Traditional French
herding practices generally have involved close daily contact of sheep,
shepherd and dogs. Predators remained a greater threat and there was
less enclosing of fields in comparison to parts of Great Britain. During
the grazing season of spring, summer and fall, a shepherd and his dog or
dogs accompanied the sheep to their pasture for the day and brought them
back to an enclosure or stable for the night. During the winter, the
sheep were kept at the fold and given fodder.
Conditions vary
throughout France, and herding practices likewise have varied. In the
mountains of western and southern France, while sheep have daily contact
with dog and shepherd, being taken from stables out to pasture and back
again, they are not as closely supervised as is the case with the sheep
in the more populated and cultivated plains. In the mountains, flocks
are allowed to spread out more; the close grazing practiced on the
plains would be too intense for the vegetation there.
In the mountain
regions, single dogs often are used, although two or even three may be
used with very large flocks. The dog may work at great distances from
the shepherd, even out of sight. The terrain can be rough and fog
frequent. There may be periods when the dog may be relatively inactive,
but it must always remain at hand, ready for any eventuality. It will be
called upon to seek out strays, regroup, gather and redirect the flock,
or hold the flock as the shepherd milks the ewes.
Herding practices
in the mountains have remained little changed, although the transhumance
-- seasonal migration between winter and summer pastures -- is now more
often accomplished by truck. A few shepherds still make the journey on
foot, taking several days to reach their destination.
The plains regions
of central France, with more crops and people, necessitated a more
controlled and precise usage of grazing land. Large flocks of sheep
would be taken out daily along roads, past unfenced fields, to a grazing
area which might be marginal land or a field being rested from crop
production. In the east near the German border, the sheep might be
stabled at night in buildings in a village. Toward central France, the
sheep would be kept at a farmstead out in the country. In the practice
called "grazing to the square," the close-flocking sheep would be kept
in a compact group, with each section of the field being thoroughly
grazed down before the sheep were allowed to move to an adjacent area.
In many cases, there also would be nearby fields of crops from which the
sheep needed to be kept.
In these
conditions, two dogs often are used. One, called the "foot dog," "hand
dog," "dog of the man," works in close cooperation with the shepherd,
remaining near the shepherd for the most part and being sent out as
needed. A second dog, the "dog at a distance" or "border dog," controls
the side of the flock furthest from the shepherd. This was a dog which
was very experienced, enduring and capable of great initiative, which
had been given additional training for its job by being walked along the
edge it was to guard. If the sheep are content to graze in place, the
dog may stand or lie down. Should the sheep attempt to trespass on a
nearby crop, the dog would patrol that side and keep the sheep where
they belonged. Some dogs doing this work might run nearly 80 to 90
kilometers a day. Therefore, it is preferable for the dog pace itself so
as to conserve its energy.
Although some "foot
dogs" may eventually be trained as "boundary dogs," it is common for the
dogs to remain in their particular jobs for their careers. When moving
the flock from one area to another, or when doing general farm work,
however, both dogs work similarly. They take various positions relative
to the flock (behind, beside, or in front) as needed, actively fetching,
moving and directing the sheep. With the largest flocks, a third dog
might be used.
This type of
herding is diminishing, the regions where it was most often practiced
becoming more devoted to cereal crops. This has left less land for
grazing, and the use of chemicals in weed control and interfered with
the use of marginal land.
A less common
method of handling sheep, occurring as a local custom, was to keep the
sheep in movable pens. During the good season, sheep were kept outdoors
day and night in a mobile enclosure which the shepherd moved twice each
day. The shepherd and dog spent the night near the pen. The dog's
primary job was to keep watch and to keep the sheep contained as the
shepherd moved the fence. Three sides of the pen would be moved at a
time, with once fence remaining in place.
In the days before
motorized transport, dogs also served as drover's dogs, taking livestock
of all kinds to market and working at the pens. The drover's dog had to
handle stock that could be stubborn or fearful, separated from its
normal routine, moving the animals along briskly through crowded towns.
In recent decades
there has been an increase in the keeping of sheep in enclosed pastures,
in the "open air," as is common in Great Britain.
In France, the
shepherd often leads the flock, or may be beside or behind it, depending
on the circumstances. To collect the flock, the dog is sent around the
flock to regroup it and bring it to the shepherd. When being taken out
on the road, the sheep often are moved in long columns. In open areas
and areas of less traffic, or with smaller flocks, the sheep are allowed
to bunch up. The dog may work along the side of the flock, especially
when moving a large flock in a lengthened formation, or may push from
behind. Occasionally the dog will be sent to the front to stop or slow
the flock. Changing sides may be done at the rear or at the front. The
dog works in various positions as needed, both to command and on its own
initiative. Practicality and doing what needs to be done according to
the circumstances are repeatedly mentioned by French shepherds.
When a car passes a
flock on the road, the dog should squeeze the flock to the right side of
the road in the direction it is travelling, especially if a car is
overtaking the flock from behind. When a car approaches from the front,
the car often halts as the flock is taken by. In some cases, the flock
may be stopped while the car drives past. On the routes of the
transhumance, where traffic is sparse and flocks may number up to
several thousand, the shepherd may simply walk through the flock in
front of the car, forcing a passage.
In most work, a lot
of barking is not desired. Where the sheep jam up at a narrow passage,
however, the dog may bark to help move the flock, or even jump onto the
backs of the leaders to shift them.
Nipping should only
be used when needed, with the preferred locations being the lower hind
leg and, on an adult sheep being especially obstreperous, the upper
neck, in which case the dog may take a very brief hold. A restrained
"blow of the teeth" on the side may also be acceptable, providing the
dog does not nip too hard or take hold. The dog must not be too rough,
but at the same time, it must be capable of using force or the sheep may
learn they can overpower it.
Training methods
differ from shepherd to shepherd. A common sequence of French training,
according to a French training manual and other sources, may go
something like this: beginning around three or four months of age, the
young dog receives basic obedience training to come, down, remain in
place, walk on lead, etc. At around 8 or 9 months, the dog may be taken
to sheep. It is first kept on lead, and its early exposures monitored.
It may be taken into a small pen and allowed to move around the sheep a
bit, under supervision. As time goes on, the young dog is taught
commands for going ahead, returning, for moving to the right and to the
left. Regrouping is practiced, as are: holding the animals against a
fence or hedge or up to the shepherd; going to the head of a moving
flock and stopping it; getting sheep moving through a difficult passage.
According to the situation in which the dog will be working, further
training is given for road work and for elements relating to mountain,
plains or enclosed pasture work. Some shepherds use a more experienced
dog to help train a young dog, but this isn't overdone or the dog might
pick up any bad habits of the older dog or come to rely too much on the
older dog.
In addition to the
herding breeds traditionally bred in France -- the Pyrenean Shepherd,
Beauceron, Briard, Picardy Shepherd, and local, rare strains,
occasionally Rough Collies, Belgian Sheepdogs, and German Shepherds have
been used. More frequently now, the Border Collie is seen. The Border
Collie is differentiated from the other breeds by its characteristic
"eye" and tendency to work further off the sheep. Some have felt that
Border Collies were not always forceful enough for sheep of the
traditional flocks, and have considered the breed to be particularly
suitable for use with sheep kept in enclosed fields, which are flightier
as a result of receiving less daily handling. There is not, however, a
practice of separating breeds as to use or training. Border Collies and
native breeds receive the same general kinds of training and are used
for the same herding tasks.
In France, sheep
are raised for milk, meat and wool. There are numerous small flocks of
50 to 60 animals as part of a farming estate where cattle and crops are
also raised; larger flocks of up to 300 - 400 animals in the
cheese-producing regions; and flocks of 1,000 to 2,000 in the areas
where transhumance is practiced. Large flocks may belong to one
shepherd, or a shepherd with a smaller flock may contract to care for
flocks belonging to several individuals. In addition to their work with
sheep, dogs also are used to work goats, cattle and large flocks of
geese.
In the last 20
years, stock management methods have evolved and intensified. There are
more expenses and fewer people involved in agricultural work. The
services of herding dogs are in good demand in France.
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Linda Rorem
e-mail Pacifica19@aol.com