The animals want to see the cowboy at all times. They want to follow other animals. They have little patience. And if a cowboy gets behind them, they will stop and look. It s like if you had a coworker in the office walk behind you and push you around a little bit.
Cattle tend to be the same.
They don t like it. McGaffic teaches his students to drive cattle from the side, eventually working up to the front of the animal. This removes pressure from the animal, but allows the herder to reapply it if necessary. Grandin said the techniques are geared to trigger the animals instinct to bunch together. The methods work regardless of herd size, Grandin said.