poo, and the potential to having your swimming water polluted is very real.

And remember that the most essential part of a farms Border Collies year is working with ewes and their lambs( mothers and young). Sheep go onto pasture not long after giving birth, or lambs are often born in the pastures and raised right there. So it has been for hundreds of years that shepherds and their dogs, herding breeds, have taken care by skillfully moving ewes and lambs from pasture to pasture to remain safe and well fed. For me, this is how we take care of families of geese by actually herding them from a property where they are not welcome.