Working Dog Putting the Cows Away - English Shepherds

by Kris Hazelbaker
(Grangeville, Idaho)

One cold March day, our herd of cattle escaped their feedlot pasture and headed half a mile away to their summer pasture. The grass truly was greener over there, but it needed to grow some more before turnout time.

I took my two English shepherds to return them. I had my older dog on a longline for several reasons, which left the one-year-old, inexperienced dog to do most of the work.

She bounced and barked and got them moving the right direction. She followed them along, keeping the stragglers tucked in, working at a steady, slow trot, and was soon out of sight. I followed along.

She took them around the hill, down to the creek, up the other side, and back through the gate. We didn't catch up until they were going down the hill. We only helped her a little bit getting them down the hill to the creek - the cattle don't particularly like to go down through the rocks.

This was her second time around our cattle, and I was SO impressed with her instinctive feel for the work that needed to be done.