Animal herding has existed since the beginning of time. People found that there were many animals that could provide a lot of different uses for mankind and the development of societies. At one point, animals such as cows were considered money. It was something that kept its value, and that could be exchanged for goods or services.
The only problem there was that often cows accounted for a higher value than something else that the owner wanted in return. Dividing the cow did not provide a real solution because carrying all those steaks around wasn’t that practical.
Soon enough, the cows and other herding animals stopped being used for money and were used only as sources of food. This often presented another problem: how do you get these animals, have them eat, and go from point A to point B? This is where herders came into play. They would usually be strong men that could watch over the animals when they ate, while at the same time being alert in case someone or some animal wanted to get to the animals.
Some herders used other animals to help them. One of the animals they most frequently used was the dog. There were many breeds developed for this purpose. One of them being the old Roman Mastiff. This was a breed that was also used for war. This animal would be the foundation of what we know today as the Rottweiler. It was a powerful animal that could be both a deterrent for thieves and a good, reliable herding dog.
There were other breeds that were used as herding dogs and were named ‘shepherds,’ like the German Shepherd, Australian Shepherd, and so on. These animals gave such reliable results that they are still used today. The men in charge of these herds would often have a calling sound they would use to call the herd. This call was not successful all the time, and that’s why they needed the dogs.
The lady in the following video is clearly the exception. First of all, she doesn’t look like any herder I’ve ever seen. Second, the minute she starts singing an old Viking song, something magical happens. It’s like the cows know the ancient language, or some old genes are woken up because they immediately react to it. And it’s not a trick because you can clearly see it’s only her, the person who is recording, and the cows. This is something that will blow your mind.
