The Herding Instinct in Dogs

People say that Heelers have a latent herding instinct, and that with no livestock to push around, they'll often try to herd their humans, other dogs in the family, or even the cat. I've even heard of this breed nipping at their humans' heels to get them moving in the right direction.

Pepper has never done any of that. His greatest interest in life has always been little kids - and lately, old people. He just loves to snuggle.

He's seen a lot of cows - but from a distance. Since our neighbors turn their cows out in the pasture next to our property, he sees them all summer.

But a couple of nights ago we went for a walk and the cows were right up by the gate.

Pepper stopped and stared at them, and then walked under the gate to get closer. His whole body seemed to snap to attention while he stood absolutely still and just stared.

I felt like I could hear him thinking "There's something I know about these creatures. I know I'm supposed to do something about them, but I don't know what. What am I supposed to do here??"

The other dogs and I stood and waited for a while, watching to see what Pepper would do, but he stood there like a statue until I called him to come along.

Anyone else had a similar experience?

The Belgian Malinois

When I wrote about the sentry dogs at the Boise prison, I said one of the primary breeds used was the Belgian Malinois. I'd heard of the breed, but knew nothing about them, so decided to look them up.

I learned that this was a dog originally bred for herding, but is now known best as a police dog. It's popularity as such surpasses even the German Shepherd.

The temperament is described as intense. A high-energy dog, it needs plenty of mental stimulation and physical exercise. The book described this dog as aloof with strangers and sometimes aggressive toward other dogs and animals. It's protective of both its home and family.

From a distance, I think it could be mistaken for a German Shepherd, with the same body build, coloring, and head carriage. However, the photographs in my book make it appear rather unattractive - with eyes too small and close set.

These dogs would definitely be intimidating to an intruder, as they stand approximately 24" tall.

If you, or someone you know, has one of these dogs, I'd love to hear more about it from your point of view - and I'll bet everyone else would too.

If you enjoy reading about the dog breeds, you might like a copy of the book I use: "The Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds" by Colie. To make it easy, I found the link from Buy.com - where you always save over the Amazon price!

Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds More than 150 breeds are profiled, arranged in the general groups as specified by the AKC: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding. Information on each breed's history, vulnerability to specific health problems, and more is included, as is a color photo of each dog.