The Gaucho Sheepdog ( pt, Ovelheiro gaúcho) is a

dog breed A dog breed is a particular strain of dog that was purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, such as herding, hunting, and guarding. Dogs are the most variable mammal on Earth, with artificial selection producing around 450 globally ...

that originated in the

Pampas The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazil ...

, Brazil.Guia de Bichos: Ovelheiro Gaúcho

The breed is not recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), but it has been recognized by the CBKC, a Brazilian kennel club affiliated with FCI.Gaucho sheepdog breed standard by the CBKC
Dogs of this breed are often characterized as sturdy and agile, which makes them suitable for herding activities. The Gaucho sheepdog is widely used for herding sheep and other livestock, especially in the southern region of Brazil.

History

The Gaucho Sheepdog was discovered in

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

by shepherds in search of dogs with better herding abilities. There are two theories for the origin of the breed. The older and more widespread theory argues that the Gaucho Sheepdog descends from herding dogs (unspecific breed) in Rio Grande do Sul. This theory is based on the physical and behavioral characteristics of the breed, as well as historical context. The breed bears similarities to the

Border Collie The Border Collie is a Scottish breed of herding dog of medium size. Widely considered to be the most intelligent dog breed, they are descended from landrace sheepdogs once found all over the British Isles, but became standardised in the Angl ...

and

Rough Collie The Rough Collie (also known as the Long-Haired Collie) is a long-coated dog breed of medium to large size that, in its original form, was a type of collie used and bred for herding sheep in Scotland. More recent breeding has focused on the Co ...

breeds that arrived with European settlers in the 19th and 20th century to herd farm animals such as cattle, horses, and sheep. The Border Collie likely arrived in the municipality of

Uruguaiana Uruguaiana is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located on the eastern shore of the Uruguay River bordering Argentina. Opposite to Uruguaiana, and joined to it by a road/railway bridge, lies the Argentine city of P ...

in Rio Grande do Sul in the 1950s, along with a herd of Australian

Merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

sheep. Subsequently, these dogs were introduced in

Pelotas Pelotas () is a Brazilian city and municipality (''município''), the third most populous in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located 270 km (168 mi) from Porto Alegre, the state's capital city, and 130 km (80.8&nb ...

city. The Rough Collies first arrived at the end of the 19th century with European immigrants, then later in the early 20th century. In addition to arriving with their European owners, this breed was also imported by farmers who wanted to modernize herd management techniques on their ranches. As a result of a recent historical, morphological, and behavioral study of the breed, a second origin theory developed. This hypothesis posits that the Gaucho Sheepdog descended from the herding dogs (unspecific breed) in the region, as well as the

Estrela Mountain Dog The Estrela Mountain Dog ( pt, cão da Serra da Estrela) is a large breed of dog from the Estrela Mountains of Portugal bred to guard herds and homesteads. It is "one of the oldest breeds in the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Penin ...

, and

German Shepherd The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for he ...

. Both theories conclude that the herding breeds, upon arriving in this region, underwent genetic selection. Dogs with sheep herding aptitude were bred selectively to meet demand from gaucho cowboys seeking herding dogs. A new breed emerged in a short time: the Gaucho Sheepdog, with a phenotype more adapted to the climate and geography of the region and a temperament more adapted to the needs of the local cowboys, maintaining an excellent aptitude for sheep herding.

Appearance

Morphologically, Gaucho Sheepdogs are similar to Border Collies, but they move differently when they are shepherding. Their size and height are medium, larger than Border Collies and a little bit smaller than Collies. Their coats are of moderate length, with or without an undercoat, in various colors.

Temperament

This breed is not known to be aggressive. Gaucho Sheepdogs are seen as good

watchdog Watchdog or watch dog may refer to: Animals *Guard dog, a dog that barks to alert its owners of an intruder's presence * Portuguese Watch Dog, Cão de Castro Laboreiro, a dog breed * Moscow Watchdog, a breed of dog that was bred in the Soviet U ...

candidates since they are alert to strange noises, although they seldom attack intruders. They are smart dogs and learn commands quickly, and they are not aggressive with their herds. These dogs are known to co-exist happily with humans, as they are docile and friendly.

Bibliography

* Marcos Pennacchi, Revista ''Cães & Cia'' nº 293, Editora Forix, 2003. * Andrea Calmon, Almanaque ''Cães & Raças'' 2009, Editora On Line, 2009.

References

External links

Gaucho Sheepdog breed standard
nbsp;- CBKC
Reluta Kennel
{{Pastoral dogs Dog breeds originating in Brazil Herding dogs Rare dog breeds