K-9 humor

fiver said:
the pyreneese are the sheep workers around here.
if you see one wandering the hills or desert there's sheep somewhere close.

the heelers and aussies are super popular though and it isn't uncommon to see some type of mix between them or a mix of one and a Lab.
the lab mixes don't hunt worth beans but they will move a herd of cows and do it with their brains as much as their feet.
the one i had didn't need any more direction than DJ the cows are out... go.
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Are you saying the Pyrs are herding sheep? I've never seen the least inclination of a Pyrs to herd beyond maybe putting themselves between the sheep and a predator. I've seen that a lot. They'll chase sheep/goats when young but no herding instinct I've seen.
 
A neighbor next to some property we owned in the country had a Pyrenees.
We would here coyotes all the time until he got that dog.
I swear, seemed to kill one every night.
Wasn't long before we never heard coyotes again.
 
popper said:
muscular and compact drover, AKC definition.
Actually looks like a sheep so it doesn't scare them. Fake leader. Where Aussie is a herder and nips and chases until the flock does what it is supposed to do.
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I have a hard time believing they were meant to lead sheep. Despite common gossip, sheep aren't dumb at all. They know what a sheep looks/acts/smells like and the same for a dog. ALL dogs scare sheep to one extent or another. A drover "drives" sheep. The only way to lead sheep is to train them from early on. They must have been herders not guard dogs. And thinking on it, there probably weren't wolves/coyotes in the British Isles anyway!
 
not driving the sheep.
just wandering around like they are about to fall asleep somewhere, within a quarter mile or so of the flock. [yep flock of sheep, mountain maggots, whatever]
half the time out in the Desert you'll see one carrying a dead rabbit around.
 
wolves/coyotes in the British Isles anyway!
Wolves definitely. Coyotes, don't know.
Interesting to know what breeds were originally bred for. Weiner dog - ratter, mud dogs/lab - hunting. Spaniels-bird dogs. terriers IIRC were fox dogs.
Now they are mostly 'pet'.
 
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they have Fox's.
if they had wolves and Fox's i'd imagine coyotes were along for the ride too.
they tend to keep each other in check.
 
fiver said:
not driving the sheep.
just wandering around like they are about to fall asleep somewhere, within a quarter mile or so of the flock. [yep flock of sheep, mountain maggots, whatever]
half the time out in the Desert you'll see one carrying a dead rabbit around.
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In daylight they ARE wandering around looking for a sleepy spot. But they are up ALL night! Ditto on the rabbit thing here. I find dead bunnies where the dogs are. I've also accidentally penned them in with porkies, much to my dismay! Never penned them in with a skunk thankfully.
 
popper said:
wolves/coyotes in the British Isles anyway!
Wolves definitely. Coyotes, don't know.
Interesting to know what breeds were originally bred for. Weiner dog - ratter, mud dogs/lab - hunting. Spaniels-bird dogs. terriers IIRC were fox dogs.
Now they are mostly 'pet'.
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How far back though? If Wikipedia is to be trusted, and I'm skeptical, mid 16-1700's was the end. When the Old English Sheepdog came about appears to be later. So, likely a herding dog.

The breeding out of working traits in so many breeds bothers me. It's like watching all the work previous generations put into clearing land and building a farm being let go to return to brush. Poodles were retrievers and bird dogs. The 2 we have now have zero interest in even playing fetch. Irish Setters were once great bird dogs as were Cockers. Now, last I saw anyway, the actual hunting Irish Setter is called a "Red Setter" and the Cockers that hunt are called "Field Cocker Spaniels" or something like that. I haven't had a subscription to Gun Dog in many years. Collies, ala "Lassie", were great, smart, all around farm dogs at one point. Now, if you even see one, they tend to be pure pet. Heck, there are lots of Beagles that don't hunt and Border Collies that don't herd. Used to be dogs that didn't work were either put down or later on "fixed" so they wouldn't breed I suppose. Not to sound harsh, but there is something to be said for a working animal that has functions beyond pet/companion. Same with horses that have to work bred out of them in exchange for height and leg at the loss of muscle and bone structure. We're screwing up a lot of good breeding these days.
 
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