These Border Collies are Seemingly Brilliant

Border collies are one of the world’s smartest dog breeds, and this video showcases that. These dogs are intelligent enough to decipher hundreds of commands with almost human-like recognition. Their superhero speed and agility make them unparalleled compared to other breeds. Their verbal recall is second to none, which begs one question: Is their eyesight good enough to herd these ducks by color? Let’s find out!

Fact: They Are Naturals At Herding

In the herding world, border collies are the top dog. Their intelligence is part of this, but their exceptional herding abilities lie in their DNA. According to Go Geese Go, they’re bred with herding in mind, a skill honed for centuries. Border collies are so adept at herding that they might even try to herd their owners. These athletic dogs require a lot of attention but are easily trained.

Border collies are fast learners and respond to commands like it’s their job—because it is. On average, these pups have a 95% success rate with less than five repetitions. They herd farm animals but can also herd geese and ducks, which are trickier. Luckily, border collies are always up to the challenge and are almost always successful, like the dogs in this video. Aside from their intelligence, they possess these awesome traits:

• Adaptive Intelligence: Border collies can learn from their mistakes. They can recall one event and change their behavior to be more successful the second time.
• Decent Size: They’re not the largest dogs, but their medium size is perfect for intimidating farm animals and birds.
• Intense Gaze: This breed has a gaze intended to spook other animals. It often uses it while running or in an offensive stance to herd animals in a specific direction.

An Intense Gaze Means Great Eyesight

Border collies are also bred with their eyesight in mind. In this video, it looks like the border collies can separate ducks according to color. However, dogs have dichromatic vision, which means they can only see two colors. They can see certain changes in shades, but their perception of bold colors is limited. According to PetMD, dogs see the world similarly to humans. They have red-green color blindness but can see shades of red and green.

A dog’s eyes can pick up on ultraviolet light, which makes up for the lack of color recognition. While border collies can’t tell what color something is, their eye for detail is exceptional. They can see movement up to a half mile away. This crucial trait is what makes them so good at chasing other animals like these ducks.

Were These Ducks Herded Into Color Groups?

It’s difficult to tell if these border collies are herding based on color or if the ducks are grouped with similar-looking flock members. It’s more likely that the dogs are just doing what they do best. There’s no evidence to support ducks gathering in groups like this, but they do congregate with familiar flock members. If nothing else, this video is a testament to how efficient border collies are at herding any animal, including those with wings!