Different Types of Cattle Dog Breeds

Dogs have played an important role in the act of herding larger domesticated animals for over 6,000 years, and they’ve managed to find their way with humans all over the world. So it only makes sense that different breeds would come into favor and adapt to different communities based on the climate, geography, or livestock. It’s also understandable that the different types of breeding dogs would also develop their own techniques to accommodate their personal and situational circumstances.

While many of the dogs that are traditionally referred to as herding dogs come from the United Kingdom, that has more to do with the fact that the idea of purebred dogs began there. By seeing how these different breeds operate and how different they are from each other, we can better understand the world that shaped them. Here are some of the most interesting types of cattle dogs:

Bearded Collie

The bearded collie doesn’t look much like the more popular rough collie, but they’re still tremendous cattle dogs that have developed their heavy coats to adapt to the unpredictable but often miserable weather of the Scottish highlands. Bearded collies have active and irreverent personalities that they’ll maintain throughout their 11 to 15-year lifespan.

You can count on these dogs to get along with both kids and other pets, though their active imaginations make them prone to getting into trouble if left alone. Also, since they’re built for practically any condition, they’ll love to go outside, no matter the weather. This also means that they’re some of the best dogs for active people and for those looking to get involved in dog competitions.

Shetland Sheepdog

The Sheltie’s place of origin is the Shetland Isles, off the coast of Scotland, and it’s that isolation that’s allowed them to grow in the unique way that they did and to gain international recognition and popularity throughout the 20th century. But this breed didn’t just appear from nowhere, and the resemblance to the standard rough collie is readily apparent.

The Shetland sheepdog is relatively short, with its maximum average height of 16 inches, but this smaller breed does manage to effectively employ its smaller size to maximum benefit in much the same way as the corgi. They also helped protect the gardens of their families from wandering pests like neighboring sheep or cows.

Since gaining more prominence throughout the world, shelties have come to be recognized as some of the most versatile working dogs around. They’re commonly seen running the circuit for agility sports and other competitions, but shelties are also favored as medical alert dogs and therapy animals. They like to have tasks to accomplish throughout every stage of their lifespan.

Bergamasco Sheepdog

The Bergamasco sheepdog may look eccentric, but its unique morphology has allowed it to thrive as a working dog throughout the Italian Alps for at least two thousand years. To suit the frigid and unyielding conditions of the mountains, they developed into a large and hardy breed with an unusual matted coat to provide them with insulation against the worst cold.

While it may look like dreadlocks, they’re actually three different types of hair that are tangled together into tight knots. In addition to serving as an extra layer of protection from the cold, it also provided protection from wolves and other threats to a Bergamasco’s herd.

These Alpine dogs don’t require a great deal of exercise, but that doesn’t mean they don’t require attention. They have a strong sense of self and a clever streak that can often get them into trouble. However, with basic training, one can ensure those characteristics remain interesting quirks rather than symptoms of a behavioral issue throughout their lifespan.

Pembroke and Welsh Corgi

While it might seem like size would be a necessity for effectively leading cattle, the squat and stocky corgi demonstrates that being petite can actually be an advantage for working dogs. The average Pembroke Welsh Corgi stands just shy of a foot tall, and local folklore insists that these working dogs also pulled carriages for the various fairy courts in Wales.

Outside of the fairy courts, the smaller stature of these dogs allows them to more effectively weave between the cattle in their herd and nip at their ankles without having to bend down or turn their attention away from potential threats. That’s also forced them to adopt a different strategy from larger herding dogs. They’ll typically drive an entire herd from the back rather than circling them.

The Welsh Corgi actually consists of two breeds — the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. However, both breeds share a confidence and boldness far greater than their size would suggest.

Finnish Lapphund

One of Finland’s most beloved breeds is also used to herd reindeer. Their shaggier coats make them an appropriate choice for the Arctic climates where reindeer are herded, but they can also be used to herd cattle in the country.

Finnish Lapphunds are among the most popular dog breeds in Finland. However, they startle very easily — a trait that can take some getting used to as a pet parent, but one that’s designed to protect them from the lightning-quick and devastatingly powerful hooves of their livestock. The Finnish Lapphund is known to bark, and that also makes them very effective guard dogs.

Australian Shepherd

There’s a lot that we don’t know about the Australian shepherd, but one of the more definitive truths we do know is that it doesn’t actually come from Down Under. Instead, it developed in the American Southwest and is well adapted to the rugged landscapes of Wyoming, rural California, and Colorado. Instead, these dogs earned their name because they were common companions to Australian Basque migrants who incorporated this breed into their herding activities. No one is quite sure where they first originated, but the Basque connection is often used to justify the plausible theory that they were descended from Spanish and French herding dogs.

Despite not seeming to share much in the way of DNA, the Australian shepherd does possess the Australian cattle dog’s style of herding and their boisterous and active personality. However, their intelligence and willingness to learn make them great choices for the active family.

Australian Cattle Dog

If you want to breed a dog to keep your cattle safe, you probably wouldn’t assume that Australia’s wild and unpredictable dingo would be the best choice of breeding stock. But it’s a formula that’s worked for Australian ranchers for generations. The lineage of the Australian cattle dog first began in the 1800s as a result of breeding between dingos and collies.

Known as Australian Cattle Dogs, with blue-coated individuals called blue heelers and red-coated ones called red heelers, this breed was designed to drive cattle over the long spans of Outback wilderness. That necessitates a sharp and agile mind matched to an equally agile and athletic body, and blue heeler dogs have these qualities in spades. That makes them easy to train, but can also make them strong-headed and highly curious. The Australian cattle dog has a tendency to attach strongly to one person in a family, and blue heeler dogs have developed an aggressive and no-nonsense approach to handling cattle that can result in them nipping at children or other pets in an attempt to herd them.

Border Collie

Despite more commonly being associated with sheep, the border collie is the ultimate herding dog. Their intelligent nature, confidence, and natural herding ability mean that they are often used for herding both sheep and cows on farms. Border collies originated in the Scottish Borders but are now popular around the world. They are widely regarded as being the most intelligent dogs in the world, and they excel at a wide range of activities, both on and off the farm. They are increasingly popular as agility dogs and in sports such as flyball. However, they also make excellent pets, although owners should be mindful that they do require a lot of exercise.