Controlling large flocks not only required dogs with appropriate instincts, but it also required dogs with courage and sound nerves. Such dogs were used where large flocks had to be contained in relatively small grazing areas and kept out of unfenced, neighboring crop fields. The job of this herding dog consisted primarily of boundary patrol, or flock containment. Because the shepherd had to pay for any damage done by his sheep, he could not afford the expense of keeping a dog that could not hold a boundary. This large flock German shepherd herding dog had to be selected for its strong prey instinct and drive.
High drive is fundamental to maintaining sustained high energy in the dog while working sheep.
How the dog naturally expresses, or is allowed to express, its natural drives while working sheep illustrates the fundamental difference between large flock boundary herding and other kinds of small flock sheep herding practices. Therefore, it only follows that to select a good, prospective puppy for large flock herding one must fist know how to identify the drives and resultant drive behavior necessary for this kind of herding as well as how to best ascertain the proper character, nerve and temperament of the herding puppy prospect. A top working dog must be bred, it cannot be made by training. When a litter is whelped, the shepherd should spend as much time as possible with it every day right from the time it was born to familiarize the pups to him and to the tones of his voice. From 3-4 weeks, put a pan of food in with the hungry litter.