Every herding dog is a hunter taught not to finish the chase
Herding is predatory behaviour, reshaped. Over generations, breeders dampened dogs' urge to treat sheep and cattle as prey while keeping the stalking, circling and staring that hunting requires. The result is an animal that moves livestock instead of catching it, and in Australia is judged worth more than five times its cost.
The partnership began with the domestication of sheep and goats in the 8th to 7th millennium BC in Western Asia, in what is now Iran and Iraq. Herders then walked their flocks without horses, and dogs that had helped with hunting became guards against wild predators, so early types were big, bold and fierce. Archaeologists have found sheep and dog remains buried together from 3685 BC. In South America, the Chiribaya culture of Peru and Chile apparently used dogs to herd llamas and gave them their own graves, sometimes with blankets or food.
As farming spread and large predators disappeared across much of Europe and Britain, the job shifted from fighting wolves to keeping flocks out of crops while moving them. Medium-sized, agile shepherd dogs suited that work better than massive guardians. Most wolf-like Central European breeds with upright ears took shape in the 16th and 17th centuries. Livestock guardian dogs, which protect flocks but lack herding instinct, are a separate type, though both may be called sheep dogs.
Working styles differ. Heelers such as the Australian Cattle Dog nip at heels to drive animals forward; Welsh Corgis once did the same on cattle drives from Wales to London's Smithfield market, their short stature helping them dodge kicks. Headers like the Border Collie run to the front and use a fixed stare, called strong eye, to turn or stop a group. Tight toes, thick pads and weatherproof coats are common to both.
Regional breeds reflect local work. The Finnish Lapphund herds reindeer in Lapland, the Samoyed shifted from hunting wild reindeer to herding them in Siberia, and Italy's Bergamasco carries a matted coat that shields it on steep Alpine pastures. Australia, home of the world's largest cattle and sheep stations, produced the Kelpie and the Koolie.
Source: Herding dog
