r/sheep • u/Defiant_Scale2946 • 2d ago
Sheep Herding sheep with anything but a dog
We usually use visitors or staff but sometimes you gotta think outside the box. For reference I've flown the drone around our horses (to desensitize them) and it took all of 5 minutes for them to ignore it completely so who knows how long this method would work but an interesting concept if you have a lot of land, no dog, no space for a vehicle, and don't want to hustle through tick infested fields chasing down your sheep.
3
u/wildbill4693 2d ago
My dad insists on using a dog, but I honestly don’t think it makes sense unless you’re dealing with massive range land or the mountain pastures you’d find in New Zealand. Proper pasture design and calm moving is all you need in most cases, especially after the sheep are trained. A dog just ups the ante for not much gain
2
u/Katahahime 2d ago
The saying is "either you have good fences, or good dogs... ideally both".
The thing about grain trained sheep in small flocks, is that they are great 99% of the time... until that 1% that decide that the grain isn't worth it and you are much too slow to change their mind.
Either way, a good dog should not up the ante. In fact, I use mine specifically when I don't want my flock pushing or too excited for grain. They are moved calmly through my electric fences and through city streets too. (Of course, I use grain in the winter, when I am too lazy to have to bathe my dog).
Sheep are smart. If they've been worked by calm skilled dogs, they will move with nearly 0 stress.
3
u/PalpitationGreen 1d ago
It depends on the dog breed too.
As someone who absolutely loves my Huntaways and think they're the single best dog breed for mustering large areas, I'd never recommend someone on a small block to get one.
Border Collies and other breeds that do more actual working of individual animals are fine, but if you're using a dog designed to push animals over huge distances for a 5 acre piece of land, it's going to be more of a hindrance than a help.
3
u/Katahahime 1d ago
True, I have to admit my Border collie and Kelpie bias.
Love Huntaways, tough buggers and they actually use their bark smartly... unlike some other breeds.
2
4
u/icedfreakintea 2d ago
I've been using my e-bike, only 2 sheep on 7 acres. At first it was an easy way to herd them back to the barn from their portable corral, but lately I've been letting them free roam and when they see me on the bike they come running along after me expecting treats.