The Herding Dogs
The herding group is comprised of dogs that were originally bred to help shepherds in the fields tend to both sheep and cattle. These dogs operated both independently and as a team following the shepherd’s orders to move the animals. While many of these breeds can and do still actively herd, the majority live amongst people as ordinary pets. There are traits common to most of the members of the herding group, and even the household pet retains many of them. The dogs that are currently listed in the American Kennel Club’s Herding Group: Australian Cattle Dog (sometimes called a Blue Heeler), Australian Shepherd, Bearded Collie, Beauceron, Belgian Malinois, Belgian Sheepdog, Belgian Tervuren, Border Collie, Bouvier des Flandres, Briard, Canaan Dog, Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Collie, German Shepherd Dog, Old English Sheepdog, Norwegian Buhund, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Puli, Pyrenean Shepherd, Shetland Sheepdog, and the Swedish Vallhund.
Herding Dog Pluses: Herding dogs as a general rule are very intelligent. They have a long line of being bred to work closely with people, and this trait still runs through today. They make excellent working and training partners. The Border Collie and Shetland Sheepdog are two of the most commonly seen dogs in both agility and obedience competitions. Herding dogs are also known for being very loyal to their family. This probably has a lot to do with the closeness of the relationship between the dog and its shepherd as well as the bond to the dog’s flock. Today, it means that these dogs bond tightly to their family. In many cases, like with the German Shepherd Dog and Belgian Malinois, the dogs are very affectionate with their family but aloof with strangers. All herding dogs are very cognizant of their surroundings and make excellent alert dogs. Not all of them have natural guarding and protection instinct like the German Shepherd Dog, but all members of the herding group bark to alert family of changes in their environment or new people. This sensitivity also makes them sometimes bark at things that appear to have little significance like a trash can on the curb!
Herding Dog Cautions: These dogs are not for everyone, and many of the members are not for the first time dog owner. Many herding dogs can be independent. The Australian Cattle Dog is known for being independent and free-thinking, sometimes frustratingly so. Training is a must! Herding dogs will out-wit and out-think you, and a less experienced owner won’t know what to do. They do not require and should not have a heavy hand, but they do need structure in their lives and good obedience training. It is essential that herding dogs are heavily socialized as puppies and continuing as adults. They can be more sensitive as a general group than any other. Some members, like collies or Shetland sheepdogs can be excessively shy or nervous without socialization. Others, especially those with guarding instinct, can become suspicious of strangers and have issues with aggression. Territorial aggression is not uncommon in herding dogs, as they are sensitive to those entering the ‘flock.’ Socialization is key to keeping all of these traits in check. Many herding dogs are not appropriate for small children. Herding is all about controlling movement. It directly stems from prey drive, only the dogs have been bred to short circuit the prey drive and chase sequence. They are easily triggered by movement, and the running of small children with sound usually gets the dog to chase and attempt to herd. These dogs can and will use nips, generally to legs, to control the person’s movement and get them to stop. This desire to chase means a fenced yard and on-leash walks are important. Too many of these dogs have been killed chasing cars or have created a problem by chasing joggers or bikers.
In Conclusion: If you’re a more experienced dog owner, a member of the herding group might be a perfect match. While every dog is an individual, remember that as a general rule, herding dogs are vocal and like to talk, can be mouthy or nippy, are intelligent and easy to train, and are very active and need stuff to do.
Good to know
All over the world where livestock is kept, the working or herding dog is put to good use. It’s said that one good dog replaces seven men. For example, in the hilly regions of snow covered New Zealand one dog may replace many more than seven men; ask any shepherd that works sheep in those difficult conditions. One dog will certainly cost a lot less to feed than seven farm hands, and they never talk back or get lazy on the job.
When testing a puppy that is still at the breeder's premises, you will be looking for some natural instinct. It will be present to a greater degree in bloodlines that have been bred to work livestock on real farms than it will be in some bloodlines bred to make a good impression on a show judge. This is not to say that a line of Border Collies that has been making show ring history will not still be able to go out into the competitive working dog arena and earn a trophy for their handler. It means you just need to know what each bloodline is capable of.
Testing of herding dogs competitively will vary from country to country, state to state and from one herding or working dog association to another as well as between kennel clubs. Particular rules will therefore be for the testing body involved. Herding dog competitions all over the world will have different but specific regulations to follow to test the dog’s ability. Their point scoring system will also vary. Anyone considering competing with their dog will need to join the governing body they wish to test under and gain an understanding of their rules.
Competitions for working sheep dogs usually require the dog to gather a small ‘mob’ or ‘flock’ of sheep from a large arena similar in size to one which a riding competition might take place in and bring them to the shepherd. The handler is required to stand in an area that will be marked off so that he will not interfere with the sheep. The commands to the dog to ‘get around’ will be given from this area. Handlers the world over will use different words, some use whistles, hand signals, and/or a combination of all three. Some rules allow the use of a short cane as an extension of the arm to assist the dog to see the handler’s command. The dog will need to fetch the entire flock, often only six sheep, and bring them to a yard or pen set up in the arena. The shepherd is then allowed to move to the pen, as the dog is always bringing sheep to the shepherd and is usually penalized for getting in between the flock and the shepherd. Once the dog has encouraged all the sheep to enter the pen, the shepherd closes the gate and the judges score the dog on his ability. Points may be lost for losing a sheep and having to fetch it again.
The entire course of obstacles must be completed and there is usually a time limit. When the whistle blows you will be asked to leave the arena with what ever points you earned or have left. It does not mean you cannot win the ‘trial’ with that score as other handles may score considerably worse with their dogs. Time limits merely mean that everyone who enters the contest will get their chance to show the judges what their dog can do. Consistent uncompleted courses in the time allowed can often be put down to lively sheep on the day and no dog may actually complete the course during the contest if this is the case. Windy conditions contribute to sheep becoming wild and dogs unable to hear commands.
If testing is being done for a Yard dog, different rules will apply. Dogs may be required to gather a mob of sheep and bring them to the yards where they will need to be pushed through a race for drafting, drenching or classing. The dog may be required to put sheep up a ramp into a truck or trailer or into a shearing shed. They may be asked to take sheep away after shearing. Some associations allow the contest organizers to set up any type of obstacle that might consist of those normally found on a working station including something like a mock bridge. In some parts of the world the test might consist of chores the dog is required to do on a farm that produces fat lambs for market. There is no limit but the imagination when it comes to clubs for working dogs and the contests they might enjoy setting up for herding and working dogs around the world.
Working dogs also compete in tests or trials where they are judged on their working ability with cattle. Rules and regulations vary for them the same as they do for the dogs who work sheep.
Regardless of the type of competition, competitors and their families can enjoy weekends camping at different venues with fellow herding dog enthusiasts. It can be a practical weekend out for the working farmer, his dogs and his family or a weekend treat to the country for someone who lives in a town.
