The sheepdog truly is man's best friend
Few of us can remain unaffected in the presence of a dog. Maybe it’s their loyalty that draws the eye or possibly some mischief that they have gotten up to, but our canine companions never fail to make an impact.
In the Ox Mountains, it is usually the sight of well-trained sheepdogs that garners our admiration, as they scoot among a flock of mountain ewes, controlling and collecting in a way that only a sheepdog can.
Herding sheep, however, is just one example of what a dog can do. Having made the evolutionary journey from having once been a wolf, dogs are now capable of being all things to all people – and who else among us has mastered that trick?
Genetic studies suggest that the modern grey wolf is the dog's nearest living relative but an extinct Japanese wolf seems, in fact, to be the originator of our modern pooches. The genetic divergence between this wolf and modern wolves possibly occurred as far back as 40,000 years ago. This estimate represents the outer time-limit and it should be noted that these dates refer to the time of divergence and not the time of domestication, which occurred much later.
When and where the domestication of the dog took place remains debatable but it is generally agreed that the dog was the first species and the only large carnivore to have been tamed. The domestication of the dog predates agriculture. It was not until about 11,000 years ago that people living in the Near East began a relationship with wild populations of cattle, boar, sheep, and goats and it seems man’s dance with wolves had commenced long before that.
A 2022 blog by Michael Price under the heading, , helps to define the time when a more amiable type of wolf presented himself for domestication. At that time, man and wolf struck a deal that has lasted to this very day.
A review of the current evidence infers that domestication of the dog was first undertaken in Siberia by ancient North Eurasian people. The oldest known dog skeletons have been found in the Altai Mountains of Siberia.
While domestication of dogs took place before agriculture, there is little doubt that agriculture brought the whole process on in leaps and bounds - maybe that’s where that phrase came from? , in a research article from 2021, about human-dog interactions in early agricultural societies, gives an idea of the special relationship, when it came about and how it worked.
Through the ages, dogs became grouped in accordance with their individual traits and natural abilities. Some were bred for their guarding skills, others for herding, more for retrieval and yet another group for hunting. In this way, various shapes and sizes began to form, with desirable traits being honed and accentuated to provide the specialist dog.
Most dog breeds we recognise today were only developed in the last 150 years, created by what become known as the 'Victorian Explosion'. During this time, dog breeding intensified and expanded, resulting in many of our most recognisable breeds – there are now over 400 distinct breeds of dog worldwide. The Morris Animal Foundation explains the origin and growth of modern dog breeds.
As the centuries rolled by, the dog's natural preying instinct has been modified to herd domestic farm animals under the direction of a handler. Herding breeds have been recorded in Iceland as far back as the 13th century. By the 17th century, herding dogs were known throughout Europe, especially in northern France and in Britain.
A herding dog is generally a breed of dog historically used in the management of livestock. These include guardian dogs used to guard sheep and herding dogs used to move and manage sheep and other livestock. Guardian dogs, like those still found in the foothills of the Alps, stay and blend with a sheep flock to ward off potential attackers such as wolves, ironically.
The Old English Sheepdog were traditionally used for slowly and gently driving sheep to market over long distances. Sheepdogs are the working dogs we are most familiar with here in the West of Ireland, and it is safe to say that no hill farmer could ever manage a flock of sheep without the help of such a dog.
Most of our sheepdogs are of the Border Collie variety. The Border Collie is, in fact, a British breed that originated in the region of the English-Scottish borders. They are a prime example of a dog that has been developed over hundreds of years to do a particular job. This makes them easily trained and ideally suited to the terrain in which they ply their trade. It has also been claimed that the Border Collie is the most intelligent of all dogs.
Performing on the rugged slopes of the Ox Mountains, a sheepdog at work is a sight to behold. Their focus, instinct, work ethic and energy are truly amazing. If anything tops this open-air piece of theatre, it is the sight of two such dogs working together. The abilities of the handler or shepherd should not go without mention; after all, it’s a relationship that goes back a very long way.
This summer, why not visit a working hill farm, complete with sheep and sheepdogs. Atlantic Sheepdogs in Sligo entice visitors to their farm with the slogan, 'Slow down and step back in time to Old Ireland, as Martin and his border collies whisk you away to a life of sheep farming on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean'. In Mayo, The Newport Shepherds, offer a similar experience: "For us, sheepdogs are indeed something special. The result of hundreds of years of breeding and selection. Their unique nature is to work, their spirit is to please and help you in your daily farm chores. We offer you a glimpse of this fantastic world.”
