[Ag-eq] livestock guardians

[nfoster at extremezone.com]

Jewel:

I hadn't heard that they bark a lot, but it makes sense.

Yes, from all I've been told you can't make the dog into to much of a pet. 
However I've also been told that the dogs can also get protective of their
humans; they see them as part of the farm property and include them in their
guard duties!

 I read that it is good to put a young pup with some just weaned goats or sheep
and let them grow up together.  I think this will be a future project; I'll
have to research it a lot more.

Nella





Quoting Jewel via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:

>
>
> --------------------------------------------------
>
>     Personally, I have little  knowledge of livestock guardian dogs, but, I
> understand from
> conversations I have had with those that do, that they are very good at their
> designated job .
> Nella!  If you can, get an adult or advanced one that has already had
> experience with the job.  They
> do come up for rehoming occasionally because one of their less desirable
> traits is that they bark
> almost the entire night;  the slightest sound or scent of a possible predator
> carried on the breeze
> will trigger * NOISE, and lots of it!  This, of course, is to tell, invaders
> that the territory is
> spoken for, but is a trait that does not go down too well with neighbours if
> they sleep within
> hearing range of a large dog's large bark.
>
> If you get a pup, make sure that it comes from a line of successful LGDs.
> An LGD does spend its entire life with the flock, but, for purposes of animal
> welfare, you should
> supply it with a kennel:  which it may choose never to use: and, naturally,
> as though I need to add
> this:  food.
> I don't think that it is possible:  but I could be wrong:  for the dog to be
> both a companion dog
> and a livestock guardian.
> Be a good friend to your dog, but the "Hale fellow, well met!" meet and greet
> sessions are
> accomplished while still out in the pasture with his flock mates.
> On the goatsplus list, we have a lady who has a LGD, Misty, who she was,
> seriously, for a while,
> considering rehoming because the paddock where it looked after its charges
> was right outside her and
> her husband's bedroom window, but she decided that Misty was doing such a
> wonderful job at keeping
> the varmints at bay that she and he would just have to get used to her
> constant barking, which they
> have done!
> When Marie got Misty, she had 2 goats, one of which was an incorrigible
> escape artist, and Misty's
> presence made no difference to Frankie's determination to get out.
> Marie rehomed Frankie and his goat cobber with a large herd, and Misty was
> left with the feathery
> flock of chooks, which she constantly rounds up to the chooks great alarm as
> they have visions of
> their heads being snatched off!  Nothing could be further from Misty's mind,
> but try and convince
> the chooks of that!  Save your breath:  they won't believe a word of it!
> Before Misty came on the scene, there was a varmint, perhaps a raccoon,
> living on the property
> which used to steal the eggs, and also kill the occasional layer of those
> eggs, but there has not
> been a theft or death for a very long time now!
>
>           Jewel
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: <nfoster at extremezone.com>
> Sent: Monday, September 01, 2014 5:55 AM
> To: "Jewel" <jewelblanch at kinect.co.nz>; "Agricultural and Equestrian Division
> List"
> <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: livestock guardians
>
> Does anyone on here have livestock guardian dogs or has anyone had them in
> the
> past?
>
> I'm a little concerned about the safety of my goats after we move to
> Arkansas.
>  The goats will have more room and won't be as close to my house.  I also
> know
> that many people out in the country seem to think it's o.k. to let their dogs
> run free.
>
> I'm just not sure how you train these dogs to protect the livestock and not
> chase them.  Someone told me that you should put the puppy in with the goat
> kids and let them grow up together.
>
> Does anyone have any experience with this or suggestions?
>
> If any of you live out in the country, how do you keep your livestock safe?
>
> Nella
>
>
>
>
> Quoting Jewel via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
>
> > I get a number of podcasts to do with natural history and life in rural New
> > Zealand.
> > If I can work out the way to do it, would anyone be interested if I was to
> > post some of them to the
> > public link for dropbox?
> >
> >            Jewel
> >
> >
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