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Drover Me Crazy

© Wendy Smith

Or he could send his animals with a drover. Drovers went across the countryside, gathering livestock to be sent to market. To assist them in this task, drovers used dogs that were a usually built a little differently then than their farm counterparts.

Generally, they were larger and more solid animals. For example, other drover breeds include the Bouvier, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and the Bernese Mountain dog. In the British Isles, the Old English Sheepdog and the smooth collie were used as drovers.

Drovers faced many difficulties when going to market. By taking livestock from different farms, his herd was made up of animals that were not familiar with each other. Likewise, the animals were off of their home pasturelands, on unfamiliar terrain. And to top it all off, the dogs that were herding them were strangers to them as well.

The drover needed a reliable dog that had the ability to keep the herd together, but also the bulk to handle any animal that became unruly or spooked. Sure the dogs did have the ability to quickly gather any strays if the need came up. However, their main task was to push the herd forward at a steady pace. They would also move ahead to block off any side road or open gates as the herd moved along the road.

Their job also included guarding the livestock from predators and thieves when the drover called camp. Their bulkier size also helped them in that role as well. And of course let's not leave out the role that Rottweilers played when the cattle were sold. The money was strapped to the dog's neck for safekeeping. A highwayman might not think anything about robbing a traveler with heavy pockets, but surely the thought of attacking a drover surrounded by two or three large, protective dogs would give him pause. Especially if those dogs were the ones carrying the cash.

Apart from size, drover dogs also tend to have a different style of herding than their counterparts, too. They tend to work much closer to their herd. Sometime they might even use their size to bump against them to keep them moving (Sephie does this to herd me to the kitchen). They also tend to move the herd at a slower pace as well. After all, it wouldn't do to have the livestock lose too much weight on the way to market.

Drover dogs of the past didn't really have any uniform breeding. They were simply taken from whatever dogs were available locally that could do the work. But over time, they gradually evolved into breed types that suited whatever form of livestock was most common in that particular region (hogs, cattle, heavy sheep, etc.).