James,
As Jim says, the idea is not to chase the sheep and take them down. The idea is to move them always with the dog under control. Unfortunately, the better herding breeds are the ones that make the sheep feel that if they don't do move the way the dog wants, the dog will eat them. Border Collies, Shelties, Aussies are all very high-prey-drive breeds and that's why they're good at Herding.

For me, allowing my dogs to do what they were bred to do is exhilarating. Watching Rotties herd stock -- not only sheep but cattle and ducks -- is an amazing demonstration of control and instinct. Does the stock get stressed in these situations? Sure. But so does the dog and the handler. The stress is the same as with any game and the reward is you get fed and allowed to do it again. Dogs that are too aggressive toward the stock do not get allowed back in the competition until they demonstrate that they are under complete control.

I watch those same Herding breeds run Agility and I assure you they are not calm and laid back. They are at a very high stress level which drives them to perform at a very high level of both speed and accuracy. Should I be concerned about putting the dogs under stress in this type of environment?

The stock that is used in Herding Trials has been bred for this type of activity. They understand their role and they understand that's how they get fed. They are not "wild" sheep that get pulled away from the pasture to endure a day of getting chased by dogs.

I understand the concern for the safety and "emotional well-being" of the stock. But that's what they do for a living. I doubt they are any more stressed than the dogs and and handlers.

An area of ambivalence for me is Schutzhund training which involves bite work. Another thing that Rotties have been bred for is protection and police work. When you watch a Rottie (or German Shepherd) working at a Schutzhund event, you'll see an amazing level of control in tracking, jumping, retrieving and, of course, capturing a fleeing person. If taught properly, the bite work is really just a game played at a very high level. The key to bite work is not the bite -- believe me you don't have to teach any dog to bite and certainly not the dogs that do protection work. The key is the release: these dogs must always release the victim on command. No exceptions. The best examples I've seen have been the decoy (they guy with the sleeve) walking back from the field after the exercise with the dog running beside him carrying the sleeve. The decoy is the dog's playmate and the sleeve is the toy.

Now, I don't do Schutzhund with my guys. In this age of Breed-Specific legislation and dogs that have to live in total harmony in very populated social environments, the concept of teaching bite work just doesn't play for me. Besides, I've always thought that Rowdy would look pretty silly carrying that sleeve home and sleeping with it. But I understand the sport and admire the dogs that can be trained to do it well.

Getting involved in sports with your dog is a complicated issue because in all cases you put some animal under stress -- most often the dog. If not stressing animals is important to you, then you might want to consider keeping them home on the couch and never allowing them to push themselves in any performance area. Because whether you are the chaser or the chasee, there is stress.

I personally enjoy seeing my guys work in Herding. The boys tend to be very non-aggressive and tend to work under control most of the time. It's amazing to watch them figure out how to move the herd from 10 feet away by just moving a few inches one way or the other. In fact, Sundance thinks we should get our own herd. He thinks the sheep would make great friends and would be cheaper than mowing the lawn !

Jim