Did you know that the Belgian Laekenois originated as a dog for herding sheep at the Royal Castle of Laeken?

Dogs resembling the Finnish Lapphund are believed to have existed as far back as 7,000 years ago.

"The Finnish Lapphund breed has its origins as a reindeer herder of the Sami people. The Sami are an indigenous people residing in areas now divided between Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Russia. Traditionally, reindeer herding has been very important for the Sami people, and they are still involved in herding today."

[Wikipedia]

In Hungary the puli has an important teammate, the similar but larger komondor, and together they were essential for shepherds to herd and protect their livestock. The puli usually acts as the main herder, but will alert the komondor of predators by barking so that he can scare or even fight them off.

The Puli is an ancient sheepdog, from Hungary, introduced by the migration of the Magyars from Central Asia more than one-thousand-years ago. Nomadic shepherds of the Hungarian plains valued these herding dogs, paying as much as a year's salary for a Puli.

Did you know that Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs were traditionally used to guard and herd livestock, as well as a farm sentinel? Their popularity as a draft dog led to the nickname, "the poor man's horse."