Champis, the Swedish herding rabbit.
Move over Barbie Collies, there’s a new herder in town that is adorably small, has perfect ear set and has a decidedly fluffy butt. And he’s not a show Border Collie from Australia, he’s a rabbit from Sweden.
Nils-Eric and Greta employ their granddaughter Hanna’s rabbit named “Champis” on their farm in Käl, Sweden to help herd their sheep. It appears that Champis learned to herd sheep–complete with heading, heeling, eye, and clapping behaviors–from their Border Collie, but this video shows that Champis gets along just fine all by himself and the sheep respect his authority.
"With a rabbit like Champis, who needs a dog?"
Frankly, I’m amazed that the rabbit seems to know what the shepherd wants, just like the Border Collies do; for example, he runs to cut the sheep off from re-entering the barn and he even makes a valiant effort to bring back a sheep that has gone stray, and he’s perfectly willing to stare down a bull headed woolly.
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Read the continuing adventures of Champis the herding rabbit (named after a Swedish soft drink) and his Border Collie friends “Gimmie” and “Fame” on the Gårdsbackens blogg.
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Thank you Chris for providing a very hardy laugh. need that!
I never knew if Thumper was the product of domestication or if our collie taught him. Still don’t. Kathy
I think he’s showing two common male European rabbit behaviors. Male European rabbits like to dominate anything that’s bigger than they are. Sheep are just big bunnies that might be dominated.
And one way they show their dominance is through humping.
I bet if he caught the sheep he’d be trying to hump them.
Retrieverman recently posted..Lady Samuelson’s Japanese chin and a rabbit
I’m skeptical that it’s observational learning.
I don’t know if anyone has proven that rabbits are capable of learning anything like herding behavior from a dog.
Retrieverman recently posted..Lady Samuelson’s Japanese chin and a rabbit
Seriously guys, the last time I entered my puppy in a match this white spotted contender made it hopping around the ring about half way while our puppy covered the territory four times. Kathy
Retrierman I will present the only view point left with at this time. Monkey see ..monkey do.
I wouldn’t be so fast to dismiss the deep history between domination and sexuality in relation to sheep herding.
Chris think you make a good point. The hound and rabbit situation were male dogs. The smarter ones learned to leave him alone. Kathy Bittorf
Well, Chris well I go with the dominantion part, not sure where the sexuality domination might fit into this picture. All one has to view is Border Collies at Westminister movement, and look at the Blog site of “Dora River Border Collies” to bring back the memories of how the Border Collie needs to bred to maintain its form and function. Look at that Border Collie focus. Look at that movement. It is a piece of art and constructional engineering. Did my heart good after seeing all the rescue white spotted Border Collies on retired folks leads. Suppose everyone was enjoying a few of our neighbors who still have right form and function bred Border Collies play and work out on the dog beach?
No Chris I would not dismiss the sexuality so lightly either since as seen in the photo on Purina this is a woman with Jackson not a man. Darn if I end up like this woman and a collie was presented at my wheelchair. They probably would put me immediately on a pill because they would be believe I was suffering from depression. This medication at this woman’s age likely would kill me so saving the medicare funds, and social security that is not an entitlement but monies the program PROMISES to keep safe for my rainy days. The money that is being used to give disability checks and food stamps to the unworthy.
Yes Chris as I love music …Roping the Wind .
“Don’t follow like a bunch of sheep just listen to your heart…” “Sometimes you just have to go against the grain”…
I’m thinking along the same lines as Retrieverman. I had a pet rabbit as a kid, a male. ‘Snowy’ would exhibit behaviour very much like that, especially in the Spring. And if he managed to catch your leg, look out! When I was watching that video, it certainly reminded me of moves that Snowy used to make.
Karen recently posted..Trying to Herd a Bearskin Rug
Yes Karen no arguments but collie puppies do not hop around the ring like a rabbit.
I agree that likely it is like many small breeds and toy breeds they is an inbred nature to desire to dominate over something larger. Kathy
Big ears are essential to herding. Everyone knows that.
Link is a .RTF format.
Dave you are so right…big ears possibly even the pricked ones. Love this discussion. Kathy
Dave It really does not take big ears or fixed ears just the ability to hear and eyes like a wolf is necessary to see what is really happening.
Actually there may be some legitimacy to that – I know that sheep freak out a lot more around dogs with prick ears versus otherwise, which might explain the trend that cattle dogs look more wolfish than sheep dogs, on average.
This is why we don’t breed prick ears into the LGD breeds which have their ears cropped short to reduce injuries. A prick ear can be held out of the way in a fight with a predator, unlike the drop ear found in all known LGD breeds. But the prick ear seems to not only be linked to herding type behavior, it also freaks the stock out. And of course an LGD is supposed to protect the stock, not worry it. It’s really interesting to see how quickly even livestock that have been chased by dogs, attacked by wild predators, and/or herded, will accept a drop-eared (or cropped, since the crop is close to the head), soft-eyed, submissively postured LGD. Our goats that are raised with the LGDs are completely calm around them, even a brand new one, but if a prick eared critter shows up, even my tiny little terrier when I first got her, they go on full alert.
I don’t know about “wolfish” … they certainly are more likely to have prick ears. But around these parts the cattle dog breeds are likely to have short coats, which is a point against wolf appearance. This, of course, is due to the heat and dust of the South West. In Wyoming, I noticed the popularity of bearded cattle dogs, which again makes sense given the weather.
Were rabbits capable of learning tricks like what the dog can do? I find them cute to be my pet…
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yes, Allina rabbits make great pets. They also have fed the starving populations of Europe as thier only source of meat, or goat meat certainly not lamb. Well maybe a wild hog or two. Likewise, fish but now with the oil spills and neuleur waste our oceans are so polluted likely we will be eating to our death. Do not take it as suggesting to eat your dogs for God sakes.
Now does anyone know who is sponsoring Crufts ..Pedigree or Purnia?
You guys comments reminded me of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYW-0Ml1jg4
I’ve hosted 30+ rabbits here in my home over the past 11 years. I find Champis very entertaining, but not surprising. Rabbits learn all kinds of things through a variety of methods, including imitation. I continue to be amazed by them and it’s why I spend so much time educating the public on proper care — which includes LOTS of stimulation and novelty and freedom to move, move move.
I love seeing Champis race around like that. That’s what rabbits are supposed to do. Run! Up and down the stairs, leap on and off the couch, thump the floor beside the bed to wake up the owners. Not sit in a cage in a kid’s room.
Thanks for posting this video.
Hello Christopher!
This is Paula & Dan at Gardsbacken, visiting your website.
It looks like we can find a lot of interesting things to read about on this site.
We are happy that you and your readers find Champis fun to watch. He really is a special rabbit. He lives among the sheep in the barn for the whole wintertime, and in the summertime he run around with the chickens and the rooster out in the garden.
Thank you for watching the Champis video and welcome to visit our blog as well.
Be good to each other and others!
/Paula & Dan at Gardsbacken
gardsbacken.blogspot.com
Gardsbacken recently posted..The bravest rabbit in the world…
I had a bunny who would point (I suspect he learned it from my Cocker who points.) I also had one who at 4 lbs himself was convinced that my particularly big-headed pit bull’s head was another bunny – no mounting, but lots of stuffing himself under the chin to try to force grooming (which the pit eventually learned to do!) A friend of mine had a rabbit who learned from observation all the hand signals she taught her dog.
I am crying with laughter after watching this! X*D
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Is this real? The idea is that dogs herd because that is part of the wolf’s hunting instinct, but if a rabbit can herd sheep too, why can it herd sheep?
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