Funny Pig Likes to Herd Sheep on Farm Just As Much As Any Dog

Since the dawn of human history, people have herded livestock. Understanding animal husbandry was essential to early human development By some estimates, sheep were among the first livestock animals to be domesticated by humans, as many as ten thousand years ago, raised for meat, skins and milk. Dogs, already man’s best friend for ten thousand years before hat, quickly went from being hunting companions to herding companions, and there is mention of shepherd dogs in the Old Testament of the Bible as well as archaeological records from as many as six thousand years ago.

But of course, everyone knows about shepherd dogs. What about shepherd pigs?

In this video, we see the development of Possum the spotted pig into a sheep herder. It started out as a lark—the farmer noticed Possum chasing after the pigs in the field, and encouraging them to come down the hill toward the paddock.

Related: Pig Getting Belly Rubs and Nose Boops Is Making Everybody Smile

A Pig Who Herds Sheep

After she realized how much her pig liked herding the sheep, she decided to see if he could do it on command.

“We figured, why not try to teach him?” she writes in the captions. “It went about as well as one might expect.”

But in the video, she praises Possum as a “good boy” for directing the sheep along their path, so it’s possible she expected it to go very well indeed.

“Pigs are smart,” she explains. “Too smart.”

Possum has a ton of attitude, and you can see clips of him guiding the sheep and even confronting a horse that he has firm ideas about.

“Now he thinks he’s the boss on the farm!” says the farmer.

She doesn’t think Possum is ready for a full-time position as a sheep herder, but it was certainly a fun experiment. And it’s still a regular source of entertainment for this pig, who aspires to that shepherd life. Keep dreaming, possum!

“These days, Possum lives his best life with his brother Wilby. He is still obsessed with the sheep and goats, and spends his time making sure they go where he wants them to.”

Kune Kune Pigs

Possum is a Kune Kune pig, a popular breed of “fat pig” or “lard pig” originating in New Zealand. Kune Kune pigs are prized on small farms for multiple reasons. The first is their relatively small size and docile nature, which makes them an easy pig for hobby farmers or even children to handle. The second is that they are pasture-friendly. They love to eat grass and they are less likely to participate in the rooting activity that can be so destructive with other breeds of pigs.

Another benefit of Kune Kune pigs is their grazing behavior. Not only can they help keep the pastures neat but they need far less supplementary food than other breeds of pigs and some small-scale farmers say they can get their Kune Kune pigs through the winter on hay and table scraps.

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos.

Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.