Dogs make fantastic companions and excellent assistants that lighten the load around the homestead. Certain dogs have jobs that they were developed to do.
Livestock guardians keep your animals safe, hounds assist with hunting, and sporting dogs act as retrievers or service dogs.
Herding dogs, as you might have guessed, were bred to herd animals. But they also make exceptional family members and friends. Let’s talk about why you might want a herding dog around and a few reasons not to.
Different Breeds for Different Needs
The first animal I brought home to our new homestead 13 years ago was a dog. She was a glorious, soft-brown little hound-cross, and she was the queen of the forest until she passed away just this past year.
Our sweet girl wasn’t a herding dog, a livestock guardian dog, or even a trained hunting dog. She was just a dog, but she did help herd goats and chickens. She did keep the predators away, and she did chase rabbits with the kids through the forest.
As our first dog aged, we started looking for a second dog. With this dog, we thought things through a little more because we had so many animals, and we wanted to make sure we didn’t add a dog to our home that would be a danger to our livestock.
So, what kind of dog did we need? Some of our homesteading friends had recently bought herding dogs, and we spent some time considering herding breeds.
We ended up choosing a herding-livestock guardian cross. Our German shepherd/great Pyrenees is ideal for our woodland homestead, but he definitely has quite different needs than our other dog.
Different breeds of dogs were bred to excel at different tasks. Of course, that doesn’t mean no other breed can be trained for those tasks, but each breed will have its own strengths and weaknesses.
Some dogs have hunting skills, others have guarding or herding skills, and sometimes, if you try to train a hound to herd, her prey drive kicks in, and she starts hunting instead.
Some dog breeds have a stronger prey drive than others. That means that the instinct to hunt is stronger in these dogs. Generally speaking, these dog breeds aren’t ideal herding animals.
But there is a class of dog breeds that fall into the category of herding dogs. It’s a widely varied class of dogs comprising energetic collies and placid old English sheepdogs. But as a class, herding dogs are high-energy and task-oriented.
If you’re looking for a herding dog as a companion animal, you need to make sure that you can give your dog the mental and physical exercise he needs. Herding breeds are smart dogs who tend to get anxious or destructive when they cannot focus on work.
If you’re hoping to add a herding dog to the working animals on your homestead, it’s even more important to have tasks to train your dog to do well. Don’t assume that just because you bought a herding pup, he’ll naturally learn to shepherd livestock independently.
You’ll end up disappointed. While herding dogs are bred to herd, they do still need training to do the job well.
Herding Dog Traits
Herding breeds tend to be energetic, athletic, intelligent, and focused. They learn quickly and are often some of the easiest breeds to train. Herding dogs are very loyal to their families and learn quickly, in part because of their deep desire to please their owners.
Some herding dogs are more akin to livestock guardian breeds – the bigger, heavier dogs bred to defend flocks and herds from predators.
Some herding dogs, like German shepherds, were bred for herding and protection. Others, like corgis, were bred specifically for herding alone.
Because all these breeds are designed to herd, they tend to be very aware of the movements of family members and livestock. My German shepherd greets each family member individually when we come home.
If he can’t find one of us, he’ll go outside to hunt around the car to find the missing family member and lead them inside. Herding dogs like to herd – people as well as animals.
Your herding dog will also need to see the animals under his care regularly. Mine comes out with me to check them all each morning and again at night.
He sleeps inside with us, but he loves visiting all the animals throughout the day – driving the geese back towards their pen when they wander too far and continually herding the goats back into their shed.
Bored Herding Dog Behavioral Issues
But when he’s bored or untrained, herding dogs can have many behavioral issues. They can develop anxiety and neurotic attitudes. More than many other breed types, herding dogs need consistency and ritual.
If you don’t give it to them, they’ll create it for themselves, which can be obnoxious. When we first got our shepherd cross, we didn’t give him enough structure.
He quickly built himself a collection of habits that involved waking me up at 5 AM to let him out so he could check on animals, raid the trash cans, and visit the neighbor’s dog for an hour of loud play. We had to break all those habits to instill new, healthy ones.
Herding dogs are commonly associated with jumping up on people, anxiety or fearfulness, dominance issues, excessive attention seeking, and a tendency to wander. Some will become aggressive with people or other dogs if they’re not well-socialized.
The issue is often that herding dogs and other working breeds tend to be very aware of the hierarchy of their “pack.” If that hierarchy is unstable, lax, or overbearing, your dog will notice and feel the need to do something about it.
Your herding dog wants to bring order to his family. If he thinks no one is in charge, he’ll assert his dominance. If he feels like the dominant members of the family are too aggressive or overbearing, he won’t trust them.
It can also be an issue of boredom. If a working dog isn’t given a job, they will find one for themselves, which might not be one you like.
The amazing social awareness of herding breeds helps them read the herd and direct the animals to safety; in a family, that social awareness can cause some problems if you’re not careful to direct it appropriately.
Why Get A Herding Dog?
As a homestead animal, herding dogs are a good choice for homesteads with more than three or four larger animals. They can also be an ideal option for homesteads with large flocks of chickens, geese, sheep, goats, or ducks.
Most herding dogs do well with domestic birds; many can be easily trained to herd birds. If you’ve got a flock of wandering geese, a herding dog can be a great companion.
If you’ve put together an eclectic homestead, many herding dogs will fit right in. They’ll quickly learn who belongs to the homestead and who is a dangerous interloper.
If you want a dog around the farm who will do a little guarding, a little herding, and a lot of play, herding dogs are ideal.
Why Not Get a Herding Dog?
Not every homestead needs a herding dog. If you’re not raising livestock of any kind, don’t have any kids, or aren’t highly active, you might be dooming your herding dog to a life of boredom.
If you spend most of your time working quietly in the garden rather than jogging, riding horseback, or hiking far and wide, your herding dog might end up with no outlet for all his energy.
Most importantly, if your family is away from home a lot, these aren’t good breeds for you. If no one is home during the day or your family travels a lot, a herding dog will become lonely and potentially destructive.
All dogs are pack animals and need time with their human pack, but herding dogs especially so. They were bred to be focused on their humans.
Herding dogs rely on regular interactions with their families. They like to see the people in their care regularly to check in, and loneliness becomes a destructive source of anxiety in them.
If you need a dog that will protect your animals but isn’t highly focused on its people, consider a livestock guardian, instead.
A Few Excellent Herding Breeds
There is an abundance of herding breeds in all shapes and sizes. Choose your herding breed based on your specific needs.
A corgi won’t be ideal for someone who also wants a running companion. A border collie is wrong for someone who isn’t willing to channel that intelligence in a positive direction.
Don’t feel like you must choose a purebred, either. A mix of two or more herding breeds could be just right.
German Shepherd Dogs
One of the most popular and easiest to train dogs in the world, GSD’s are famous for their guarding ability. German shepherds were bred to both herd and guard. If your homestead has a lot of predators around, a GSD might be ideal for you.
These dogs have earned a spot as one of the most beloved family dogs for their protective nature, willing disposition, and legendary trainability. Be sure to get one from a good breeder, because they’re plagued by serious health issues.
Welsh Corgis
These tiny herding dogs were initially developed as cattle-herding dogs. They tend to nip at the heels of the animals they herd, so they’re not ideal poultry herders. But corgis are sweet-tempered dogs with a strong instinct to herd and hardy, water-resistant coats.
Border Collies
These incredibly high-energy dogs are ideal as bird-herding dogs as well as sheep and goat herders. They don’t do as well as some other herding dogs if they’re not given regular, consistent work. They’re far too smart and driven to just sit around all day.
But with a lot of exercise and a task to focus on, border collies are delightful dogs.
Old English Sheepdogs
These dogs are the epitome of the herding type in so many imaginations. Large, kind, fluffy, and beautiful, Old English Sheepdogs are a great family breed – they’re patient with kids and gentle with other animals.
But they are an energetic breed, and like all herding breeds, they do need plenty of activity. Sheepdogs are good with birds, kids, strangers, and sheep. They’re powerful dogs that are capable of guarding as will as guiding the flocks under their care.
Shetland Sheepdogs
“Mini collies” – as many people call them – are delightful little herding dogs. They’re capable of herding with sweet, friendly personalities. They’re easy to train and gentle with children.
But shelties need daily grooming and a warm, cozy house to sleep in on cold winter nights. If you have wolves or coyotes nearby, your Shetland sheepdogs will not be safe from these larger predators.
Other Breeds to Consider
Depending on your energy level and herding needs, Australian cattle dogs, Australian shepherds, bearded collies, Belgian sheepdogs, collies, mudis, pulis, and Spanish water dogs, as well as mixed of these, are all popular options.