If you have a German Shepherd, does it HERD your children?

[1GirlTwinBoys]

We have a 2 year old male GS and it's so funny to me how he MUST know where the children are at all times.  If they are out playing together, he will run after one of them if they get too far away from the others.  Really keeps him busy! :001_smile: If it gets too out of control, he will gently bite them.  It's like he's trying to pull them back into the herd.

 

Just curious if this is typical behavior of all GS dogs.

[Pawz4me]

Well . . . they are herding dogs.  And in general dogs tend to do what's in their genes. ;)

[gingersmom]

Yes!!

 

My German shepherd used to stand in front of my kids kinda blocking anyone or anything from them.

 

Best dogs ever!!!

[Ann.without.an.e]

Growing up, my grandfather's dog was a GS and she was so protective/herding of the grandchildren.  They lived on a busy road and if a child was in the front yard and was headed in the direction of the road she would go in front and use her nose to nudge them back toward the house.  It was really cute to watch.  She always followed the youngest kids around and herded them away from danger.  

[MysteryJen]

We had a GS when the kids were little and she did herd them. Now we have a corgi and she tries to herd the teens....sometimes she just gives up and finds a spot at the top of the stairs where she can watch everyone and the door.

 

love, love herding dogs.

[hepatica]

Yes! drives my GSD crazy when the kids go in different directions. She also herds our ridiculous collie mix. She must keep tabs on everyone!!

[AlmiraGulch]

We had a GS when the kids were little and she did herd them. Now we have a corgi and she tries to herd the teens....sometimes she just gives up and finds a spot at the top of the stairs where she can watch everyone and the door.

 

love, love herding dogs.

 

I had a Corgi when mine were little, and he herded the heck out of those kids!  It was hilarious to watch.  

[JustEm]

We had a GS when the kids were little and she did herd them. Now we have a corgi and she tries to herd the teens....sometimes she just gives up and finds a spot at the top of the stairs where she can watch everyone and the door.

 

love, love herding dogs.

 

 

We have a corgi too and her herding is so funny.  Our other dog is very loud at times because she's a beagle.  It annoys the corgi so much that she starts barking and trying to nip at her legs because she thinks its her job to quiet the other down.  She'll also walk along side of my 18 month old and kinda leans into him a bit if she wants him to turn.  She has successfully learned how to herd him into his siblings bed, not his own since he has a crib.

[Dmmetler]

When my DD was in PS K, one of her classmates was the child of a K9 officer with the local police force-who would pick up his DD at dismissal with his German Shepherd partner. I swear that the dog could have handled dismissal by himself. He knew exactly where all the kids were, was going to keep them together, and knew which parents belonged with what child. That's also one of only a handful of dogs that DD was never scared of.

 

 

[BlsdMama]

He absolutely does not.  It can also be a dominance/control issue so I'd watch it, especially if he is not neutered.  Our GS is five and is about 100 lbs. He is unneutered so we especially had to watch him closely for dominance issues and we do *not* allow him to "boss" the children at all.

[ScoutTN]

I had a GS/collie mix and she herded everyone! I had to be careful with her at a park with lots of kids!

[shawthorne44]

He absolutely does not.  It can also be a dominance/control issue so I'd watch it, especially if he is not neutered.  Our GS is five and is about 100 lbs. He is unneutered so we especially had to watch him closely for dominance issues and we do *not* allow him to "boss" the children at all.

Yeah, I watch for that too. She does WANT to herd though.  We've compromised and dog is allowed to follow daughter.  

It makes playing hide and seek a hoot.  We have to pretend we don't know immediately where DD is because dog is always looking straight at her hiding location.  

 

I've never seen a corgi herd, but that would be a hoot.  I've heard that they think they are GSD's with really really short legs.  

[Carrie12345]

Ours is a mix, but he does not herd.

He guards like nobody's business, but he doesn't herd.

[Lucy in Australia]

That's so funny! Reminds of this funny email that was doing the rounds years ago... (and we have a Golden :lol:  it's spot on!)

 

How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb? Depends on the dog's point of view..

..

GOLDEN RETRIEVER: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb?

 

GERMAN SHEPHERD: I'll change it as soon as I've led these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven't missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.

 

BORDER COLLIE: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.

 

DACHSHUND: You know I can't reach that stupid bulb!

 

ROTTWEILER: Make me.

 

LAB: Oh, me, me!!!! Pleeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I?

 

MALAMUTE: Let the Border Collie do it. You can feed me while he's busy.

 

JACK RUSSELL TERRIER: I'll just pop it in while I'm bouncing off the walls and furniture.

 

POODLE: I'll blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

 

COCKER SPANIEL: Why change it? I can pee on the carpet in the dark.

 

DOBERMAN PINSCHER: While it's dark, I'm going to sleep on the sofa.

 

BOXER: Who cares? I can play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

 

MASTIFF: Mastiffs are NOT afraid of the dark.

 

CHIHUAHUA: Yo quiero Taco Bulb.

 

IRISH WOLFHOUND: Can somebody else do it? I've got this hangover and.......

...

POINTER: I see it, there it is, there it is, right there!

 

GREYHOUND: It isn't moving. Who cares?

 

AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD: First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle....

 

OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOG: Light bulb? That thing I just ate was a light bulb?

 

HOUND DOG: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

And the CAT: Dogs do not change light bulbs. People change light bulbs and I am not one of them. So, the question is, how long will it be before I get some light in here?

[sixpence1978]

My dog (in my avatar) is a GS/lab mix but definitely acts more like a GS.  She doesn't quite herd like that, but she does like to know where everybody is at all times.  She will routinely make the rounds to make sure that everybody is safe and doing what they should be doing.  Her favorite is when we are all in the same room together not acting too crazy.  It drives her crazy when the kids are outside playing and we are still inside.

[Reefgazer]

I was watching one of my kids' soccer practices a few years back, and one of the parents had their border collie at the practice and off the leash.  At first glance, the collie just seemed to be randomly running around the field while the children played.  But I was perched on a slight hill above the soccer field and watching the practice, and I could clearly see that darned collie methodically circling the field, moving ever-so-slightly inward each time he made a pass around the field.  With each pass around the field, that collie had dozens of kids creeping ever-inward toward the center of the circle.  I do believe if he had not been corralled by his owner, the kids would have been gathered in a very small area in 15 minutes, tops!  Like a PP upthread, I do believe that darned collie could have run soccer practice!

 

ETA:  I love this thread and dog tales!

[Starr]

We have a cat that herds us all into our rooms at bedtime.  :laugh:

[hepatica]

It's not a dominance issue at all with my GSD. She is well trained. If called she will remain with me, or with my DH. And, she is not moving or nipping the kids. But she does love to keep track of everyone, and if allowed to roam she will circle back and forth keeping tabs on the whole group. Sometimes when we are hiking my DD13 hikes ahead of the younger kids. The dog will catch up with her, check her location, run back to me, circle around to let me know she has it under control, and then run back up ahead to check on her again. It'a a natural instinct and fun for these types of dogs, and  tons of exercise. They love to have a job. As long as the dog is well trained, and will cease and stay with you when told to do so, it is fine.  My GSD is trained for SAR so this is her idea of the best game in the world. 

 

She is also quite a master at searching out missing lacrosse balls alongside the athletic fields. Great fun. 

[Katy]

Not our GS, but we used to have an English Shepherd (they're a lot like Australian Shepherds) and she LOVED to herd. And when an extended family member brought over a new white curly-haired poodle mix, you would have thought she'd died and gone to heaven, she loved to herd him so much.  He was not so impressed.

 

I looked into herding training for her, but no one was doing it locally.

[hepatica]

We have a cat that herds us all into our rooms at bedtime.  :laugh:

 

That's cute!

 

My GSD tried herding the cat exactly once! Smart dog.

[Starr]

That's cute!

 

My GSD tried herding the cat exactly once! Smart dog.

 

 

:lol:

[AimeeM]

He absolutely does not.  It can also be a dominance/control issue so I'd watch it, especially if he is not neutered.  Our GS is five and is about 100 lbs. He is unneutered so we especially had to watch him closely for dominance issues and we do *not* allow him to "boss" the children at all.

 

Our Luke's herding definitely didn't seem like a dominance issue at all (and we had a private trainer, who specialized in aggressive GSDs). He was simply concerned about where especially the younger children were, and had heard us tell the youngers "no" to certain things enough times that he would try very hard to steer them away from those things (the kitchen cabinet under the sink, for example, where the cleaners are).

[Erin]

That's a hoot, Lucy.  And spot on from what I can tell, too.  lol

 

 

Never had a GSD, but my borders always kept close tabs on the kids when they were little.  :)

(As well as changing their diapers, pushing them on the swings and setting up their 529 college accounts)

[VeteranMom]

I have a dog who is half GS.  He herds ME.

[ThisIsTheDay]

My parents raised show German Shepherds, but I don't remember them ever doing this to us.  (It doesn't mean they didn't, just that it was never pointed out.)

 

My collie mix now sure does.  She's hilarious.  :)

[JoJosMom]

It's not a dominance issue at all with my GSD. She is well trained. If called she will remain with me, or with my DH. And, she is not moving or nipping the kids. But she does love to keep track of everyone, and if allowed to roam she will circle back and forth keeping tabs on the whole group. Sometimes when we are hiking my DD13 hikes ahead of the younger kids. The dog will catch up with her, check her location, run back to me, circle around to let me know she has it under control, and then run back up ahead to check on her again. It'a a natural instinct and fun for these types of dogs, and  tons of exercise. They love to have a job. As long as the dog is well trained, and will cease and stay with you when told to do so, it is fine.  My GSD is trained for SAR so this is her idea of the best game in the world. 

 

She is also quite a master at searching out missing lacrosse balls alongside the athletic fields. Great fun. 

 

:iagree: This.

 

We hike regularly. Our Buddy HATES the leash; how is a poor dog to guard the pack in such a ridiculous formation???  He much prefers when we are on our own property and he can circle the group properly, as God intended.  (BTW, we have no dominance issues-he's a lamb [well, with us and introduced guests]).  And if he bolts after a deer, he returns on a whistle. The GSD is the best darn family dog ever!)

 

[BrittanyM]

This thread helps me understand our German Shepherd better. She does try to "herd" the kids (especially the youngest) and will nip at them occasionally. She also loves to chew on our cat... Does anyone else's do that? Our old GS did the same thing.

[freesia]

That's a hoot, Lucy.  And spot on from what I can tell, too.  lol

 

 

Never had a GSD, but my borders always kept close tabs on the kids when they were little.   :)

(As well as changing their diapers, pushing them on the swings and setting up their 529 college accounts)

My MIL's female border collie always guarded the newborns when they were sleeping in the pack and play. She'd stop when they got to be toddlers (although she also sat right in front of the tent when the kids slept in the yard).

[JustEm]

This reminds me of another story. I used to pet sit an Australian Shepherd and would occasionally bring my 2 dogs over to play with her. The shepherd would try to herd my dogs, corgi and beagle. The entire time the corgi and shepherd would be chasing each other around trying to be the dog on the outside controlling the other dog. Once both herding dogs realized it was useless and neither would get the upper hand they would devote their time to herding the beagle. The poor beagle spent the whole time trying to listen to both dogs but both dogs would be trying to get it to go in opposite directions.

[gardenmom5]

our neighbors gsd would give their cat a bath.  she'd hold her down so the cat coudn't escape.  the cat. was. not. happy.

[KungFuPanda]

We had them growing up. They were always with us. They herded us, got between us if we fought, and once got my parents and brought them to where I was lost in the woods. The BEST dogs in my book.

 

We now own a greyhound mix. He is not a dog :-/

[myfunnybunch]

We hike regularly. Our Buddy HATES the leash; how is a poor dog to guard the pack in such a ridiculous formation???  He much prefers when we are on our own property and he can circle the group properly, as God intended. 

 

Oh, our poor dog feels the same way. He used to get FRANTIC when the boys ran ahead on the path. He still gets anxious when we hike in a new place and can't let him off-leash and his boys get ahead, or (Danger! Come back! Foolish boys!) out of sight.

 

He doesn't try to herd the children (he tried when a pup, but I told him to knock it off), but he herds the chickens, and if he is snoozing and hears me shoo them away from the garden gate he's right there to make them go to a different part of the yard. :D Like another poster, he tried herding the cats once. Our fat cat just sat down and stared at him; our cranky cat swatted him. He doesn't do that any more.

 

He's a mutt, but almost certainly at least one herding breed (Australian Shepherd), and probably two.

 

Cat

 

[Lanny]

We  have a GS female and I owned Old English Sheepdogs for about 25 years. I think any breed that is in the "Herding" group

 

http://www.akc.org/breeds/herding_group.cfm

 

would tend to do this. Also, breeds that are in the "Working" group would probably do it. Those breeds are truly devoted to their families. I remember reading, many years ago, about an Old English Sheepdog who saved the life of the child it was protecting. The dog died, but the child was OK. We also had a Samoyed female (she had to be put to sleep a few months ago) and she was very accommodating to the Toy Pinchers who used her as a mattress.

[AmyontheFarm]

We had a german shepherd/lab mix when my eldest was a toddler.  I would sometimes have 6 toddlers here at the farm at once when all the cousins came at the same time.  Mike our dog would herd them back to the blanket so they would play.  He never nipped the kids, he would gently nudge them with his head in the right direction.  It was awesome for us Moms because the kids could never get far! LOL

 

However, that dog was also a working farm dog.  Mike would go bring in the cows only if my husband was around to tell him to do so.  Otherwise, he wouldn't run the cows around the pasture.  But if hubby would tell him to "go get those cows", he would head to the back of the field and then start barking.  Those cows would high tail it literally to the barn, their tails up in the air, running for their lives.  Which ever cow was slowest had the privilege of Mike biting onto it's tail and hanging off of it's tail all the way to the barn.  You could bet which cow would be the first one in the barn the next milking.

 

Unfortunately, Mike also liked hubcaps.

[Lady Florida.]

I think it's common with herding breeds. We have a Shetland Sheepdog who loves to try and herd children and cats. Yes cats. They don't cooperate. ;)

[kewb]

We had German shepards when I was a kid and yes they herded us.

[gardenmom5]

ds's girlfriend has GSD and klee kai's.  the klee kai's may be small - but they are VERY bossy!

 

I love GSD.  we had one who was so wonderful.  she put up with so much from the kids - except pulling her tail.  even then, all she did was grab their hand and stared them down until they let go.  she didn't even leave marks.  she was always aware of what they were doing, and always near by.

[momacacia]

She will routinely make the rounds to make sure that everybody is safe and doing what they should be doing.

THIS is exactly what I need! If I put the school assignment list in her mouth, could she point to the next item on the list and wave it in front of the children?

[1GirlTwinBoys]

Well . . . they are herding dogs.  And in general dogs tend to do what's in their genes.  ;)

 

 

Yeah, I know they're herding dogs, but didn't know if it's typical for them to do that with children.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I do believe if he had not been corralled by his owner, the kids would have been gathered in a very small area in 15 minutes, tops!  Like a PP upthread, I do believe that darned collie could have run soccer practice!

 

So funny!

[Erin]

Well livestock is the preference, but in the absence of that, they'll improvise. ;)

[mamajag]

My two GSD mixes herded the kids in this way, and our new purebred GSD keeps an eye on them but only herds them if a stranger comes up or if they get so spread out that she can't see them all. She's only 5 months old but will give a good nip if the kids try to approach a stranger without me present in the yard with them.

 

It's in their genes. Trying to stop them from doing it is pointless. I have taught her to nip at them instead of actually nipping them by giving the "nice mouth" command.

[Pawz4me]

 

Yeah, I know they're herding dogs, but didn't know if it's typical for them to do that with children.

 

 

 

Well livestock is the preference, but in the absence of that, they'll improvise. ;)

 

 

My two GSD mixes herded the kids in this way, and our new purebred GSD keeps an eye on them but only herds them if a stranger comes up or if they get so spread out that she can't see them all. She's only 5 months old but will give a good nip if the kids try to approach a stranger without me present in the yard with them.

 

It's in their genes. Trying to stop them from doing it is pointless. I have taught her to nip at them instead of actually nipping them by giving the "nice mouth" command.

 

 

Yep.  I have a Brittany (a bird pointing dog).  When birds aren't available he'll point grasshoppers, butterflies, bees . .  anything that moves.

[Lizzie in Ma]

We have an Aussie Shepherd.  If it moves, she herds it, cats, kids, chickens, everything.  It's in their nature.

[LisaKinVA]

No, she doesn't...but she does need to watch them, and is very nervous about their jumping in the pool (especially Boo).  She loves the water, but if we're in the pool, she is running around it trying to protect us.  If we're outside (not in the pool), it's just play time for her. 

[celticmom]

My Belgian Malnois puts herself between any strangers and dd. She also likes to herd the chickens. They are not nearly as fond of this activity.

[hepatica]

My Belgian Malnois puts herself between any strangers and dd. She also likes to herd the chickens. They are not nearly as fond of this activity.

 

I love the Malinois! I once knew a great police dog that was a Malinois. We used to joke that he was like a GSD on speed!

[Jann in TX]

My male GSD's have been very protective (insisiting to be between us and any stranger)-- but not really into 'herding'.

 

My females (black/tan GSD-corgi mix and current female white GSD-lab mix) had/have herding thing down!

Our first female (GSD-corgi) was the perfect baby sitter.  Oldest dd was a sleepwalker for a few years.  One night we woke to soft barking and found the dog blocking/herding oldest dd (age 9) who was completely NEKKED and standing on our front porch at 2am!  Said dog got an extra treat for that one!

 

Both females have had zero tolerance for bickering-- sounding an alert any time they determine the girls are getting out of hand at their play-- and will move in to 'separate' the deviants!.

 

Current female sleeps at the foot of my bed.  Any time I'm out an about in the house after 11pm she tries her best to herd me to the bedroom so SHE can get some sleep! 

Our current male sleeps across the entrance to the hallway-- it is impossible get past him (from either direction) without him knowing-- and he insists on a TOLL--- rub his tummy or run the risk of getting tripped (he is 130pounds and huge!) At least he is solid white and all but glows in the dark...  He also blocks the entrance to our home theater room when we are in there (dark carpet so no dogs allowed)-- we have to 'pay the toll' when we want out!

 

 

[shawthorne44]

"Pay the toll"  I wish I could Like that one twice.  

[Happy]

I raised GSDs when my own sons were little. I remember sitting out in the front yard with my son who was crawling and my very pregnant female GSD. My son would not stay on the sidewalk by the porch like my dog wanted him to...she nudged and blocked for a long time...she looked up at me as if to say 'this is your pup. Come take care of it...' I picked him up and she relaxed.

 

She was a great kid dog--super valiant, super gentle. That son learned to walk by holding on to her collar.

 

I miss that dog in particular and GSDs in general.