A "working sheepdog" is a dog that is trained to help manage and guide sheep on a farm. They are trained to follow commands from their shepherd and use their instincts to keep the sheep together and guide them in the right direction. Full definition
The breed distribution and frequency of mdr1 - 1 have applications in veterinary medicine and selective breeding, whereas the allele's history recounts the emergence of formally recognized breeds from an admixed population of working sheepdogs. (awca.net)
The International Sheep Dog Society maintains no standard for working sheepdogs, operating on the premise that the proof is in the pudding. (ashgi.org)
For example, the AKC registers more than a dozen breeds of herding dogs but the only working sheepdog breeds in the US are the two whose parent clubs have fought AKC recognition in order to preserve the working qualities of their dogs. (canismajor.com)