Brekken

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June 14th – Brekken (formerly Fisher) was recently instinct tested on sheep. He showed a lot of potential. He demonstrated his willingness to please as well as his drive. Due to his recent FHO surgery, he was only allowed in the ring for a short length of time. He needs to regain his muscle strength and physical endurance before doing any herding. He would do best in an home where he would be able to use his natural drive and instinct. If his forever home is near Pittsboro, NC, we can potentially arrange for some herding lessons after his hip strength has returned.

UPDATE: Brekken’s foster mom noticed he starts limping and bunny hopping when he plays hard. He also stands with his hind legs together and he feet turned outward. She took him to a veterinarian for radiographs and it was discovered he had a broken hip at some point awhile ago, even though he is only about a year old. The broken hip was probably never treated and has healed incorrectly. He was also shot by someone. Luckily they mostly missed and there are just a couple of pellets under this skin causing no harm. After surgery Brekken is doing well. He uses his leg significantly more than before the surgery and doesn’t act like he is in pain anymore. He will still lift his leg and sprint on three legs but it doesn’t seem to slow him down.

Brekken is a one to two year old Border Collie. He is neutered, microchipped and up to date on all shots. Brekken is house broke and good in his kennel. He is also starting to ring the bells I have at the door when he needs to go potty. When he is out loose in my house he is not destructive in any way. I am going to say no cats or young children with him. He has a very strong herding drive. Some cats he will completely ignore but others he can’t be trusted with. He will focus on some my cats all day trying to herd them if I let him. When you remove the distraction of cats he will play with other dogs and really likes to run free in the backyard chasing/herding other dogs. He is also very lovey and cuddly once you get to know him. He does need a little training still just because he is young and stubborn still. He is very sweet and calm but more training and bonding will be good for his very busy mind. I do think he would have a lot of fun in possibly agility or obedience training. He is a very smart boy. He will need some activity to keep him mentally stimulated since his herding drive is so strong. If Brekken does get bored in the house he will being to run circles around the table and even stand there and bark at other dogs because he is trying to get them to get up and move to he can herd them. This is Brekken’s one main issue with other dogs – he herds them. Some dogs are completely fine with being herded but others don’t tolerate it and it can cause issues. Overall Brekken is great with all dogs it is more of do other dogs like Brekken? He also can get pretty barky when he herds other dogs which can be frustrating to listen to if you have neighbors close by. He is silent when he herds any other animals though. Brekken was actually recently returned to CBCR because the resident Border Collie did not appreciate being herded at all. Fisher did wonderful in their home and busy neighborhood the herding was his only issue. So to no fault of Brekken’s he is back up for adoption. Next time we will be more careful on making sure if there is a resident dog in the house it is okay with being herding.

He does really well herding my ducks and I think he has potential to be a wonderful herding/working dog with the right training. Unfortunately I don’t believe with his old hip injury herding can ever be his actual job. It’s very unclear how long he would be able to actually herd at a time without needing a break. With his high drive he may actually push himself way too far if allowed. When I say he could herd for hours he really could if you would let him. If Brekken went to a home where he could herd Indiana Runner ducks for fun he would be in heaven.

We have been in PetCo and Lowes and he did very well in public. He does not react or bark at other dogs even if they are barking at him. He will sit and allow new people to come up and pet him with no issues. We have also been on a few hikes and Brekken loves it. He has no trail reactivity to other people or dogs either. When we go down to the creek he has no issues about getting into the creek and having fun. Brekken actually likes to stick pretty close to me. I keep him on a leash but he typically goes where I do and keeps me in eye sight even in the backyard. If you think you can keep Brekken’s mind busy and exercised we are currently accepting applications for this extremely friendly love bug.