The Herding Dog Group is the youngest of all formed by detaching Herding Dog Breeds from the Working Group. Dogs belonging to it used to be resourceful and really irreplaceable shepherding and protecting cattle and sheep; nowadays their intelligence and energy are used in the police and rescue services, and demonstrated during obedience trials. The list of most popular Herding Dog Breeds includes German and Australian Shepherds, Shetland Sheepdogs, Collies, Pembroke Welsh Corgies, etc., some of them are described in more detail below.
German Shepherds, or as they are also called, Alsatians, are among most popular dog breeds in the world. Primarily developed as farm and herding dogs, they served in the German army during World War I and were very much valued for their loyalty, reliability, courage and even temper. This dog breed makes excellent guards, seeing-eye dogs, rescuers and - family pets. A little tip: make sure your Alsatian gets proper physical and mental challenges and does not lack your attention.
Shetland Sheepdogs present another dog breed of the group. It is sometimes unclear where these small pets take all their bustling energy from; they seem to have a little engine inside that keeps them agile and playful all the time - and they would do best with active owners. If you decide upon this dog breed, give it enough exercises so that it could adapt better to city living. Shelties are very teachable and respond well to reward-based training.
The dog breed brought to England by Queen Victoria, Collie, is witty and friendly.It has a great potential and is a very able learner, - however, in case they lack society, Collies can turn a real disaster. The same litter can bring two varieties of the dog breed: Rough-coated and the Smooth-coated ones, the latter being more active. Collies have a perfect ear and make good watchdogs.
Just like Collies that experienced a boom of popularity after the 'Lassie' movies had come out, Old English Sheepdogs became very famous starring in Disney pictures. Good humor and lovely teddy-bear appearance puts Bobtails (as this dog breed is also called) to be the center of everyone's attention and they enjoy it. Yeah and the gorgeous coat will need as much grooming, too.
Australian Cattle Dogs come next in out list. These are real workaholics that will only be happy if provided job to do - and they will do it well. If you manage to show a firm hand training the dog, your cattle will get first-class herding. However, it's not the best family pet.Some useful information on various Dog Breeds can be also found in the following articles: Working Dog Breeds, Sporting Dog Breeds, Hound Dog Breeds, Terrier Dog Breeds, Toy Dog Breeds, Non-Sporting Dog Breeds and Mixed Dog Breeds. |