Sheepdogs

by Read Listen Learn

Sheepdogs

They are synonymous with loyalty but are also famously protective and, without a doubt, highly intelligent. They are sheepdogs and people have used them for thousands of years to protect and guide their herds of sheep and other grazing animals. They come in quite a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, and their coat can be long or short. In all, there are hundreds of different breeds but we can place all sheepdogs into one of two types: herding dogs, and livestock guardian dogs (L.G.D.s). All herding dogs can guard if necessary but LGDs have no herding ability and are never used for that purpose.

The job of keeping a group (i.e. herd) of animals, like sheep or goats, all together and not allowing any animal to go off alone is called herding. Droving (from the verb 'to drive') is the job of moving the animals in the direction the shepherd wants. The shepherd and his sheep or goats do not always see eye to eye about which direction to take and it is the job of a herding dog to make the sheep go the way the shepherd wants.

And it's no easy job. The dog needs to be very quick, and 100% fit and clever. A classic example of a herding sheepdog is the Collie. LGDs, as we’ve mentioned, have no herding skills. They are guard dogs (for both the sheep and the shepherds) and are there not to guide or contain the sheep but to protect them from attacks by wolves, coyotes, leopards and even lions; and, of course, many other predators.

But why do LGDs risk their lives protecting animals that, in other circumstances, they might easily hunt and eat for themselves?

Basically, the answer is that the shepherds fool the dogs into thinking that they are sheep, not dogs. Here's how they do it in the Appennine Mountains of central Italy: at birth, the puppy, still blind and hairless, is taken from its mother and put with a ewe that has just had a lamb. The puppy drinks the ewe's milk alongside its new sheep sibling. In a very short space of time, it starts believing, absolutely, that it is a sheep. As soon as the dog is old enough, it is put out to stroll along among its adoptive sheep family as they graze. The dog's size and medium-length, white coat make it very hard to spot amongst the flock. This coincidence of size and colouring increases the dog's sense of being just another sheep in the flock.

Wolves, common in the Italian mountains, will also think that the dog (or, more usually, dogs) are sheep until they are right on top of them, at which these LGDs emerge from the flock, form a pack and protect their 'fellow' sheep. They are bigger than the Italian wolves and there may be half a dozen or more hidden in the flock. By tradition, the shepherd boys put a spiked metal collar on these dogs so that, when an attacking wolf, instinctively, goes for the dog's throat, it does itself a terrible injury. The young shepherd boys do all the herding and droving; and, of course, feed the dogs with meat at night. The shepherds, normally young boys aged from nine to fifteen, are very fond of the dogs because they, too, need protection from the wolves and even bandits.

Far more common, of course, is the herding type of sheepdog. These dogs have been both carefully trained and selectively bred to have very strong herding skills. The shepherds instruct the dogs with shouts and whistles. And the dogs, closely following the shepherds' commands, can drive the flock into a pen or barn; they can move the sheep out of one field and into another down the road; they can cut the flock into two equal parts and keep the two separate; or just keep the sheep moving along quickly and all together. If a sheep is too slow, they often nip its ankle.

This business of herding is such a skill that, in Britain and some other countries, there are regular sheepdog trials. These are competitions to see which dog is the best at herding. If a dog wins, it is used for breeding and the owner can ask high prices for the puppies which will become valuable farm workers.

Sheepdogs have been used for other jobs as well. They are the majority, easily, of police or army dogs, particularly the German Shepherd (Alsatian) breed. Their size, high intelligence and loyalty make them ideal for this work. And, naturally, they make great pets. Sociable, and especially protective of any children they know, they are of real help in a family home. Though it isn't the norm, there are many examples of female sheepdogs acting as nannies to small children while the adults are away.

Amazing as these dogs are, they do have a few faults and failings. The intensive breeding that has given them so many innate talents has also given them a nervous temperament. Furthermore, they have excellent hearing, better than other dogs, and can detect high-pitched sounds especially well. They are used to the peace and quiet of the countryside and, if kept as pets in towns or cities, they often become upset and 'jumpy' because, for them, cities are a storm of unknown noises and high-frequency squeaks. They also need a lot of exercise to work off that nervous energy.

Perhaps the most famous sheepdog of all time is Lassie, a fictional dog who appeared in a series of children's movies based on her adventures. 'Lassie' was in fact played by a number of different Collies, including male ones, but, as a character, she typified the sheepdog: loyal, attractive, energetic, protective and incredibly intelligent. That's why sheepdogs are guaranteed a place in our hearts and in our homes. Also, they seem irreplaceable even in these times of ever-better technology.

In Australia and New Zealand, traditional horses were switched for trial bikes some time in the late twentieth century but they still use the sheepdogs.