Herding Dogs from around the World Quiz

Answer: True

There is no consensus as to the origin of this working dog. Some maintain that the breed traces its roots back to Asian tribes that invaded Europe in the Middle Ages, while others hold that it was introduced by the Celts. What is clear is that the Berger Picard shares many characteristics with the Briard, the Beauceron, and the other continental herding breeds. Whatever its background, the Berger Picard is indisputably one of the oldest herding breeds in France. It is also, sadly, increasingly rare.

A medium size dog, the Berger Picard is well-muscled, with a shaggy coat and erect ears. Having strong protective instincts and affectionate nature, this is a good family dog. As with so many shepherds (including others in this quiz, it is very good with children.

Answer: Gaucho Sheepdog

The antecedents of the Gaucho sheepdog, native to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, are unknown. However, since it bears some resemblance to the Border collie and rough collie, some scholars have conjectured that the breed descends from herding dogs brought in by European settlers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Medium in size and having a coat of moderate length, with or without an undercoat, in various colors, the Gaucho sheepdog is alert and intelligent, learning quickly. It is non aggressive with its herd and friendly towards its humans.

Answer: No

Before the advent of European settlers with their herd beasts, herding dogs were not needed in Australia.

The Australian kelpie came into being around 1870. Descended from the Rutherford and other northern British collies, the breed is suited to working in the difficult conditions of Australian sheep stations.

Alert and intelligent with a friendly, placid disposition, the kelpie has a moderately short, flat, hard, weather-resistant outer coat and a thick undercoat. The range of colors is large: Black, with or without tan markings; blue (gray) ranging from dark to light, with or without tan markings; red ranging from chocolate to light red, with or without tan markings; tan ranging from dark to cream.

Because of their intelligence, independence and ability to control livestock of all kinds, not only sheep, kelpies are imported all over the world to work on both small farms and large spreads.

Answer: It is a terrier

Other dogs in this quiz come from islands, and other dogs can be blue. What makes the Kerry Blue unique in this quiz, and unusual among other herding dogs, is that it is a terrier. Specifically, it is a compact, muscular, medium-sized terrier with moderately long legs, standing between 17 and 19 inches (44 to 48 cm) and weighing from 22 to 33 pounds (10 to 15 kilos). The puppies may be black, but the adult Kerry Blue's soft, dense, wavy to curly coat is what gives the breed its name. In the words of the AKC's web site:

"...any shade of blue gray or gray blue from the deep slate to light blue gray, of a fairly uniform color throughout except that distinctly darker to black parts may appear on the muzzle, head, ears, tail and feet."

As with so many dogs in this quiz, nobody quite knows how the Kerry Blue originated. Consulting the UKC's web site we read:

"The origin of the Kerry Blue terrier has been the subject of many theories but its true ancestors will probably never be known. The Kerry is one of three long-legged terrier breeds developed in Ireland by crofters who needed all-purpose farm dogs, capable of herding, guarding, hunting, retrieving, and vermin control. Many people consider that one of these breeds, the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, is an ancestor of the Kerry Blue terrier. It is also believed the Irish wolfhound contributed to the development of this breed."

The Irish wolfhound? If they say so. In any case, the Irish Blue terrier, as it was then known, was recognized as a distinct breed by the end of the nineteenth century. A versatile dog, it does nearly every canine job, including hunting, herding, and police/military work.

Alert, adaptable and animated, the Kerry Blue is well suited to serve both as a watchdog and a family pet, though some sources warn against bringing it into households including children or other pets.

Answer: Spain

The Ca de Bestiar, or Majorca shepherd dog, is seldom seen outside the Balearic Islands, an archipelago, and province of Spain, situated off the eastern coast of the Iberian peninsula, in the Balearic Sea.

With an average height at the withers of from 22 to 24 inches (56 to 61cm) and average weight of from 77 to 88 pounds (35 to 40 kg), the Majorca shepherd dog is a medium sized, short-coated black flock guardian breed. It resembles the black Labrador, only more athletically built.

Prized as a herding and guard dog for centuries, the Majorca shepherd dog is thought to have come to the Balearics with King James I of Aragon (February 2, 1208 to July 27, 1276), who conquered the islands in 1231. Over time, it developed into a distinct breed, though selection and controlled breeding began only in the 1970s.

The Majorca shepherd dog is energetic, protective and courageous, instinctively yet diligently patrolling its land, herding its flock and guarding its territory, and needs little training to carry out these tasks. While this dog is intensely loyal, it can also be wilful and, when circumstances warrant, aggressive. So, experts warn against introducing it to a home with small children or other pets.

Answer: Its ancestors were brought to Egypt by traders from the African interior.

The origins of the Armant are murky. All the incorrect answers have been advanced to explain its provenance, but nobody seems to know for sure. It is known that Napoleon's army brought sheep, and dogs to herd them, to Egypt at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Beyond that, all is conjecture.

Regardless of its antecedents, the contemporary Armant remains primarily a working farm dog within Egypt, though it is beginning to gain favor as a companion animal in other countries. A long, shaggy and rough-coated, medium size dog (about 22 inches or 56 cm and 51 to 60 pounds or 23 to 27 kilos), it comes in various colors with the most common being black, black and tan, tri-color, grey and greyish yellow. Intelligent, hardworking, loyal and playful, this dog makes an excellent companion for children.

Answer: False

Despite its name, this herder was developed in California, USA in the nineteenth century. Supposedly, the original breeding stock included dogs brought over from Australia, which is how the name came about. More plausibly, the breed is thought to be descended from sheepdogs brought to the New World from Spain in the sixteenth century.

Through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Australian shepherd proved popular with ranchers across the Western U.S., who valued the breed's ability to handle not only sheep, but other livestock as well. It remained strictly a working dog until the mid-20th century, when a rodeo performer named Jay Lister started appearing at rodeos across the American West with his Australian shepherds that performed all manner of tricks. Interest clubs were formed, with national and international kennel club recognition soon following.

Nowadays, Australian shepherds are bred largely as pets, though their herding instinct remains strong. Indeed, it is not unheard of for companion Australian shepherds to try to herd children or other pets! A medium-sized, athletic dog, it is intelligent, active, loyal, protective, playful and adaptable. It has a moderately long, wavy double coat that has a dense undercoat and coarse topcoat. Though the breed standard allows for blue merle, red merle, solid black or solid red, with or without white markings and with or without tan points, no two Australian shepherds have exactly the same coat.

Answer: Guarding cheetahs and African sheep herders from each other.

The Anatolian shepherd is a large dog, thought to be a mix of a mastiff and a sighthound, native to central Asia Minor. From 27 to 29 inches in height and from 80 to 150 pounds in weight, these rugged giants can be traced back through archaeological evidence to approximately 2000BCE.

Not strictly speaking a herder, this is an intelligent guardian dog, devoted to its flock - be that children, smaller dogs, even the family cat - and will take the responsibility of protecting them very seriously.

Starting in the mid 1990s, the Anatolian shepherd's size, fearlessness and devotion to duty has led to the breed being employed to protect people and other animals from each other. Here's how Mental Floss explains it:

"In Namibia, cheetahs are considered a huge threat to area farmers. The powerful cats can quickly take out dozens of sheep at a time. Cheetahs are a protected species, but because they can endanger the food supply, shepherds are allowed to trap and kill the predators. In an effort to protect both the cheetahs and their prey, U.S. biologist Dr. Laurie Marker proposed bringing in Anatolian shepherds."

Since 1994 the Livestock Guarding Dog Program has been bringing dogs to Namibia and training them to protect sheep. Cheetahs are deathly afraid of the massive dogs, so they avoid areas patrolled by the canines, making it a win-win: the cats escape uninjured and the farmers get to keep their livestock.

Just like in Namibia, officials all over the world are using Anatolian shepherds to keep both predators and livestock safe. One new place adopting the method is Yellowstone National Park. Park officials are hoping that the protective dogs will keep people and predators - such as wolves and bears -separate and safe from harm. 'We send these dogs to different countries around the world. They serve nature. Officials are highly satisfied by their skills.. Muhammet Karakoyun, president of the Turkish Shepherd Dog Research, Production and Introduction Center, told "Daily Sabah": 'I am proud of them.'"

Answer: No

The Central Asian Shepard dog (also known as the Alabay and Volkodav) is classified as a pinscher and schnauzer type. Originating in the vast region stretching from the Caspian Sea to China and from the Southern Urals to Afghanistan, this dog breed is truly ancient, with roots stretching back some four thousand years and encompassing cattle dogs from various nomadic tribes, dogs closely related to the Mongolian shepherd dog, and the Tibetan mastiff. It was originally developed to be a guard and watch dog for caravans as well as for homes. The breed was first recognized and studied by Russian biologists in the eighteenth century. It is a complex breed, including many, varied characteristics.

The dog's activities in traditional Central Asian cultures did include fighting. But sources agree this was very different than modern, commercial dog fighting. Here is how Wikipedia describes the sport:

"Traditional dog fighting had always been a national tradition in places of original habitat, but they had never been cruel and destructive as pitbull-type fights. All herders from the same area annually met together, and fought their strongest sheep guardian male dogs to pick the winner. It was about dominance rather than destroying their own kind. Most dogs evaluated each other when met at the field and the weaker or more submissive dog left, taking the loss. Dogs seldom injured each other, inflicting mostly minor scratches within a short period of time. Only true leaders actually had to determine the strongest dog via a real fight; but this was minor, compared to their everyday duties, facing predators and venomous snakes."

Central Asian shepherds are still used for fighting, but apparently breeders keep careful records of which lines are bred for fighting and which are not.

With minimum height of 25.5 to 27.5 inches (65 to 70cm) and minimum weight of 88 to 110 pounds (40 to 49 kilos), this is a large, robust dog, well muscled with a medium-length double coat in black, brindle, fawn, gray or white, with white markings. Known to have an affectionate nature and to be good with children, this strong, curious, imperturbable and fearless dog is, according to Wikipedia:
"protective against human intruders...very territorial, safe with children...love and respect elderly people, protect all small animals from predators, and are very gentle with family members."

Answer: Yes

A breed with a long history, the Icelandic Sheepdog is descended from the dogs brought to Iceland by Viking settlers in the Ninth Century, and so is related to the modern Buhund of Norway and Vallhund of Sweden.

Originally, the dog was used to herd and guard sheep, horses, and cattle. Its herding instinct remains strong, sometimes leading to the attempt to herd cars. In the Middle Ages the breed was well-known and highly prized throughout northern Europe, but by the Nineteenth Century it was endangered. The Icelandic parliament has declared the sheepdog, the country's only indigenous dog, "part of the cultural heritage of the country", and as such to be protected.

The Icelandic Sheepdog is a medium size Nordic Spitz- type dog, with a compact, well-muscled body and gentle, intelligent, happy expression. It has a thick double coat consisting of a fine, dense undercoat and a topcoat with hard, short, straight hair that protects the dog from the weather. The coat, which comes in two types, short-haired and long-haired, may be tan or fawn, ranging from cream to reddish-brown, or black, chocolate-brown or grey. Coats of all colors have extensive white markings, while tan and grey may have a black mask.

A muscular and hardy dog, the Icelandic sheepdog stands at some 18 inches (45 cm) and weighs in the range 19 to 31 pounds (9to 14 kg). Intelligent, friendly, affectionate and loyal, this dog is good with children. And its size makes it an ideal family pet.