DOGS FOR PROTECTION

In Europe dogs spend much of their lives with livestock

Iam always intrigued to see dogs working, even when the work has nothing to do with shooting or hunting. On recent trips to mountainous areas in Greece and Spain I’ve seen dogs working with cattle and flocks of sheep and goats, but not in the way you might expect. They aren’t shepherding dogs in the conventional sense of the word but they are independent dogs that live all the time with the flocks and herds, with little or no human supervision.

The dogs we come across in the UK are so human dependent that it comes as something of a shock to realise that these dogs spend much of their lives with only domestic livestock for company. They are protection dogs and their presence with the herds or flocks is to deter or repel attacks from bears or wolves. Of no particular breed, the one thing these dogs have in common is size for they are tall and heavily built. They are frequently equipped with heavily-spiked collars to protect them from wolves. The shepherd will check his flock three or four times a week, bringing food for the dogs when he does so. It is a reminder of how easy the lives of our own dogs are, with meals provided once or even twice a day. How much foraging these dogs do for themselves is intriguing, but they are certainly not averse to sharing picnics.

You might expect these dogs to be shy and aloof from human contact, regarding two-legged intruders to their territories as something to be suspicious about, but as a rule I have found them to be exceptionally friendly, keen to have their ears rubbed or neck scratched. These dogs raise lots of questions, few of which I can answer.

For a start, how do you train these animals? Secondly, when you see a flock of sheep and goats wandering along, invariably led by a dog with another dog somewhere behind — most flocks have at least two attendant dogs — who decides where the flock should go? Is it the dogs’ decision or do they simply follow the flock? If you know the answer then please do let me know.

In Spain dogs protect rather than shepherd