Working Australian Shepherds: Their Roles as Herding Dogs

The Australian Shepherd is an intelligent, high energy breed that was developed in the American West as an indispensable ranch dog. Their excellence at herding livestock made working Australian Shepherds a pillar of rural farm life for generations. While less commonly utilized for intensive herding jobs today, Australian Shepherds still excel at the work they were purposely bred to perform thanks to their unique attributes, abilities and instinctive motivation.

This article explores working Australian Shepherds in their element as herding dogs. We’ll look at why their qualities make them exemplary herders, the specific jobs they perform on a farm or ranch, and how owners can engage their working Australian Shepherd’s natural instincts even without an authentic herding role.

Origins of the Working Australian Shepherd

Before examining the Australian Shepherd’s aptitude for herding, it’s helpful to understand where this skill originates from in their breeding history.

Australian Shepherds as a distinct breed developed in the American West during the 19th century. Their ancestry derives from herding dogs brought from Europe by immigrants, especially the Scottish Collie. Selective breeding on ranches focused on amplifying traits that made these intelligent dogs stellar at managing livestock across huge rangelands.

The name Australian Shepherd comes from a partial association with Australia’s herding dogs, not direct breeding. Truthfully, the working Australian Shepherd was honed right here in America for the particular demands of the western cattle and sheep trade.

As ranching became pivotal to American frontier life, the working Australian Shepherd proved essential. Their special qualities allowed them to be phenomenal herders across diverse terrain and conditions. Working Australian Shepherds were integral in developing the western sheep and cattle business by providing skilled herding assistance.

Standout Traits of the Working Australian Shepherd

Working Australian Shepherds exhibit an array of distinctive traits ideally matched for herding:

Their advanced capacity for learning and responsiveness to communication makes training easier. Working Australian Shepherds are highly intelligent.
Their abundant stamina enables them to work lengthy, tiring days. Few breeds match the tireless energy of an Australian Shepherd.
Their speed, nimbleness, and coordination helps them adeptly maneuver livestock. Australian Shepherds are exceptionally athletic.
Their caution around threats helps identify predators and protect their flock. Protective instincts are strong in working Australian Shepherds.
Their devotion and motivation makes them eager to work industriously. Australian Shepherds have a powerful work ethic unlike many breeds today.
Their aim to please owners and follow direction allows teaching complex commands. This breed is highly trainable.
Their ability to problem solve without input is useful. Working Australian Shepherds are independent thinkers when needed.

These innate qualities found across properly bred working Australian Shepherds allow them to take on herding duties with immense skill and passion. Their physical and mental abilities align seamlessly with the role.

Jobs Performed by Working Australian Shepherds

On a sheep or cattle ranch, the main jobs carried out by a working Australian Shepherd include:

Gathering – Working Australian Shepherds use body language and nips to amalgamate livestock from pasture into a cohesive herd. This brings the animals where the rancher needs them.
Driving – Once gathered, working Australian Shepherds keep the herd moving properly to pens, pastures, or sorting zones through strategic movement and nipping.
Separating – Working Australian Shepherds use observation skills to cut out certain livestock for tasks like veterinary attention based on instructions.
Protecting – Working Australian Shepherds identify threats like coyotes and alert ranchers through vocal warnings. Their presence also deters large predators.
Finding – Should any livestock become separated, working Australian Shepherds use tracking ability and intelligence to locate missing animals.
Heeling – Working Australian Shepherds employ nips and speed to prevent cattle and sheep from breaking away from the herd.
Assisting – When an animal needs help, working Australian Shepherds assist the rancher to intervene safely.

A gifted working Australian Shepherd capably switches between these critical jobs as directed. They become an adaptable, essential ranch hand.

Kinds of Specialized Herding Work

Beyond general farm herding, working Australian Shepherds also perform more specialized livestock handling work:

Cattle work – Upright eared Australian Shepherds adeptly manage cattle through movement and strategic nipping. Their athleticism handles cattle speed and reactions.
Sheep work – Fuzzy coated, folded eared working Australian Shepherds utilize a moderated force nip and responsiveness to direct more flighty sheep flock behaviors.
Open range work – Independent, confident working Aussies accompany ranchers gathering dispersed livestock over vast acreages and rough terrain with minimal input.
Competition herding – Working Australian Shepherds trained using specialized commands can compete in timed trials testing their sorting, driving and penning skills.

While sharing core attributes, individual working Australian Shepherds often align with specific types of jobs based on their breeding and personality. Yet multi-skilled dogs can adapt between cattle and sheep work. Most excel at one or the other after adequate training.

Key Commands for Working Australian Shepherds

To tap into the immense herding potential of working Australian Shepherds, thorough training on vital commands is essential. Key directional and action commands to master include:

“Come bye” – Go right around the livestock
“Away” – Go left around the livestock
“That’ll do” – Stop working and return
“Look back” – Change direction away from animals
“Walk up” – Move forward toward livestock
“Get back” – Retreat away from livestock
“Lie down” – Stop all movement
“Cast” – Gather and bring stock to handler
“Hold” – Continue applying pressure to stock

Working Australian Shepherds respond exceptionally well to clear verbal and whistle signals when taught. They appreciate the unambiguous direction when working. Consistency aids their comprehension.

Natural Herding Instincts

Even without formal training, working Australian Shepherds demonstrate their innate herding inclinations. Natural instinctive behaviors seen around livestock include:

Nipping at heels
Stalking in a crouch
Chasing, gathering, and circling
Independent problem solving
Vocalizing like barking or yelping
Staring intently and focusing
Sprinting and abrupt stopping
Processing group movements
Attempting to cut or separate outsiders

While raw instinct has limits, these tendencies illustrate generations of breeding for herding work. Their reactions appear innate versus learned. Those instincts establish a great foundation for training.

Potential Challenges

Despite their assets as herding dogs, working Australian Shepherds also come with some potential challenges to manage:

Their intense focus may override commands and lead them to harm small livestock like chickens if not directed carefully.
Working Australian Shepherds may choose to do what they feel is right rather than obey if leadership and training are not clear and steady.
Their extreme stamina necessitates adequate off-duty breaks and exercise to prevent exhaustion or restlessness.
They may disregard owner wishes in favor of their own instincts if boundaries aren’t established through training.
Working Australian Shepherds lacking stimulation or variety in their jobs can become dissatisfied or lapse in performance.

While minor compared to their advantages, knowing the potential difficulties allows owners to proactively provide strong leadership and training. Their assets far outweigh any minimal challenges.

Transitioning to Pet Life

As ranching declined over the 20th century, many working Australian Shepherds transitioned into family life. This is a major change for herding-oriented dogs. Helpful tips for an easier adjustment include:

Providing ample daily exercise to satisfy their energy and need to work. Games mimicking farm tasks can help.
Maintaining clear leadership through structure and training to tap into their willingness to follow direction.
Giving supervised exposure to manage instinctive herding of children, pets, bikes, and cars if needed. Redirecting them to appropriate toys helps.
Taking preventative measures like crate training if their protectiveness leads to excessive barking at guests.
Ensuring regular socialization as working Australian Shepherds can be reserved with strangers after bonding closely to their rancher.
Teaching independent play and chew activities to provide mental stimulation.

With patience and lifestyle adjustments, retired working Australian Shepherds can still thrive as family companions. They aim to please owners, even if they are no longer herding cattle.

Activities for Pet Australian Shepherds

For family pets, activities allowing working Australian Shepherds to exercise their natural herding traits provide enrichment. Great outlets include:

Treibball – Working Australian Shepherds herd large exercise balls into a goal using body movement and nips. A great indoor/outdoor activity.
Agility – Working Australian Shepherds eagerly tackle obstacle courses, following directional commands at top speed.
Fetch/Frisbee – These retrieval games allow working Australian Shepherds to chase, circle, and herd flying objects using their agility and focus.
Flirt pole play – Pole-mounted lures stimulate their stalking, chasing, and grabbing instincts in a controlled, appropriate way.
Nosework – Working Australian Shepherds unleash their problem-solving intelligence and scenting ability to find hidden items.
Barn hunt – Herding breeds thrive locating and indicating hidden “rats”, mimicking finding rodents in barns.
Livestock visits – Arrange for pet working Australian Shepherds to safely interact with livestock like sheep or cattle to engage their instincts.

While not true ranch work, these activities provide working Australian Shepherds an approved channel for exercising their inherent talents and inclinations, providing valuable mental and physical enrichment.

In summary, working Australian Shepherds are extraordinarily capable at herding jobs generations of purposeful breeding adapted them to perform thanks to a combination of adaptive physique, intelligence, trainability, energy, and motivation. Their partnership with ranchers helped develop America’s thriving Western livestock business by making management of huge herds achievable. While less common today, working Australian Shepherds still thrive when given the opportunity to demonstrate their remarkable talents and instincts.