siberian_wolf Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 It is mentioned in the history of the Siberian Husky that they were not just used to pull chukchis and their daily catch along with the sled but they were alos used to herd mammals such as deer/elk also as the chukchi used these animals coats for clothes/warmth and most likely food. So my next question for you all to discuss is do you think the sibe still holds the skills required to be a hearding dog with the appropriate training? Do you think they still hold that herding instinct like they do with the harness working (sled pulling) instinct? IMO I dont think that they sibes hold the herding instinct as much as they do with the sled pulling instinct however I dont think its impossible to train them to be a herding dog. I think a big hint to their herding instinct is their high prey drive, Ive always thought dogs with a high prey drive can make great herding dogs when they learn to control their actual desire to kill the animal! I think that if you started from pup, kept it continuous, and in a well enclosed area and probably not with real animals to begin with, you would be able to get a sibe to herd animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Hmmmm not really thought about it, added to rep for getting the question out though - will have a read through the answers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siberian_wolf Posted May 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Hmmmm not really thought about it, added to rep for getting the question out though - will have a read through the answers I think I found my brain, lmao must have something to do with doing things I dont like doing - housework for example as that was what I was doing when this question occured to me lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules dief taz tor Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 lol when we went to wales, our garden backed on to a field of sheep , cows and horses, taz seemed mesmorised by the animals , he just sat there as calm as you like, and when we took him up to the animals he stayed quite calm and seemed happy just to sniff them , not sure what the was thinkin , but he made friends with one of the ponys , the only thing he did do that was sort of weird , was stare at the sheep, it took forever to get him to focus back on us lol, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Herding instinct and prey drive are two totally different things, IMO. Prey drive is the urge to chase and grab a moving item, herding instinct is the instinct to 'round em up! Out here we've heard quite a few stories of people in rural communities who own Sibes, who have gotten out of their property and been shot by neighbouring farmers for trying to kill stock I think Sibes have much too strong a prey drive to do herding, although you can never say never, they aren't one of the breeds permitted to do a herding instinct test etc. Keeshonds and Lapphunds are though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianWolf Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 as stated by bec most siberians have too strong of a pray drive to round up smaller animals. i remember out at our farm our sibe/wolf cross tryed to round up some cows on the neighbors property and got kicked in the head by one. stong dog just shook it off and layed down in the shade for awhile. he was checked out and nothing happend lol. if you really want to train this i would be careful for this reason or even trampled as some dogs just like to go for the young and that sure doesnt fly to well and theres not much to stop it once the tempo gets picked up as with anything tho it is possible but out in the open with moving possible pray such as sheep i would say it would be difficult Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grindys Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 I don't think the herding instinct is as such in a Sibe, regardless of the history of the breed as this was not their main use. Prey drive is very much an instinct that they will always maintain and CANNOT be bred/trained out of them. I've had Sibes now for around 19 years and I've only had one escapee in that time, but unfortunately the outcome of this incident was not good! Imagine a Sibe in a field of 200 sheep, it didn't even attempt to herd the flock, in fact showed no inclination to do this, but what it did do was take one ewe down in a blink of an eye and within half of a blink had ripped the throat out of the ewe! So no I personally don't think that the herding instinct is natural to the breed whereas the prey/hunting drive instinct is very natural, the reason why I always chuckle at peeps who keep Sibes and cats etc living together in complete harmony One wrong move and it would be an very nice dinner treat for the sibe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 So no I personally don't think that the herding instinct is natural to the breed whereas the prey/hunting drive instinct is very natural, the reason why I always chuckle at peeps who keep Sibes and cats etc living together in complete harmony One wrong move and it would be an very nice dinner treat for the sibe My Sibe would never kill my cat, for the same reason he wouldn't kill our little 5kg dog (the cat is bigger!), he's been raised with them since he was eight weeks old. He doesn't see her as a prey item even if she runs past him, he knows the difference between her and prey items like possums (which he has killed a few of over the years!). Cats outside of our pack though I wouldn't trust him with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinville Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 I always chuckle at peeps who keep Sibes and cats etc living together in complete harmony One wrong move and it would be an very nice dinner treat for the sibe I got my cat when my Sibe was 8 1/2 years old. They were properly introduced and we've had no problems whatsoever. Now, six years later, they can often be found sleeping on opposite ends of the couch. We've even caught them curled up together and Kat has even cleaned Bo's ears. I've never worried about either one's safety. So, it can and does happen. (Of course, I believe that Bo has always been a special dog - but I'm prejudice! LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grindys Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 Well, Im pleased to hear that you all have happy sibes & cats, long may that harmony reign Our own experiences are different in that we have true pack instinct siberians, one on their own is more often than not ok but you cant work on that assumption you have to have an open mind unfortunately. I definitely wouldn't attempt to tell those that do manage it not to do it, that would not the right thing to do but any one new approaching me woud be steered away from the breed if they had cats When I got my first sibe it lived in the house with my cat in total harmony BUT when I got my second two sibes that changed Suffice to say that as a cat lover I immedately replaced my cat and over the years I have replaced many rather sibe tasty cats - nowadays we live on a farm and with endless barns and land our cats live outside 24/7. They have not entered the dog yard/kennel area as the 7 foot fencing seems to put them off somewhat and all the mice and tasty kitty things that are around the place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 Mish has a very high prey drive too, he's killed possums that are bigger than my cat (he doesn't eat them though). But I'm confident he would never hurt my cat, he just doesn't see her as prey, like I said above - much the same way he doesn't see my 5kg chihuahua cross as prey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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