# goat and a dog?



## flemish lops (Apr 8, 2011)

Hi, We have been going to some animal swaps latley and my sister has decided, after seeing how cute goats are up close, to look for a young goat to raise. We also have a medium sized dog that would probably be by it. (not that big, its just fat) Do dogs bother goats or are they not that great together?


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## B.B (Apr 8, 2011)

Im pretty new to having goats.  I actually only have one.  Shes 4 months old.  I have two dogs and they all get a long. They run, play they go to the dog park together, they curl up and sit in the sun.  They go for car rides too.  I get a little nervous cause of her horns, but when they are outside playing they are always supervised.   I have read that dogs and goats do not get along cause dogs are the hunters and the goats are the hunted.  When the dogs bark Billie ( pygmy) runs on her table or on a chair and waits for them to stop then she will go right back to playing.  Bille was two weeks old when I got her.  I sometimes wonder if this is hurting her, (only having one goat).  But my little crew all gets along.


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## Budlady (Apr 8, 2011)

My little billy plays with my dogs and i have a herd dog she dont even look at him lol when my dog barks Bilbo runs to them and bleets along with the barking they are so dang cute just make sure you supervise them


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## ohiofarmgirl (Apr 8, 2011)

goats smell like poop and run when chased. dogs love them. 

unfortunately many dogs kick into their "wolf" side....and well.. it ends badly for the goat. for most of us the biggest predator out there for our goats are loose dogs. 

you might end up with a dog that does have any hoots about the goat, but its a big chance. i have 2 extremely well trained dogs (and a pup) and i would never let them alone unsupervised. 

there are breeds of dogs that are specifically for guarding livestock, tho but probably not your dog friend.

good luck!


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## savingdogs (Apr 8, 2011)

She is right. It depends on the dog and to some extent the goat, but you have to remember you are talking about a predator animal and a prey animal. 
Expect it to go bad and have a plan for how you will keep them apart. Then if things go well, you can relax. Some dogs get adjusted to seeing livestock after a little time has passed, some of it depends on how well your dog is trained and what kind of dog it is. Medium sized what? mixed breed?


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## elevan (Apr 8, 2011)

I lost a doe to one of my brother's dogs.  The dog found a way under the fence and chased the doe and broke her neck when he grabbed her.  This was a nice dog normally.  I personally would never allow any dogs (except maybe an LGD) near my goats.


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## carolinagirl (Apr 8, 2011)

One of the biggest problems with goats is they don't fight back.  If a dog starts to chase, goat goes into panic mode and runs, which further encourages the dog to chase.  And if the dog gets the goat down, the goat rarely fights.  Innocent play between goats and dogs often ends very badly for the goat.


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## elevan (Apr 8, 2011)

carolinagirl said:
			
		

> One of the biggest problems with goats is they don't fight back.  If a dog starts to chase, goat goes into panic mode and runs, which further encourages the dog to chase.  And if the dog gets the goat down, the goat rarely fights.  Innocent play between goats and dogs often ends very badly for the goat.


Goats are prey animals. Of course they run, it's their best defense.

I agree innocent can turn deadly faster than you can blink.  I've heard this story too many times to count.


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## chandasue (Apr 8, 2011)

Or the opposite like I have. A very bossy herd queen who chases down my wiener dog every chance she can. My little dog goes submissive, flops on his back and I have to run to intervene before he gets pummeled. It's fine as long as there's a fence between them but they cannot be loose together. Goats don't always understand dog language. It just all depends on the dog and the goat.


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## rrhall (Apr 8, 2011)

I think it depends on the dog,we have a LGD and he stays with the goats 24/7. The goats are his family,A good LGD is worth his weight in gold,it is nice to know the goats are safe and protected.We were very cautious about getting a dog and having it around are goats and chickens,but I am glad we did now.The goats do not have any trouble with the dog being around them or their kids but like I said,a lot of it has to do with the dog and breed of dog more then the goats,I think the goats just get use to having a dog around. We just picked up a buck and you could tell he was not use to being around a dog,so we would just take the dog with us when we went into the bucks pen to feed him each day,it took about a week and the buck does not even give him a second look now and treats him as one of his own now.


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## jlbpooh (Apr 8, 2011)

I have a black lab mixed with something, possibly pit bull. She is only 30 pounds, but very solid and built like a tank. She has been in with my goats full-time from sun-up to sun-down since last July. She comes in the house at night after the goats are locked up each night. They really seem to like each other. She plays with them and occasionally chases them, but they have been seen chasing her also. They seem to play games together. When the dog isn't in the goat pasture, the goats all hang out by the gate and cry. My dog is also really good with all my waterfowl and poultry too, but don't trust her with a chick or duckling. She gets WAY too excited about those.


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## ohiofarmgirl (Apr 8, 2011)

> who chases down my wiener dog


chandasue, i thought this was VERY cute. i bet that goat is way bigger than your pooch!

rrhall - hey fellow ohioan!


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## savingdogs (Apr 8, 2011)

I have different dogs here all the time and they have all different reactions. Usually the smaller dogs do not feel like a predator to the bigger goats. But dogs meant to herd from herding breeds are usually good and dogs meant for guarding livestock of course. But think about the breed of dog and what it was designed for.


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## PattySh (Apr 8, 2011)

I keep my dogs seperate from my barn with a good fence.  I have cocker spaniels and they are not good with livestock, they love to chase and retrieve. I also have standard poodles and chickens would not have a chance. I  have had issues with neighbors walking dogs off leash and them slipping under electric tape fencing and chasing my horses occasionally. I am not a fan of loose dogs around livestock except working dogs and livestock guardian dogs.


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## elevan (Apr 8, 2011)

PattySh said:
			
		

> I keep my dogs seperate from my barn with a good fence.  I have cocker spaniels and they are not good with livestock, they love to chase and retrieve. I also have standard poodles and chickens would not have a chance. I  have had issues with neighbors walking dogs off leash and them slipping under electric tape fencing and chasing my horses occasionally. I am not a fan of loose dogs around livestock except working dogs and livestock guardian dogs.


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## Roll farms (Apr 9, 2011)

I have a friend who does dog rescue....

Her own 'perfectly trustworthy' dogs were led astray by one of her rescue / fosters one night, and the 3 dogs killed 14 chickens, 3 goats, and her kid's rabbits.


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## rrhall (Apr 9, 2011)

ohiofarmgirl said:
			
		

> > who chases down my wiener dog
> 
> 
> chandasue, i thought this was VERY cute. i bet that goat is way bigger than your pooch!
> ...


ohiofarmgirl - hey, nice to have another ohioan on here.


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## savingdogs (Apr 9, 2011)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> I have a friend who does dog rescue....
> 
> Her own 'perfectly trustworthy' dogs were led astray by one of her rescue / fosters one night, and the 3 dogs killed 14 chickens, 3 goats, and her kid's rabbits.


Very good point. Even good dogs sometimes cannot resist a good group chase. It may not have been her own dogs doing the killing but running in groups eggs dogs on sometimes, certain dogs.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Apr 9, 2011)

carolinagirl said:
			
		

> One of the biggest problems with goats is they don't fight back.  If a dog starts to chase, goat goes into panic mode and runs, which further encourages the dog to chase.  And if the dog gets the goat down, the goat rarely fights.  Innocent play between goats and dogs often ends very badly for the goat.


All of my dogs are livestock friendly so there's usually no issues here, but a couple days after kidding one of my does PUMMELED my 25 lb dog while they were browsing loose.  First, he rolled submissively because he had no idea what to do and she stomped and tried to crush him with her head and the front half of her body.  Then when he ran 30 feet or so she went after him again, rolled him, and tried to stomp him.  I was all the way across the yard and by the time I got to them she was ready for another round.  Had she not been a Nigerian there's a good chance my dog would have been seriously injured.

I always assume a dog will kill livestock until they've PROVEN to be livestock friendly.  Any dog showing prey drive (even in play) would be unwelcome around my goats.  Situations escalate sometimes in way we might not predict.


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## flemish lops (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanks every one for the replies. I guess for a couple of days we will have to keep an eye on the dog and kid.


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## whetzelmomma (Apr 11, 2011)

I have an LGD that I'm still training... (she's still got some puppy drive and the one goat that doesn't like dogs runs, and she thinks it's playing... and chases it, which makes the goat run MORE... you see where this is headed...) so I chain the dog in the daytime, so that she can't chase, and at night, I lock the goats in the barn, and the dog patrols the pen and detours predators. It seems to be working pretty well so far.


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## flemish lops (Apr 11, 2011)

I wounder what would happen if some one would tie the goat up instead of the dog. That way the goat wouldn't be able to run away and make the dog chase after it. Does anyone have there goats on a chain instead of a fence?


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## elevan (Apr 11, 2011)

flemish lops said:
			
		

> I wounder what would happen if some one would tie the goat up instead of the dog. That way the goat wouldn't be able to run away and make the dog chase after it. Does anyone have there goats on a chain instead of a fence?


Thethering goats is a bad idea on multiple levels.

I believe that there are several threads on here that talk about the subject if you want to do a search.


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## whetzelmomma (Apr 11, 2011)

flemish lops said:
			
		

> I wonder what would happen if some one would tie the goat up instead of the dog. That way the goat wouldn't be able to run away and make the dog chase after it. Does anyone have there goats on a chain instead of a fence?


Goats on leads is not a fun thing. Especially when you are talking about tethering a whole herd. That's pretty much logistically impossible. Not to mention, unless you have lucked out and all of your goats are leash trained, you're looking at a panic attack from every goat not used to being tethered. It's much easier to tether your dog. If you read any of the books available on how to train an LDG, they all speak about how to manage your DOG'S behavior and not the animals that they will be living with. When my dog is tethered, the goats that are scared of her are able to come up and get close to her, and she knows she can't run, so she doesn't over react when they startle near her. It sets the stage for calm interaction with them that will eventually lead to my dog not having to be tethered at all with them. Since my main concern for my goat's safety is during the night when most of our predators are out, it works well for the interaction of the herd with my dog, and also for her to patrol freely at night while the goats are safely locked away from her.


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## flemish lops (Apr 11, 2011)

I guess I should have said that we were only planing on buying one goat (not a whole herd lol) and then we were going to sell it when it gets older. We are only planning on raising it for a pet/mabey 4-h and would probably sell it before winter.


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## savingdogs (Apr 11, 2011)

you need at least one other, goats don't do well alone.


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## whetzelmomma (Apr 11, 2011)

Goats are herd animals. Living with other animals isn't enough for them. You should have two at the least.


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## laughingdog (Apr 11, 2011)

now im wanting another goat for mine even more!  i have two dogs currently, one over white tri color, rough collie.  one german sheperd/sharpei.  the collie obviously is a herding dog (though met alot of people who marvel that it doesnt even mouth the livestock, as most even pure bred dogs apparently kill or chase them constantly), while the huge mix is a guard dog (trained that way when got him).    had a wheatan terrier who i found home for recent.    anyway the collie took to the goat immediately when it was just put down next to him to watch him destroy it they thought, but i and guys with me, new my dog , better than the thought of him compared to their dogs that are just for show (mine is from show lines also though, but not vicious...).  and since the collie will attack and tear up anything that threatens that kid.  the others immediately learned when i brought it home and they went to rush to investigate and i grabbed by scruffs and flipped on backs and held there till everyone was calm, that it was now part of family and they know to protect family with lives.    they clean and snuggle it play and allow it to play on them and nibble on them, unless i say otherwise.  its a dog, if you cannot control it (without beating, just to clarify as some think only way to train), you probly need to not have a dog, or learn how to control it.  i leave my goat out with dogs alone in house, and only trouble is that now the dogs are hyper vigilant and act like theyll attack anything that even scares the goat 
as mantainance men found out when they started tools right by were goat felt cornered and made it start bleating from fear, and had three dogs instantly turn from attention wanting dufuses to glaring snarling nannies pushing the goat into safe spot and guys out of room.  so just immediately take control and dont try to sooth or pet it telling to be good or nice and all that, as it confuses a dog, and try to think like military instructor.  grab the dog if poking it doesnt work if it shows the slightest unwanted over enthusiasm curiosity, or dominance/aggression, and make it completely ignore it and not even allow to look at at first till they are both calm.  then can start the petting and loving if must, when they are able to process it and it wont just excite them both more.    the dog will learn it needs to respect and accept what you tell it to, and then will pick up to look out for whats yours.


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## poorboys (Apr 12, 2011)

WE HAVE LGD, THEY ARE WITH THE GOATS 24-7, THE ONLY THING THE DOGS WON'T TOLERATE IS THE GOATS TRYING TO EAT THEIR FOOD, BUT ALL THEY DO IS SWAP THEIR FACE WITH THEIR PAW, JUST ENOUGH TO LET THEM KNOW TO GET OUT. BUT IT'S OKAY FOR THEM TO HELP THEMSELVES TO THE GOATS FOOD. MY DOGS ARE ON ALERT ALL THE TIME, NEIGHBOR HAS HAD TROUBLE WITH COYOTES, AND THEY PASS RIGHT BY OUR PLACE. NOW I HAVE A BUYER FOR A PUP, AS FOR DOGS PASSING THRU OUR YARD, I WOULD HATE TO SEE WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THEY GOT IN WITH THE GOATS AND DOGS??


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