Small farms in Australia (and many other western societies) are mixed and diverse and are often operated by people who are new to farming (Hernandez-Jover et al., 2014) and many of these people farm because of lifestyle "amenity migration" factors (Abrams et al, 2012). It is estimated that there are between 60,000 (Hollier, 2007) - 100,000+ lifestyle farms in Australia (Abrams et al, 2012). Animals on these small farms are at risk of poor outcomes in terms of health and wellbeing (Hernandez-Jover et al., 2014), despite the good intentions of the operators who often implement commercial processes that are ambiguous in the small farm context (e.g. Holloway, 2001). Shepherds have managed small flocks of livestock since the beginnings of agriculture and there is a richness of experience in terms of application and cultural significance. This paper presents a review of the concept of the Shepherd and its application to human-animal interactions on small farms . It proposes a management system where the role of the Shepherd is used as a founding principle for the operators of small farms to develop approaches that allow for the efficient, ethical treatment of animals in their care. The key elements of the Shepherd are identified: leadership, guidance, observation, interaction, empathy, training and kindness. Sensemaking (Weik et al., 2005) and Systems Thinking (Checkland, 1981; Flood 2010) theories are used to propose a model of interaction that has the potential to improve the outcomes for farm animals on these small farms.