A litter of border collies have shown they’re ready for the working world as they expertly rounded up sheep at just six weeks old.
TikTok user Rowanna, who posts under the username @rowanne53, lives in Scotland in the United Kingdom, and regularly shares snapshots of rural farm life—including, naturally, the animals.
One major helper for many farmers is a border collie dog, originally bred to herd livestock. And while the breed is now popular as a family pet, collie owners largely agree that there are some things that are inherent about them—like keeping a close eye on everything going on, or even trying to herd family members.
But Rowanne’s dog, Ruby, is a proper working collie—and it’s clear Ruby’s puppies are already more than ready for the job.
In a viral video viewed more than 500,000 times since being posted on April 25, Rowanne showed off the progress in the tiny pups, who at just a few weeks are preparing to take on the vital role on the farm.
“Ruby’s pups, six weeks old,” Rowanne wrote over the clip.
It shows the litter of six puppies rushing towards a herd of sheep—not at all afraid, and approaching them with excitement, already working together to round up the animals.
With gorgeous views of mountains and fields behind them, the puppies learn on the job, trotting behind the sheep as they get them on the move—and proud mom Ruby also appears in the montage clip, showing her babies the way.
Animal lovers were obsessed, and many joked about how border collies instinctually know what to do, one joking: “Love that they come with the software pre-installed!”
“They are interns,” another joked, as one pointed out that it was “absolutely amazing that they can do that at 6 weeks old.”
“They’re working so hard and doing a good job,” one user said. And as another said: “The little tails wagging because they’re doing such a good job!”
Border collies are described as a “remarkably bright workaholic” by the American Kennel Club, which warns that owners will need to dedicate lots of time, energy and means to keep the breed occupied as a pet.
Having a job to perform—such as herding, obedience or agility work—is key to keeping a border collie and their owner happy, and the extremely energetic breed requires daily exercise more than just a walk around the block to keep them occupied.
They are best suited as a working dog, or make great family pets when with an active family.
Newsweek has contacted @rowanne53 via TikTok for comment on this story.
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