Dogs who herd that aren't herding breeds

[Simkie]

We have six cows and their calves at the barn this year. The calves are small enough (and bold enough now) that they go under the fences to pretty much where ever they want. Mommas are too big to follow, but babies are old enough that they don’t really worry about it. Calves go everywhere!

My dogs–two Rhodesian Ridgebacks–go out to the barn with me nearly every day and are well accustomed to the cows. They’ve been taught not to chase and have occasionally gone nose to nose with the calves, but have otherwise shown little interest.

Last night, we had three calves scattered between the two fields my horses share and three in the alley just to the north on either side of the shed. Koa, my 9 yo girl, apparently decided they needed to be in a group.

It was amazing watching her work. She stayed well back and showed amazing patience. She got the three in the fields together first, then went and got the two in the alley to the east, then then picked up the last one in the alley. The final cow took a little convincing and she faced it off like a cutting horse would. She was moving the pack in the direction of the big cows when we called her off.

I was really blown away in her confidence! She never stressed them and they never called for their mamas. She put just enough pressure on to get each one to move together and wasn’t willing to say no to the last calve. She was very proud of herself.

I had a Samoyed who would herd, but I’m a little surprised a Ridgeback would.

[Bluey]

Our dobie was a very good herding dog to get the cattle back in the wheat field, when the antelope had torn the hot wire and they got out.

She would work them more like an aussie than a border collie, standing up most of the time, but at times also crouching down, although more in play than seriously eyeing them.

Decades ago, we had a norwegian elkhound that herded like a border collie.

My rat terrier, all 10 lbs of her, did show some herding traits when young, but I nipped that in the bud, she is way too small.
When feeding in the water lot in a blizzard, she was trying to do an outrun, balance her stock and bring them to me.:lol:

The herding guru I worked with, that had won some big trials, used his wife’s yorkie, that was handy in the house, to bring the goats back in when they escaped.
She did a good job of it, while his border collies in training were in their kennels.

While herding instinct can be found in many dogs, the real stars at it are well bred working herding dogs.
They make it look so easy, with so little effort.

It is so neat to see any dog work when they have the right instincts, is it.
I hope you got to take some pictures, maybe video of that?

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=Simkie;7172194]

I had a Samoyed who would herd, but I’m a little surprised a Ridgeback would.[/QUOTE]

I am not surprised at all. RR are an all purpose dog in Africa aren’t they? Watching the kids, guarding the camp etc? All of that takes a certain amount of independence and intelligence so keeping the calves (kids?) together wouldn’t be that different.

All that said, good for your girl…I bet it was impressive!

[spotted_draft_x_fill]

It is neat to watch them work. My older dog that I pts was a chicken herder. She would help flush them out of the bushes and from behind the coop, so I could put them away for the night. She was a mutt

[hastyreply]

Herding is a hunting skill. I’m not surprised that any hunting dog can gather up prey animals.

[cowboymom]

My Blackmouth Curs have been handy for generalized herding and grouping, moving… they also have a strong hunting background but they’re often used entirely for working stock.

I knew a little Pomeranian once that was an awesome sheep dog!

[Bluey]

Years ago, a friend had a GSD, that didn’t have any interest whatsoever to be a herding dog, but their pomeranian was great to help load stock into the trailer.:lol:

Another friend for decades had american spitz dogs and they were truly helping him with his cattle.
I think that is where the pomeranians may get some herding instinct, from the spitz background.

[Aggie4Bar]

Many years ago, my grandmother picked a chihuahua puppy up off the side of the road. My granddad, cattle rancher with no use for a rat-dog, eventually warmed up to her, and she became the only dog ever permitted to ride in the truck with him. The real dogs knew their job and performed it well. Little chi was convinced she could keep up. She took refuge under the truck many times when a cow had enough of her, but she’d spring right back out there. Funny little thing to watch.

[cowboymom]

I have a chi right now and she definitely would help if we still had cows/sheep! She’s fearless and athletic, scares me to death! I had to pick up my son at someone’s house last night and they had a blue heeler that jumped up on the side of the car by her window and I could barely stop her from bailing out to fight with him! :eek:

[Canaqua]

That’s cool, it is fun to watch them work! Herding is a variation on prey drive, so I guess it’s not surprising that a hunting dog would herd.

Our ACD/JRT mix is far to old to herd now, at 16. When she was young, we used to sometimes go visit some friends with a dairy farm. They usually moved the cows down the street to a different pasture with a Gator, but when ACD mix was there, SHE insisted on helping, and did a darned good job. She never had any training to herd, it was entirely instinctive.

BC mix isn’t really interested in herding…she wants to hunt and looooves to chase, but there is no method to her madness, like there was with the ACD mix. BC mix just scatters animals, ACD has a plan to get them all into a bunch and make them go where the people are headed.

[OveroHunter]

I had at one point 2 Aussies, an Aussie/ACD, and a Doberman. The Dobie, Aussie/ACD, and the female Aussie would all herd (the Dobie learned it from the Aussie/ACD and the female Aussie). My male Aussie had no desire to herd anything and would just watch the other 3.

[Rubyfree]

I knew a GSP who would herd the horses. He was reasonably effective, and would have been more so if he hadn’t insisted on stopping to point at the horse he was planning to work before getting down to it. :lol:

[beowulf]

rhodes are hunting/hound dogs. all hunting type/hound type dogs should instinctively know how to herd. rhodes in particular are supposed to possess a high prey drive, which in turn would likely translate into things like “herding”.

now, whether or not they are good at it is another story… my family’s late rhodesian was not…