McNab Shepherd | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Other names | McNab Stock Dog McNab Collie McNab Sheepdog McNab Herding Dog | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Origin | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Breed status | Not recognized as a breed by any major kennel club. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dog ( domestic dog ) |
The McNab Dog, also called the McNab Shepherd or McNab Collie is a herding dog that originated in Hopland, Mendocino County, Northern California. The McNab was bred to withstand the tough conditions found in California such as heat, burrs, foxtails, and rugged terrain. Until recently, the McNab was little known outside California, but in last three decades have seen a gain in popularity and geographic dispersal of the breed.
The appearance of the McNab can vary considerably. The dog is medium-sized with females standing 16–21 inches at the shoulder and weighing 30–50 pounds and males standing 18–25 inches at the shoulder and weighing 35–65 pounds. The dogs have a variety of ear sets from pricked ears to floppy ears and everything in between. Tails are either short (bobbed naturally or mechanically) or long. McNabs come in colors of black, red, blonde, blue, lilac and sable with variations of solid, added white or added white and tan (tri colored). Their eyes are set well apart, almond shaped, and brown, hazel, or copper colored. The McNab coat is close, dense and weather resistant. They can have a slick single short coat, a short double coat, or a medium length single coat, but their fur is never long. One of the distinctive features of the McNab is their cat-like feet, which contribute to their agility. [1]
The McNab is currently not recognized as a standardized breed by any major kennel club, including the American Kennel Club (AKC).
In 2014, a group of McNab Shepherd breeders and enthusiasts established the McNab Shepherd Registry (MSR). According to the MSR, their goal is to continue the betterment, advancement and welfare of the McNab Shepherd. The MSR is what is known as a "founding registry" because they exclusively utilize discovered genetic markers and DNA verification for registration.
Beginning in 2014, the MSR worked with Mars Veterinary on a study in an attempt to establish a unique genetic signature for the McNab Shepherd. Samples collected from McNabs across the United States were evaluated for their genetic signature and found to support the creation of a unique breed signature for the McNab. Additionally, the tested dogs were also evaluated for certain physical traits and over 100 disease-causing mutations to help establish a baseline for these in the McNab population. [2]
McNab Shepherds require more daily physical exercise and mental stimulation than many other breeds. A working McNab frequently runs for miles a day, using its herding skills to control livestock, and they can become restless if isolated or neglected. Unlike some other herding breeds, McNabs are not hyperactive. Providing a McNab has plenty of exercise, it is content to nap at its owner's side with a watchful and protective eye.
McNabs often bond tightly to their family members, including other household pets. They have a keen sense of territory and seldom wander away from home. They are also more likely to defend their territory and family members than many of the more sensitive herding breeds.
McNabs can be assertive and demanding, and they do best with guardians who are firm, consistent and skilled in positive dog training methods that don't trigger the McNabs instinct to push back against obstacles. Highly intelligent and quick to learn, the McNab needs to exercise its brain as much as its body. Families considering a McNab for a pet will need to set aside plenty of time to spend with their dog. [3]
McNabs are hardy dogs with no breed specific health problems. Their average life span is 13–15 years.
McNab dogs may carry the MDR1 mutant gene and can be very sensitive to Ivermectin, which is a common ingredient in heartworm prevention medications. This drug and others can cause serious health problems or even death. [4] A DNA test that demonstrates whether a dog has the mutation is available through the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The test can be completed by sending them a cheek swab through the mail. [5]
McNabs have a loose-eyed herding style and tend to work more independently than many herding breeds. They are skilled at both heading and heeling stock, meaning they can turn stock from the front or get behind stock and drive them forward. Originally bred to herd sheep, stock handlers quickly discovered that the McNabs bold nature and working abilities made them ideal for herding cattle. McNabs are also used for herding geese, goats, llamas and gathering horses in from the pasture. Renowned for their incredible endurance, McNabs have been known to cover over a hundred miles a day driving their herds. [6]
McNabs are becoming increasingly popular in the world of dog sports. Their outstanding athletic prowess and agility coupled with high intelligence make them ideal competitors. McNabs are now competing successfully in agility trials, dock diving, disc dog competitions, herding, lure coursing, dog sledding, skijoring and flyball. They are also exceptional competitors in barn hunt and nose work. Many ranchers are competing with McNabs in the relatively new sport of Ranch Dog Herding where dog and handler on horseback work as a team herding three head of cattle through five obstacles and then into a stock trailer. [7]
The McNabs reputation as an indefatigable "all-weather" dog is also opening up a new avenue of work for the dog: Search and Rescue. Currently McNabs are working as evidence search dogs, cadaver dogs, archaeology dogs, and area search dogs for missing persons. Where many other breeds have to be pulled off the search because the dog is tiring, the only limitation for the McNab is the energy of its handler.
In addition to the above activities, McNabs are now becoming more common as service dogs, demonstrating sensitivity to the medical and psychological needs of humans.
Alexander McNab left his native Scotland in the late 19th century, homesteading his 10,000 acre sheep ranch located in the Sanel Rancho, which later became Hopland, California. Looking to develop a herding dog that could handle the rough conditions on his ranch. McNab aptly called his dogs "McNab Shepherds".
In the early 1900s, the elder McNab passed the ranch down to his youngest son, John McNab, an attorney and stockman who reinvigorated his father's breeding style. Refinement of the McNab Shepherd continued and additional dogs were imported from Scotland for breeding and ranching purposes. [8]
Over time, the McNab dogs proved to be supreme herding dogs which California ranchers came to depend on with confidence. Now the breed is spreading across the United States and Canada with a few McNabs working as stock dogs in Germany and some sporting McNabs as far away as Japan.
The Australian Kelpie, or simply Kelpie, is an Australian sheepdog capable of mustering and droving with little or no guidance. It is a medium-sized dog and comes in a variety of colours. The Kelpie has been exported throughout the world and is used to muster livestock, primarily sheep, cattle and goats.
The Border Collie is a 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 Anglo-Scottish border region. They are now mostly used as working dogs to herd livestock, specifically sheep.
The Catahoula Leopard Dog is an American dog breed named after Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. It became the state dog of Louisiana in 1979. It is recognized by the United Kennel Club under the name Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog, while the American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service calls it Catahoula Leopard Dog. Both registries have assigned the breed a herding group designation, although it has traditionally been used in hunting feral boars.
The Shetland Sheepdog, often known as the Sheltie, is a breed of herding dog that originated in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The original name was Shetland Collie, but this caused controversy amongst Rough Collie breeders of the time, so the breed's name was formally changed. This diligent small dog is clever, vocal, excitable and willing to please. They are incredibly trustworthy to their owners to the point where they are often referred to as "shadows" due to their attachment to family. This breed was formally recognized by The Kennel Club (UK) in 1909.
The Australian Cattle Dog (ACD), or simply Cattle Dog, is a breed of herding dog originally developed in Australia for droving cattle over long distances across rough terrain. This breed is a medium-sized, short-coated dog that occurs in two main colour forms. It has either red or black hair distributed fairly evenly through a white coat, which gives the appearance of a "red" or "blue" dog.
A herding dog, also known as a stock dog, shepherd dog, sheep dog or working dog, is a type of dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to breeds that are developed for herding.
Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many types have a distinctive white color over the shoulders. Collies are very active and agile, and most types of collies have a very strong herding instinct. Collie breeds have spread through many parts of the world, and have diversified into many varieties, sometimes mixed with other dog types.
The Australian Shepherd is a breed of herding dog from the United States. The name of the breed is technically a misnomer, as it was developed in California in the 19th century, although it has its origins in Asturias, in the northwest of Spain; the breed was unknown in Australia at the time. It is claimed that Australian Shepherds descend from a variety of herding breeds, including collies imported, alongside sheep, from Australia and New Zealand; the breed reportedly took its name from this trade. Originally used solely as a herding dog, the Australian Shepherd has become one of the most popular companion dog breeds in North America.
The Rough 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 Collie as a show dog, and also companion. The breed specifications call for a distinctive long narrow tapered snout and tipped (semiprick) ears, so some dogs have their ears taped when young. Rough Collies generally come in shades of sable and white, blue merle, tri-colored, and colour-headed white.
The Bouvier des Flandres is a herding dog breed originating in Flanders, Belgium. They were originally used for general farm work including cattle droving, sheep herding, and cart pulling, and nowadays as guard dogs and police dogs, as well as being kept as pets. The French name of the breed means, literally, "Cow Herder of Flanders", referring to the Flemish origin of the breed. Other names for the breed are Toucheur de Boeuf, Vlaamse Koehond, and Vuilbaard.
The Koolie is an Australian dog breed. The Koolie is a working or herding dog which has existed in Australia since the early 19th century when it was bred from imported British working dogs. Robert Kaleski, in an article on Cattle Dogs in the August 1903 issue of the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, describes the "Welsh heeler or merle, erroneously known as the German collie," as a "blue-gray dog about the size and build of a smooth-haired collie, generally with wall eyes." The British background predominated in the dogs that came to be associated with the "German collie" name.
The Old English Sheepdog is a large breed of dog that emerged in England from early types of herding dog. Obsolete names for the breed include Shepherd's Dog and bob-tailed sheep-dog. The nickname Bob-tail originates from how dogs of the breed traditionally had their tails docked. Old English Sheepdogs can grow very long coats with fur covering the face and eyes and do not shed unless brushed.
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The Pumi is a medium-small breed of sheep dog from Hungary. They are versatile stock dogs equally adept at gathering, driving and keeping stock under control. They have a long head with semi-erect ears, a whimsical expression, and a tail that forms a circle over the back. The coat is a combination of wavy and curly hair forming curls all over the body.
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The Lacy Dog or Blue Lacy Dog is a breed of working dog that originated in the State of Texas in the mid-19th century. The Lacy was first recognized in 2001 by the Texas Senate. In Senate Resolution No. 436, the 77th Legislature honored the Lacy as "a true Texas breed." In 2005, in House Concurrent Resolution No. 108, the 79th Legislature called the Lacy "a Texas original; the only dog breed to have originated in this state." In June 2005, Governor Rick Perry signed the legislation adopting the Blue Lacy as "the official State Dog Breed of Texas". As expected, the vast majority of Lacy dogs are found in Texas. However, as the breed becomes more recognized, breeding populations are being established across the United States, Canada, and most recently in Europe.
The Lapponian Herder is a breed of dog from Finland, one of three Lapphund breeds developed from a type of dog used by the Sami people for herding and guarding their reindeer.
The Schapendoes or Dutch Sheepdog, is a breed of dog originating in the Netherlands. The Schapendoes was originally a herding dog and general farm dog, but today also participates in dog sports such as agility and flyball.