I had a black/white Australian shepherd I met at around 4weeks of age, took him home soon as I knew he didn't still feed from the mother. He would heard children without being taught. 4 kids under 10 on the backyard playing and 1 tries to go to the front he would run around the front of them and cut them off, he never nipped anyone, just knew it was safer to keep all the younglings together.
Later when I got chickens, he did the same. (I never taught him whistle commands or anything because it's not like I had cows or anything, he just came pre-programmed)