Herding
PIPEFITTER
WayOut firmly believes that the goal of any breeding program should be the preservation of the function of the breed in healthy individuals that look like Australian cattle dogs. To this end, all students at Comrade Kit's College for Kids must attend the required core herding classes.
Exams are given on sheep and cattle. Some students also choose to study the movement of ducks but this is not a required class.
ACDs are very capable of being successful sheep herders but the breed was developed to work cattle and to see an ACD on cattle for the first time is frequently to see genetics in action as the dog lights up in awareness that, while sheep are nice, THIS — specifically COWS — is what they were born for.
It is a beautiful yet nerve-wracking thing as cows are very capable of hurting a dog.
In terms of mental attributes, a good cow dog possesses the following: a low heel; ability to hold pressure; sensible, confident approach; desire to control heads and movement; biddable to the handler yet independent enough to make snap decisions — and intelligent enough to make the right decisions; plus a whole lot of grit and insensitivity to pain.
Physically, a dog that is athletic is required, above all.
A dog must be able to run fast to cover its livestock, be nimble and agile enough to dodge in and out of cow hooves and not get caught or kicked (much) and yet compact enough to squeeze in tight places and back out again.
A dog that is athletic and moderate in all things is physically the best for the job, but the real test is in the mental attributes (i.e., innate genetic ability, intelligence, trainability, keenness) and heart.
Organizations that offer competitions in herding include:
AKC: http://www.akc.org/events/herding/index.cfm
ASCA: http://www.asca.org/programs/stockdog
AHBA: http://www.ahba-herding.org
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