Printable sheet
Sheepdog watching the flock from a grassy hill as sheep graze among trees and meadows. A detailed farm printable for kids and adults; free PDF download.
Printable sheet
Free for personal and educational use
Download PDFPrintA long-haired collie lying in the foreground with a long muzzle, eyes locked on a group of sheep grazing near some trees.
Color the collie brown and white and the sheep in cream tones.
Count the sheep in the flock and make sure the dog has not lost any.
Some border collies have learned the names of hundreds of different toys.
A sheepdog watching the flock is a scene as old as farming itself. For thousands of years, shepherds have worked alongside dogs that help them gather, move and protect their animals across hills and pastures. In this picture, a long-haired collie is not letting a single sheep out of its sight.
Herding dogs have a special instinct: they want to keep the group together. They circle the sheep in wide arcs, crouch low, stare them down and creep forward to steer them without causing panic. They follow whistles and words from the shepherd that mean left, right, stop or go.
There are two main kinds of sheepdogs. Herders like collies and Australian shepherds move the livestock, while guardian breeds like the Great Pyrenees protect flocks from coyotes and wolves. Guardian dogs grow up among the sheep from puppyhood and treat them like family.
Many herding dogs now live in towns and cities and still carry that instinct. Some try to round up kids at a party or chase bikes down the street. They need lots of exercise and brain games, like dog sports or hide-and-seek with toys, to feel useful and happy.
