Dog for herding sheep. We make the ranking of the best shepherd dogs

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Shepherd dogs are not just intelligent and trained animals, but also incredibly useful in farming. Any livestock breeder will tell you that without such a dog it would be more difficult to keep livestock. Let's try to make a rating and find out which dog is the most suitable for his “business” and can be an indispensable assistant to a farmer.

Border Collie

The leader in the list of the best shepherd dogs is confidently ranked by the Border Collie. A hardworking animal, a Border Collie can be what is called a “leg” all day and night, helping its owner. These dogs are distinguished by patience, friendliness and the ability to guard everything nearby. Their dedication, learning and intelligence allowed to put the dogs of this breed in the first place.

It is worth noting that even scientists at the University of British Columbia have recognized the Border Collie as the smartest dog on earth.

It should be noted that the dog of this breed needs regular walking, and can also be overly active and playful. If your temperament does not match the cheerful nature of the Border Collie, it is better not to buy such a dog.

Australian kelpie

The silver medalist can be called the Australian Kelpie. This is really a unique herding dog. It is distinguished by a wide viewing angle, so that the dog can control everything that happens around him without turning his head. The ability to remain vigilant and attention made Kelpi in his homeland a real superstar, so livestock farms cannot do without this dog.

It is believed that the cute "Australian" is descended from the Scottish Sheepdog Colley, although there is also a version that the dog got its start from the wild dog Dingo. It is quite possible that there is some truth in both cases: the dog inherited intelligence and respectability from the elegant Scottish Sheepdogs, while temperament is definitely from a wild dog.

Australian Cattle Dog

Australian shepherd's dog - a contender for the bronze "medal" in the ranking of the best shepherds. Her other name is Heeler, which means heel. This name was given by chance: Healer follows an object that he guards, literally on his heels.

The dogs of this breed for a minute do not lose their vigilance, which guarantees the safety of the farm. Healer is characterized by the ability to work both alone and in a team. Dogs of this breed are very fond of children, so that you can rely on them in this matter. If you leave a child with him, be sure that the four-legged shepherd will not leave the child unattended for a minute.

Collie

Following the Australians, we note a remarkable native of Scotland - Collie. This herding dog is known worldwide not only for its elegant appearance, but also for its working qualities. It has long been the dogs of this breed herded flocks of sheep, for which they were so named according to one of the versions. "Collies" - so was originally called the black-masked lambs on the faces.

The Scottish Sheepdog is distinguished by a lively mind, playfulness and ingenuity. She is easily trained and obedient, for which she is very popular among farmers. This is not only a magnificent shepherd, but also a devoted companion who can cover any distance with the owner and take long walks. Universal Assistant - this is what can be called a Collie.

Entlebucher Sennenhund

Entlebucher Sennenhund - a shepherd originally from Switzerland, his desire to please and show devotion to his master knows no bounds. It has a great endurance and high working qualities, despite its small size. This dog is easily trained, therefore it is ready to carry out any commands. The mind is exactly what distinguishes this breed. And if you add to this dedication, dexterity and cheerfulness, we get the perfect friend and companion.

Portuguese Shepherd

The dog from the sunny country - the Portuguese shepherd - is another representative of the four-legged shepherds in our ranking. This dog is distinguished by excellent guarding qualities and is able to follow the herds of small and large domestic animals. She is able to see even rebellious horses. A dog of this breed is indispensable if you need to gather the beaten off animals into a herd and watch them closely.

Briard

Briard is a tireless Frenchman who appeared in the 19th century as a guard dog. This breed has been very popular for a long time, because the Briards distilled cattle, guarded the herds and guarded the house. The thing is that these dogs are distinguished by good memory, endurance and learning.

Their physical qualities make them a kind of athletic dogs who love to be in motion. Fearlessness is another trait of this breed, which can be called an excellent shepherd. In addition, this dog is also distinguished by good nature, which makes it an excellent member of the family.

Bernese Mountain Dog

Another Sennenhund in our ranking. This time we are talking about the Bern herding dog. For a long time, the dogs of this breed were called peasant dogs, as they were used in farm management. Sennenhundy guarded the house, transported goods and watched the herds.

Today it is not so much a shepherd as a devoted friend, however, the dog has not lost its qualities. Even at the present time, they are used as assistants in animal husbandry and are valued for their good-natured nature.

Bobtail

Shaggy and a bit clumsy Bobtail penultimate on our list. Many years ago, the dog of this breed was an excellent shepherd and "specialist" in cattle. Meanwhile, the peculiarities of their appearance led to the fact that today the Bobtail has practically lost its purpose and has become an ordinary home bang. The guard and guard qualities of this dog are also inferior to other breeds, so the dog was in our rating in memory of past merits.

Moreover, it is known that he is a guide and also facilitates contact with mentally retarded children.

Bullets

A shepherd dog with “dreadlocks” - this is the name for the last representative of the shepherd breeds on our list. Bullets - a dog with a unique coat that resembles mats hanging to the ground. Despite the untidy appearance, this wool is a salvation for the dog in bad weather.

The bullets are intelligent and funny dogs, but their shepherd qualities are inferior to dogs of other breeds. They are playful, but ready to work. Everything else, it is also a great swimmer. For the ability to be an assistant to the owner, as well as the ability to work and study, Bullets also hit our top-10.

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Twenty thousand years ago, events occurred that greatly changed a person’s life. People began to tame animals. Until then, only the dog was the companion of man. In the Neolithic, sheep, goats, cows, pigs were domesticated, tamed ... The way of life of the ancient man changed. Hunger, which accompanied failure to hunt, retreated, food became more varied - after all, animals gave not only meat, but also milk, and they began to get butter, cottage cheese, cheese from it. Clothes were made of hides, skins covered dwellings. The tribes of people became nomads - herders. They wandered from place to place in search of the best pastures. A lot of difficulties were the first pastoralists. The first shepherds grazed cattle on foot. Sheep, goats and other animals in those days were not yet domesticated enough to obey man. Try to cope with a large herd of semi-wild animals! This is where the dog came in handy.
A lot of problems, if not to say troubles, were delivered to cattle-breeders by predatory animals, which were abundant in those times. Wolves, bears, tigers, leopards - many hunters to profit from easy prey. At night, in fog, in bad weather, and even in broad daylight, animals attacked livestock, causing considerable damage to the economy. And again rescued the dog. Do not come up with a better caretaker who can sense and notice the enemy in the dark and in any weather! Without watchdogs it was difficult for an ancient herder to live. No wonder all the shepherds of all the affairs of caring for dogs was in the first place. Climate, conditions, lifestyle, the desire of shepherds to get the best helpers led to the formation of many different breeds of guard dogs. The fact that people got the idea to use strong and powerful dogs to protect domestic herds. understandable: watchdog reflex is an innate quality of dogs. But how did the first nomad cattlemen achieve that the dogs would not touch the animals? After all, the dogs themselves are predators and great hunters, and hunting and protection are two opposite lines of behavior of the animal. Try to entrust the wolf to guard the sheep or the chicken coop! One has only to wonder at the talent of ancient people and their knowledge of the habits of animals. What are the requirements for a shepherd watchdog? The four-legged mate must be courageous, strong and resilient. He has no right to leave the flock in trouble under any circumstances. The dog vigilantly monitors the safety of the herd and immediately pounds the stragglers or those who have stepped aside, but does so in such a way as not to frighten timid animals. Moreover, not only does she not touch the animals entrusted to protect them, but she should not even have a desire to hunt for, so to speak, stranger's game (hare, roe, etc.). The sense of guard should be her highest. This feeling is especially important at night when a person can not see predators creeping to the herd, thieves.
The ancient shepherds found, noticed the necessary qualities in dogs, improved them and consolidated hereditarily, and polishing the innate qualities each time was brought by skillful training. The meaning of a shepherd dog in antiquity is indicated by finds from remains in cattle-breeders' burial grounds together with funeral inventory.
The first shepherd dogs helped to graze cattle and at the same time guarded it. With the advent of the horse and the further taming of animals, the dog’s importance is increasingly reduced to the duties of a guard. Large and strong dogs are selected for this job. Their purpose is to protect and protect the herd. In the old days, when guard dogs had to fight wolves, the herd owners cut off the ears and tails of the dogs so that the predatory animal would have difficulty grabbing the dog. But you can imagine how the shepherds experienced, if suddenly, in a night fight with wolves, confusing, they killed their friend-dog. Therefore, guard dogs with white or light wool were often selected and bred, which easily stood out among the attacking wolves, especially at night. Some of these ancient breeds of guard dogs have survived to the present day, and serve in those places where there are practically no predators left.
One of the most common herd pets is a sheep. The dogs guarding the sheep were called shepherd dogs (from the word "shepherd" - a sheep care worker). This name has come to relate to dogs, different in origin, but doing one job - guarding the herds. So, the Tibetan mastiff was called the Tibetan shepherd dog and, accordingly, the Asian dog-like dogs - the Mongolian shepherd dog, the Caucasian shepherd dog ... At the same time, the sheer dog named the northern northern European dogs, such as the German shepherd dog, etc. The most ancient of the sheepdogs were the dogs of the East, and they will be discussed. The Tibetan dog - strong, courageous, spiteful, large-sized - could well withstand the predators, and the innate boundless courage made her a wonderful watchman. The shepherds and herders of all countries adjacent to Tibet used this dog to guard the flocks. In China, India, Ancient Assyria, Mongolia, this breed of dog has spread almost unchanged.
Asian Shepherd Dogs spread to the west along with eastern culture. With herding tribes, Asian guard dogs reached the Caucasus. Other environmental conditions, climate, as well as the influence of local dog breeds have somewhat changed Shepherd Dogs. So the Caucasian Shepherd breed was formed. Caucasian shepherd big, head with a massive wide skull. Her ears are often cut to make it harder for a wolf to handle a dog. Highland shepherds put collars with metal spikes on the outside of these dogs. The antiquity and primitiveness of the Caucasian Shepherds proves the fact that they are among the few domestic animals that are able to live in natural conditions and without human help. Caucasian Shepherd - one of the most ancient shepherd dogs of Asia. She was little influenced by man and kept her original type clean. Congenital shepherd's reflexes her puppies do not. It appears only with age, as young dogs learn from adults. But then they are endowed with nature by force, courage, wickedness and careful attitude to sheep. They are capable of long migrations in very difficult conditions. These dogs are incredulous and sensitive - they have the unsurpassed qualities of guard dogs. In the 1st century BC. e. Shepherds helped the Armenian king Tigran II to repel the invasions of the Roman legions. In Georgia, shepherd heads were depicted on the emblems of some Georgian princes. As sentries, shepherd dogs were used in the Middle Ages in the Turkish army. There remained written testimonies about the shepherd dogs of the Russian-Turkish war of the 18th century.
The command of the Russian army drew attention to the large and evil dogs that protected the enemy’s garrisons. In 1765, a special order was even issued by the commander-in-chief "On the use of shepherd dogs in the units of the Russian army for guard duty in all the fortresses of the theater of military operations." For these dogs staged ahead of the fortress dugout. Sheepdogs are taught to bark at the sight of people in the uniform of a hostile army. This barking warned the guards of the approach of the enemy. There were shepherd dogs, trained to the sock of cartridges. But from the sheepdogs truly military dogs did not work. Their main job is to guard the flocks. Together with the sheep, they spread to Iran. In Iran, the two largest branches of P-shaped Shepherd Dogs crossed: the Caucasian and Central Asian.
The Caucasian Shepherd Dog and the Central Asian Shepherd Dog have been reliable assistants to the shepherds since time immemorial. The living conditions in the flock, in their severity, differed slightly from the living conditions of animals in the wild. Relentlessly dominated by natural selection, leaving alive the most viable, not afraid of either the harsh climate, or the scarcity of food, coping well with the duties of wolfhounds.
Everything flows, everything changes - such is the dialectic of life. We must be clear about what kind of k. today, tomorrow and in the following days and years. A paradoxical situation has developed around the breed, many experts and breeders quite seriously say that the co. should not be aggressive towards a person, if the dog is not on its territory, that such anger is not typical for the breed. It turns out that the most valuable manifestation of the psyche of dogs in the pen, we appreciate that the shepherds in the flocks appreciated! Is it correct? Indeed, in our time, the role of a guard dog, a bodyguard dog comes out on top. The shepherd dog is already for the majority of the breed. We must clearly understand that dogs living in new conditions (in conditions of a city, and not flocks) should have new useful qualities based on the characteristics characteristic of the breed. Someone may argue that the need for the regions of the original distribution of k.o. in wolfhounds. Yeah, right. Where there is such a need, there are such dogs. And they will be there as long as there is work for them. They are vital as wolfhounds there. Of course, the criteria for evaluating dogs there are different, preference is given to dogs exhibiting great aggression not on humans, but on animals (wolves). We need to get used to the idea that economically useful traits determine the conditions of life. Living conditions in cities and towns are different, so there should be other criteria for assessing the working qualities of Caucasian Shepherd Dogs.

For a long time, cattle provided people with meat, clothing, and assisted in the transportation of goods. But to preserve and protect livestock from predator attacks is as difficult as taking care of them. To simplify their task, farmers began to train dogs for guarding and grazing sheep and other animals of the farm. And opens our Top 5 sheepdog breed Bergamo, bred just for this purpose.

Purpose herding breeds

It is believed that several thousand years ago, for the first time, dogs of the Asian tribes appeared in Asia, trained to defend their herds from people, wolves and even bears. From that very time, the image of the shepherd dogs began to be delineated. Initially, all shepherd’s breeds were called Sheepdogs, and only over time the breeds received various external qualities and different names. It became clear that in addition to good instinct, courage and courage, the dog also needs special external qualities: it must have a special color that would not allow it to be confused with any predator, thick skin and warm wool that would protect against any weather conditions. .

The Europeans decided to breed a breed that would meet all these qualities and began to cross fluffy shepherds with local dogs, until they achieved the desired result. It is also believed that the bellicose Romans contributed to the development of the shepherd breeds: they especially paid attention to the fact that the shepherd dog could repel the attack of the largest and most evil beast.

In addition to the ability to feed livestock, as well as protect it, the dog was a constant companion and friend of its owner, she gladly went on a hunt for small game to satisfy the hunger of the owner.

Cattle Dog Rating

Every country with a developed cattle breeding sought to bring out the ideal shepherd dog, which would feel perfectly well in certain conditions and protect the livestock from a particular beast. There appeared dogs with particularly thick hair, such as the Bergamo Shepherd Dog, the fast Majorcan Shepherd Dog, the Picardy Shepherd Dog of small size, the sociable Baskak Shepherd Dog and the extraordinary color of the Leopard Catahoula Dog. We will tell about each of these breeds in more detail below.

One of the most unusual-looking sheep-dogs is the Bergamo Sheepdog. It received its name due to the fact that its homeland is the province of Bergamo, in Italy. Italian farmers use the dog mainly for grazing sheep in the valleys of the Alps, near the Pau-Piemonte River, where they go down for the winter with their herd.

There, in a fairly cool climate, from the cold, the Bergamo shepherd is protected by its hair, which looks felted and forms flat hanging cakes. This gives the dog such an exotic look.

Intelligent, patient and balanced Bergamo Sheepdog, in addition to protecting and grazing sheep, is also an excellent companion to its owner. An animal treats a predator with all its ferocity, however, it honors its owner and unquestioningly carries out all its orders, understanding it from a half-word.

It is believed that the Bergamo Sheepdog has such a delicate scent that it can distinguish the sheep of its herd literally by smell. To feed the animal unpretentiously and on long pastures it costs that it is, without being picky. Genetically, the animal is supposed to dwell in open spaces, so the Bergamo Shepherd Dog will not get along in apartment conditions.

The Majorcan Shepherd Dog, as well as the Ca de Bestiar in Spanish, is a dog of black color, medium height and firmly folded. The dog's coat may be long or short, but the short-haired look is more common. This breed first appeared off the coast of Spain, on the Balearic Islands in the XVI-XVII centuries. It is believed that the Majorcan Shepherd was bred by crossing local peasant dogs with animals brought from Castile.

Initially, the Majorcan Shepherd was used to graze sheep, goats and even cattle. Its appearance is due to stealth at night. After a time, when dog fights gained popularity, the breed began to be used as a fighting, and soon a guard breed.

The Majorcan Shepherd Breed is very devoted to its owner, but it treats other people with suspicion and may show unfriendliness. In 1975, the Majorcan Shepherd Dog received an approved standard.

Picardy shepherd is from France. It is believed that the Celtic dogs were its ancestors, the image of the breed is also found on the engravings of the 9th century, this century is considered the century of the breed's origin. For many centuries, the Picardian Shepherd Dog was used as a shepherd and guard dog, and at the end of the 19th century it was decided to be presented at the exhibition, but its simple and slightly sloppy appearance did not ensure its success.

Today, the Picardy Shepherd Dog is found only in the north of France, in the Pas-de-Calais region, but in other places they know practically nothing about it.

Independent and intelligent Picardy Shepherd is easy to train, but from time to time can begin to stubborn, so she always needs the control of a strong owner. The hardworking Picardy shepherd struggles to get along in the apartments, because she always needs to occupy herself with something, because of idleness, her character deteriorates and she can begin to spoil the furniture.

Baskak Sheepdog

This breed was bred in Spain, in the northern Basque Country, where the use of the Basque breed in herding business is considered a tradition. According to some assumptions, this breed takes its roots from the Central European shepherd shepherds. The dog is common mainly in its homeland, but it is not considered rare.

The Basque Sheepdog has a coarse coat of golden color, the general appearance is strong, compact. The dog is very dedicated to the owner and his family, to strangers can be wary. In addition to grazing, the dog is used as a guide and in search operations.

For the first time the leopard dog of Catahoula appeared in the USA, state of Louisiana, where she was bred by colonists. It received its name for two reasons: due to the similarity of color with leopard, as well as in honor of the district of Catahula, where it is very popular.

In 1979, the Catahula Leopard Dog became the official symbol of the state of Louisiana.

The most remarkable thing about the dog's appearance is its amazing color. These are various spots on short wool, creating an interesting pattern. Among breeders, blue eyes are very much appreciated.

Video about how to train a dog Catahuly.

Catahula's leopard dog is a loyal friend, patient shepherd, good hunter and guard. He maintains warm relations with the owner, but may show unfriendliness on the territory entrusted to him. Used Leopard dog for grazing and protection of cattle and small livestock.

Like any other cattle breed, the Catahula Leopard dog does not get along in apartment conditions and even in small areas. The ideal place for such an animal is a small farm where it can always find something to do.

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