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Farm dogs are very important for handling stock, especially in the hill country of New Zealand. These dogs are usually border collies or huntaways - dogs that are bred especially to do this job. These dogs are energetic, and very intelligent. They are not good dogs to have as pets in the city, because they get too bored without a job to do. |
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Some dogs are "eye dogs", which stare the sheep out, and others run more, and bark. A sheep dog will obey whistles (they carry further than shouts) from its handler, telling it to move left, right, go around, to bark etc. |
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Farmers who train sheep dogs often enter sheep dog trials, which are competitions to see which is the best team of man and dog. They have to do things like move a small flock of sheep through barriers and into a pen, and to split the flock in half - quite difficult tasks. |
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City dogs are often not used to farm animals. A dog, unless it is trained to behave around stock, should never be trusted. Its natural instinct is to attack a sheep, and kill it for food. Even gentle family pets will do this if you let them run loose around farm animals. You should always keep your dog on a lead on farmland. Sheep dogs are trained from puppies to behave properly around farm animals. |