Do dairy farmers use dogs for the herding of dairy cows?
Some farmers do use dogs for herding their dairy cows, while on other farms, dogs are not used for herding but are always important companions to farmers and their family.
Last updated 17/01/2024
Dairy cows are typically milked twice a day for about 10 months continuously during each lactation and usually have multiple lactations during their life. Their normal routine is to walk between the dairy and their grazing/resting areas for each milking.
On most Australian dairy farms, the cows graze in paddocks and walk to and from the dairy along purpose-built tracks. As cows are 'creatures of habit' they quickly get used to the routine and readily walk back and forth.
Typically, the farmer will drive into the paddock to signal to the cows that it is milking time and follow them to the dairy. Some farmers use dogs to help this process, which can be very useful on hilly farms with areas hard to access with vehicles. As the dairy cows know the process and are generally placid, the dogs mostly just tag along behind. After milking the cows are usually free to walk back to their grazing area at their own leisure.
All Australian farmers are governed by the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle, which includes requirements that dogs must be under effective control at all times when handling cattle.
For a dairy cow to produce high levels of milk and to release the milk at milking time she needs to be well cared for and not stressed. Because of this, many farmers choose to use only very well trained dogs, or do not use dogs at all.
Dogs on dairy farms also provide important companionship to farmers.
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