Dogs on the Loose!!

Over the last few months or so we have been training our livestock guardian dogs so we could let them loose over our whole farm. Up to this point they have been in a 6,000 sq ft run and the barn at night.

Having no prior experience with livestock guardian dogs (LGDs), it was quite the endeavor to take on 4 pups (abandoned on the side of the road), to being LGDs that have the run of our property to protect our livestock.

Backstory:

Naomi, Deborah, Eden and Mary were sisters abandoned on the side of the road with their mom and 3 to 5 other siblings. Our little farm had considered getting an LGD (one) for the purpose of guarding our livestock. So when we heard about these puppies, we were interested but not at all convinced it would work out.

Why? All our reading said, "get them from a reputable breeder", "getting the wrong breed can be a disaster", "they must be from parents that guard the type of livestock you are raising" etc etc. None of which could be verified in the case of these dogs.

And oh by the way, the quotes above are all correct. You should indeed follow those recommendations. YET we still couldn't help ourselves. Thankfully it all is turning out to be alright.

Our daughters (of which I have four) decided they each wanted a dog.

Long story short:

I said no.

They said yes.

I said no.

They said, please.

I said no.

They said, "we'll pay for it with our own money".

I said no......and at the last minute.....

I said yes.

Don't ask me what I was thinking, because I still haven't a clue. But here we are, a year later with 4 adorable Livestock Guardian Dogs that we would do just about anything for.

Training:

Relationships matter!

"Training" a livestock guardian dog is not like training another dog. I've trained other dogs quite effectively. Our German Shepherd is very well trained. But training an LGD is a bit like beating your head against a wall. What's worse is, they aren't dumb dogs. They are incredibly incredibly smart. They KNOW what you are asking them to do. They just have a stubborn side. If they don't want to, there is just about no way to make them do it. Even to this day, my daughter can tell her dog, Eden, to sit, shake, stay, come etc. But if I ask the same thing of Eden, she may do it, if she feels like it.....eventually.