Sheepdogs Just Follow Two Simple Rules to Lead the Pack

First Posted: Aug 27, 2014 12:39 PM EDT
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Sheepdogs know a thing or two about taking charge and leading the pack. Now, recent findings show that all these guys do is follow two simple rules.

For the first time, scientists at Swansea University in the United Kingdom used GPS technology to take a look at how sheepdogs are so proficient at their herding jobs. Prior to this research, many had been uncertain how these dogs could get sheep to move in numbers with such ease.

Researchers fattened the sheep and a sheepdog with backpacks that contained the GPS devices and measured their "mathematical shepherding model." Forty-six female merino sheep dogs were studied across 12 acres of land.

Researchers found that dogs simply follow two rules to get things going. First off, they bind the sheep together by weaving in and out of the pack from side-to-side. Secondly, once the sheep have been properly aggregated, the dogs work to propel them forward.

"It basically sees white, fluffy things in front of it," said Andrew King of Swansea University in Wales, via Discovery News.

"If you watch sheepdogs rounding up sheep, the dog weaves back and forth behind the flock in exactly the way that we see in the model," King added. "We had to think about what the dog could see to develop our model. It basically sees white, fluffy things in front of it. If the dog sees gaps between the sheep, or the gaps are getting bigger, the dog needs to bring them together."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

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