The Westerwälder Cowdog
by Dieter Seiwert
by Dieter Seiwert
The Westerwälder Cowdog (Kuhhund) is a very old German breed of cowherding dog. It evolved as a result of the ancient agricultural
use of the forest, which provided oak bark for the tanneries, firewood for the village, and forage for the farm animals. This way of forest management has been used since the Middle Ages and probably long before! A small piece of community forest was clearcut and then
left for about five years to regrow. After this period the farm-animals, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle, were herded and grazed on it. In the mountain regions in middle Germany, the Westerwald, Siegerland und Harz, the main use of these forest pastures was to feed the cows.
In this poor countryside the cow was "the working animal." Oxen were used only by the wealthier farmers, most farmwork was done by cows!
The average family kept seven to ten cows. All farmers were forced by law to keep all livestock in the community herd. These herds were tended by one herdsman, a helper, and one to two Westerwälder cowdogs. In spring, the herds would move along the cattledrifts -- pieces of unfarmed land along the roads and fields -- to the mountain pastures. In the morning, after milking, the herdsman would gather the herd and take the cows to the grazing grounds, getting them well fed, then move to resting areas where the cows could chew their cuds, then to water tanks, and in the afternoon the cows were herded slowly over the best grass back to town.
These herdsmen created a cowdog for the wet and windy mountains. This dog is now known as "the Westerwälder Cowdog." Its job was to prevent any damage to the crops and to control the herds, which in large towns could range up to 250 cows! There is written documentation about the use of cattle-herding dogs from 1460 up to 1980 in the Westerwald and Siegen regions.
use of the forest, which provided oak bark for the tanneries, firewood for the village, and forage for the farm animals. This way of forest management has been used since the Middle Ages and probably long before! A small piece of community forest was clearcut and then
left for about five years to regrow. After this period the farm-animals, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle, were herded and grazed on it. In the mountain regions in middle Germany, the Westerwald, Siegerland und Harz, the main use of these forest pastures was to feed the cows.
In this poor countryside the cow was "the working animal." Oxen were used only by the wealthier farmers, most farmwork was done by cows!
The average family kept seven to ten cows. All farmers were forced by law to keep all livestock in the community herd. These herds were tended by one herdsman, a helper, and one to two Westerwälder cowdogs. In spring, the herds would move along the cattledrifts -- pieces of unfarmed land along the roads and fields -- to the mountain pastures. In the morning, after milking, the herdsman would gather the herd and take the cows to the grazing grounds, getting them well fed, then move to resting areas where the cows could chew their cuds, then to water tanks, and in the afternoon the cows were herded slowly over the best grass back to town.
These herdsmen created a cowdog for the wet and windy mountains. This dog is now known as "the Westerwälder Cowdog." Its job was to prevent any damage to the crops and to control the herds, which in large towns could range up to 250 cows! There is written documentation about the use of cattle-herding dogs from 1460 up to 1980 in the Westerwald and Siegen regions.
photo from Christian Eisentraut
The Westerwälder Kuhhund (cowdog) is a medium sized, agile, hard-biting herding dog with a dense medium-length and harsh, sometimes curly, coat, in a variety of brown colors with or without black mask or white trim. It was a dog used exclusively used by the cowherdsmen, not the farmers! These herdsmen where highly esteemed members of the towns, responsible for the cowherd and for any damage done by or to the cows. His pay was the same or more than the scoolteachers! He performed double duty as herdsman, butcher, and also, for the wellbeing of his herd, was acquainted with herbal cures for man and beast. The cowherdsman depended on his helpers, a special breed of herding dogs, used for cows only, its bite on nose and heel not being suitable for any livestock other than cows. There is an old saying of the cowherdsman that the cowdogs bite, the bones crack, and after a couple of bites, the cow was usually lame for some time!
The Westerwälder Cowdog was used for more than 700 years to herd the cows in the mountains, but today only a small number of these good dogs are left here in Germany. A breeding stock of about 30-50 dogs, along with some 100 crossbreeds, is all that is left of a tradition that is older than most well-known herding dog breeds today.
The Westerwälder Kuhhund (cowdog) is a medium sized, agile, hard-biting herding dog with a dense medium-length and harsh, sometimes curly, coat, in a variety of brown colors with or without black mask or white trim. It was a dog used exclusively used by the cowherdsmen, not the farmers! These herdsmen where highly esteemed members of the towns, responsible for the cowherd and for any damage done by or to the cows. His pay was the same or more than the scoolteachers! He performed double duty as herdsman, butcher, and also, for the wellbeing of his herd, was acquainted with herbal cures for man and beast. The cowherdsman depended on his helpers, a special breed of herding dogs, used for cows only, its bite on nose and heel not being suitable for any livestock other than cows. There is an old saying of the cowherdsman that the cowdogs bite, the bones crack, and after a couple of bites, the cow was usually lame for some time!
The Westerwälder Cowdog was used for more than 700 years to herd the cows in the mountains, but today only a small number of these good dogs are left here in Germany. A breeding stock of about 30-50 dogs, along with some 100 crossbreeds, is all that is left of a tradition that is older than most well-known herding dog breeds today.
