Coming from a very strong canine world, I have done quite some research on dogs and herding Dogs per say.

Dogs have varying capabilities. There are those good in guarding and security like the Rottweiler and Boerbel. Others are good at detection of scent like the bloodhound and so. But of all, the herding dogs have really stood out among all. This are the shepherds breeds. They generally include the German Shepherd, Belgian Shepherd, Dutch Shepherd, and lately the Border Collie.

The Shepherd nature of this dogs typically comes from their genetics especially due to their ancestors who were hunters. The predecessors of this dogs could form a hunting pattern that could generally box in the prey in the middle. This technic has been used by shepherds since the 1600 in Alaska. The dogs are trained and cued to collect the sheep from the pastures and gracefully direct them to the pens. They do this in very harsh conditions that human beings can’t really operate on on.They scare the sheep and occasionally nip at their hind legs tendons which cause them to run to the comfort of the pen.

Incorporating such strategies to efficient sheep farming is really a good practice and should be tried in the herding communities of Africa. Either way, dogs also have a protective edge as well as a companion nature!