Corgis Herding Cattle

I know I mostly talk about agility with the Stump Kids, but I was inspired to talk a little about herding today.


Dally hasn't been very interested in herding, at least when it comes to sheep. I tried taking her to a herding club meeting and she wasn't very interested in the fuzzy white things. But she's always been very interested in chasing our horses, especially when they're first turned out. It's a vice that's been a bother for me because I have to make sure she's locked up in a stall when we're turning horses out. Every other time she's just fine with the horses--I can ride them with her loose and she doesn't chase them. So I was bummed she wouldn't be interested in herding so I could teach her to leave the animals alone (but it's kind-of hard to teach herding commands when the dog won't herd).

But I've never tried her on cattle. She doesn't seem to care much for the cattle, either, but I haven't even really tried. This video clip tells the story of a Montana cattle rancher named Scott Wiley and his ranch crew--four Pembroke Welsh Corgis! Bevy is the star of the clip, as she's the smallest of the four (runt of the litter) at 22 pounds. (Dally weighs around 24 pounds, for comparison.)

I love the part showing her riding along with "her human" on a horse, and I love watching Scott pile all the Corgis on the back of a 4-wheeler (if only they showed them riding on the 4-wheeler).

It's such a heartwarming story to see how this family cares for their Corgis and how these Corgis work their hearts out for their humans.

Who knows, maybe I'll give Dally another chance with herding. But really, LaMesa's the one that needs the work the most--and she loves herding! Maybe one day I'll hit the lottery so I have the money (and the time) to start taking herding lessons and competing with LaMesa. I hate that I can't let her natural instincts shine.