θɹuːˈaʊt hˈɪstɚɹi dˈɑːɡz wɜː kˈɛpt fɚðə pˈɜːpəsᵻz ʌv wˈɜːkɪŋ ɐ spəsˈɪfɪk tˈæsk, ænd wˈʌn ʌvðə mˈoʊst kˈɑːmən tˈæsks wʌz hˈɜːdɪŋ ʃˈiːp.
Throughout history dogs were kept for the purposes of working a specific task, and one of the most common tasks was herding sheep.