Herding Group
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The Herding Group is an American Kennel Club designation for purebred dog breeds that comprises herding dogs and livestock guardian dogs. All herding breeds were formerly in the Working Group.
The Herding Group, created in 1983, is the newest AKC classification; its members were formerly members of the Working Group. All breeds share the ability to control the movement of other animals. The vast majority of Herding dogs, as household pets, never cross paths with a farm animal. Nevertheless, pure instinct prompts many of these dogs to gently herd their owners, especially the children of the family. In general, these intelligent dogs make excellent companions and respond beautifully to training exercises.
The diversity in morphology and temperament in the Herding Group has much to do with the different demands placed on the dogs in the course of their work. The Australian Cattle Dog and the Welsh Corgi have a temperament and structure suited for "heeling" stubborn cattle; their aggressive confidence and willingness to nip and bark are especially useful in the cramped confines of a stockyard. Border Collies herd with a silent and non-aggressive "eye" --an intense stare and crouch that mimics a stalking predator-- which makes them suited for working flighty sheep at great distances from the shepherd over varied terrain. Despite the name and classification as a herding dog, the German Shepherd is genetically clustered with the guardian breeds, and in the century of its existence has been used more for utility work than for stock herding.
The fluid and changing demands of herding work mean that despite individual breeds being better suited to specific climates, stock, or tasks; many herding dogs are multi-taskers suitable for a wide variety of jobs.
Dogs in the Herding group (for the AKC) are: [1]
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