Shepherd

== Modern times ==
[[File:Koniaków miyszani owiec (redyk wiosenny) 05.jpg|thumb|Shepherds at work, 2017, [[Beskids]], [[Carpathian Mountains]]]]
[[File:Russellshepherd.jpg|thumb|upright|Shepherd with his horse and dog on [[Gravelly Range]], [[Madison County, Montana]], August 1942]]

In modern times, shepherding has changed dramatically. The destruction of common lands in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth-century shifted shepherds from independent nomads to employees of massive estates. Some families in Africa and Asia have their wealth in sheep, so a young son is sent out to guard them while the rest of the family tends to other chores. In the US, many sheep herds are flocked over public [[Bureau of Land Management|Bureau of Land Management (BLM)]] lands.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

Wages are higher than was the case in the past. Keeping a shepherd in constant attendance can be costly. Also, the eradication of sheep predators in parts of the world has lessened the need for shepherds. In places like Britain, hardy breeds of sheep have frequently been left alone without a shepherd for long periods. More productive breeds of sheep can be left in fields and moved periodically to fresh pasture when necessary. Hardier breeds of sheep can be left on hillsides. The sheep farmer will attend to the sheep when necessary at times like lambing or shearing.{{cn|date=September 2018}}
{{Further|Sheep husbandry}}