i love thee idea of dog used for domestication of herds
and ii think th game should be organized in "tiers of evolution"
so at first you hunt and collect fruit, then you farm and grow herds
then maybe, you can mechanize something (a food distribution for cattle, for example).
so from this time you have to manage your system of surviving, farming better and better (irrigation, manure, pesticide maybe), heerding cattle in a easier way (as i said with a machine that gives them food)
but you have to be careful: problems happens. as i said before...lack of water (for farm and cattle), disease (not only for some lack, maybe also when you bring a new animal infected referred to cattle, plant disease)
then food spoilage. i think it's funny (yes, i'm a naturalistic nerd, you got it :-D) to process food, before with simple tool and with your hand, then with machines; it's nice to have ham hanged in your basement, or jam, or simply dryed food...
and i repeat...in winter no fruits, no plant, and cattle less productive (don't know if realistic)..so you must collect food in spring summer, then you have to hunt and use your reserve
last thing: i saw you can craft bulbs....did you think to add electricity? maybe with solar panel or generated by water fall.
i really love this game, thanks to the developers!