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Jun
Most herding group dogs are excellent family pets, especially for active households that can provide them with plenty of exercise, attention, and mental stimulation. Bred for generations to work closely with people, these dogs often form strong bonds with their families and are usually eager to please.
Their herding instinct is so deeply ingrained that, even in a home setting, they may sometimes try to keep children, other dogs, cats, or smaller pets gathered together in one place. This behavior can include circling, nudging, staring, or gently guiding family members, much as they would direct livestock in a field.
Herding dogs are known for their intelligence, alertness, and ability to learn quickly. Because they were developed to make decisions while working, they respond well to consistent training and enjoy having a job to do. With proper guidance, they can be trained to herd animals as diverse as ducks, sheep, goats, and cattle. Many also excel in activities such as obedience, agility, rally, flyball, and herding trials. Their energy and enthusiasm make them wonderful companions, but they are happiest when their minds and bodies are kept busy through regular walks, play, training sessions, and family interaction.
Herding Dogs
Australian Cattle Dog
The Australian Cattle Dog was bred in Australia to herd cattle for long distances over rough terrain. Depending on their coat color, they are commonly called Red Heeler or Blue Heeler.
Height: 17-20 inches; Weight: 35-50 pounds; Lifespan: 12-16 years; Country: Australia
Australian Shepherd
You would think that if a dog is named the Australian Shepherd, it comes from Australia. However, the breed originated in California, likely from dogs that came from Europe.
Height: 18-23 inches; Weight: 40-65 pounds; Lifespan: 12-15 years; Country: Australia
Beared Collie
The Bearded Collie is from Scotland, where it was a herding dog. Now, most are family companions. It may be related to the Polish Lowland Sheepdog and the Komondor.
Height: 20-22 inches; Weight: 45-55 pounds; Lifespan: 12-14 years; AKC rank: 127 of 197; Country: Scotland
Beauceron
The Beauceron is a large French herding dog, also known as the Berger de Beauce or Bas Rouge for the reddish markings on its legs. It was bred to herd and guard sheep and cattle and is known for its intelligence, loyalty, and protectiveness. Height: 24-27.5 inches; Weight: 70-110 pounds; Lifespan: 10-12 years; Country: France
Belgian Laekenois
The Belgian Laekenois (pronounced lak-in-wah) graduated from the Miscellaneous Group to full recognition in the AKC Herding Group on July 1, 2020.
Height: 22-26 inches; Weight: 55-65 pounds; Lifespan: 10-12 years; Country: Belgium
Belgian Malinois
Like the German Shepherd, the Belgian Malinois is a herding-group dog better known as a guard, police, or military dog than as a herder. They originated in farms around Malines in Belgium and were farm-working dogs.
Height: 22-26 inches; Weight: 40-80 pounds; Lifespan: 14-16 years; AKC rank: 43 of 197; Country: Belgium
Belgian Sheepdog
The AKC recognizes the Belgian Shepherd Groenendael as the Belgian Sheepdog. They are named for the village of Groenendael, where Nicolas Rose first bred them. This Sheepdog is 22 to 26 inches tall and weighs from 45 to 75 pounds. It can have a variety of coat colors, but it is primarily black or black with white markings.
Height: 22-26 inches; Weight: 45-75 pounds; Lifespan: 12-14 years; Country: Belgium
Belgian Tervuren
The Belgian Tervuren hails from the Tervuren region of Flanders, Belgium. It resembles Belgian Shepherd dogs’ size, temperament, and health.
Height: 22-26 inches; Weight: 45-75 pounds; Lifespan: 12-15 years; Country: Belgium
Bergamasco Sheepdog
The Bergamasco Sheepdog comes from Bergamo in the Italian Alps. They are a very ancient breed with roots in the Persian Empire.
Height: 22-23.5 inches; Weight: 57-84 pounds; Lifespan: 13-15 years; Country: Italy
Berger Picard
The Berger Picard is also known as the Picardy Shepherd. Its name comes from the region of Picardy in northwest France. Picardy is an agricultural region and has miles of rich pastureland.
Height: 21.5-25.5 inches; Weight: 50-70 pounds; Lifespan: 12-13 years; Country: France
Border Collie
Border Collies are the most intelligent dog breed in the world. It should be no surprise that they were also herding dogs.
Height: 18-22 inches; Weight: 30-55 pounds; Lifespan: 12-15 years; Country: United Kingdom
Bouvier des Flandres
The Bouvier des Flandres is from Flanders and is a general-purpose farm dog for herding livestock (sheep and cattle), guarding the farm, and pulling carts.
Height: 23.5-27.5 inches; Weight: 70-110 pounds; Lifespan: 10-12 years; Country: Belgium (Flanders)
Briard
The Briard is a medium-to-large breed bred for herding and guarding. The breed has been around for a long time, well before France was, well, France.
Height: 22-27 inches; Weight: 55-100 pounds; Lifespan: 12 years; Country: France
Canaan Dog
Canaan Dogs are an ancient breed of dog. They are native to the Middle East, where Canaans today are more common in Israel and Palestine. They are also known as the Bedouin Sheepdog.
Height: 19-24 inches; Weight: 35-55 pounds; Lifespan: 12-15 years; Country: Middle East
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is similar to the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and the casual observer will probably not distinguish between the breeds.
Height: 10.5-12.5 inches; Weight: 25-38 pounds; Lifespan: 12-15 years; Country: Wales
Collie
Thanks to the novel Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight and Albert Payson Terhune’s stories about his dog Lad, the Collie (especially the rough-coated Collie) is one of the most recognized dog breeds in the world.
Height: 22-26 inches; Weight: 50-75 pounds; Lifespan: 12-14 years; Country: United Kingdom
Entlebucher Mountain Dog
The Entlebucher Mountain Dog is the smallest of the Sennenhund Swiss Mountain dogs. It also has the brown, black, and white coat like the other Sennenhunds.
Height: 16-21 inches; Weight: 40-65 pounds; Lifespan: 11-13 years; Country: Switzerland
Finnish Lapphund
The Finnish Lapphund is a friendly breed and a popular family pet in its native Finland, even though it tends to bark a lot. The Finnish Lapphund was bred to herd reindeer and has developed the quick reflexes necessary to avoid their antlers.
Height: 16-21 inches; Weight: 33-53 pounds; Lifespan: 12-15 years; Country: Finland
German Shepherd
The original job of the German Shepherd was to herd sheep. That is why they have “shepherd” in their name. Today, it is also a watchdog, guard dog, or police dog.
Height: 22-26 inches; Weight: 50-90 pounds; Lifespan: 12-14 years; Country: Germany
Icelandic Sheepdog
The Icelandic Sheepdog is a charmingly friendly and faithful all-around herder of small-to-medium size. A densely coated Nordic spitz-type breed, Icelandic Sheepdogs are enthusiastically devoted to their humans.
Height: 16.5-18 inches; Weight: 25-30 pounds; Lifespan: 12-14 years; Country: Iceland
Miniature American Shepherd
The Miniature American Shepherd is a relatively new breed. Its history began in the 1960s in California. Australian Shepherds were bred with smaller dogs to produce what was initially called Miniature Australian Shepherds.
Height: 13-18 inches; Weight: 20-40 pounds; Lifespan: 12-13 years; Country: United States
Norwegian Buhund
The Norwegian Buhund is a spitz-type dog similar to the Icelandic Sheepdog. They are all-purpose farm and herding dogs that make fine, devoted family companions.
Height: 16-18.5 inches; Weight: 26-40 pounds; Lifespan: 12-15 years; Country: Norway
Old English Sheepdog
The Old English Sheepdog is a shaggy-coated large herding dog that may have the Bearded Collie as one of its ancestors.
Height: 21-22+ inches; Weight: 60-100 pounds; Lifespan: 10-12 years; Country: England
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Pembroke Welsh Corgis are the favorite breed of dog of Queen Elizabeth of England. She has had a Corgi in her life for almost 90 years.
Height: 10-12 inches; Weight: 24-31 pounds; Lifespan: 12-13 years; Country: Wales
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
The Polish Lowland Sheepdog breed has existed in Poland for hundreds of years, maybe as early as the thirteenth century. It has a shaggy coat, and the hair on its head sometimes covers its eyes.
Puli
If you own a Puli, you can trim its fur, but the Puli’s coat is what makes this breed unique.
Height: 16-17 inches; Weight: 25-35 pounds; Lifespan: 10-15 years; Country: Hungary
Pumi
The Pumi is a medium-sized herding group sheepdog from Hungary. It has a curly coat and doesn’t need as much grooming as expected. It sheds very little, but its hair will come out during grooming.
Height: 15-18.5 inches; Weight: 22-29 pounds; Lifespan: years; Country: Hungary
Pyrenean Shepherd
The Pyrenean Shepherd is an energetic herding dog from the Pyrenees, a range in southern France and northern Spain.
Height: 15-21 inches; Weight: 15-30 pounds; Lifespan: 15+ years; Country: France
Shetland Sheepdog
The Shetland Sheepdog, or Sheltie, is a small herding group dog from Scotland and the Shetland Islands.
Height: 13-16 inches; Weight: 15-25 pounds; Lifespan: 12-14 years; Country: Scotland
Spanish Water Dog
The Spanish Water Dog is a herding-group Sheepdog but is sometimes used as a gundog, as it retrieves from the water. It has a curly, woolly coat that does not require much grooming unless you want to keep it looking a certain way.
Height: 15-20 inches; Weight: 30-49 pounds; Lifespan: 12-14 years; Country: Spain
Swedish Vallhund
The Swedish Vallhund is an ancient herding group dog breed from Sweden that has been around for over a thousand years. They are distant cousins of the Corgis, but are not built as low to the ground.
Height: 11-14 inches; Weight: 20-35 pounds; Lifespan: 12-15 years; Country: Sweden
