Controlling Animals With Herding Dogs

Herding dogs have been specifically bred to control the movement of other animals. They have a natural instinct to herd, marshall and muster other animals. Herding dogs are used to control cattle, sheep, goats and other domesticated animals. Herding dogs are easily taught to follow commands by hand, voice and whisle signals. By far the most common herding dogs are sheep dogs and cattle dogs... for example, the German Shepherd Dog, Old English Sheep Dog and the Welsh Corgi.

Other popular herding group dog breeds include the Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Kelpie, Border Collie, German Shepherd Dog, Old English Sheepdog, Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog and the Welsh Corgi to name just a few.

The toughest of these are the hardy Australian breeds, and the toughest of the Australian dogs is the Australian Cattle Dog... also known as the Queensland Heeler, Red Heeler, Blue Heeler or Dingo Dog. The "Dingo" reference comes from the fact that dingo's were bred into the Australian cattle dog bloodlines as far back as the 1800's. The Dingo is a native Australian (wild) dog, closely related to the native dogs of South East Asia.

The Herding Group, created in 1983, is the newest AKC classification; its members were formerly members of the Working Group. All breeds share the fabulous ability to control the movement of other animals. A remarkable example is the low-set Corgi, perhaps one foot tall at the shoulders, that can drive a herd of cows many times its size to pasture by leaping and nipping at their heels. The vast majority of Herding dogs, as household pets, never cross paths with a farm animal. Nevertheless, pure instinct prompts many of these dogs to gently herd their owners, especially the children of the family. In general, these intelligent dogs make excellent companions and respond beautifully to training exercises.