# Have to brag on my new LGD for a minute. =)



## WhiteMountainsRanch (May 1, 2013)

*We recently got our first LGD, Diego. He is 16 weeks old as of yesterday. 

Yesterday evening we were out taking care of the animals and I was on the other side of the farm when I started hearing a dog barking. It wasn't a familiar bark, so I stopped and listened and it was coming from the goat pasture! I run over there to find Diego barking a BIG boy bark, not a little puppy bark. A full on "I'm protecting my territory" bark, and had stationed himself in between the perceived threat and the goats.  He has a GOOD bark.  I stayed with him for about 10 minutes because he was on the alert and all his hair was raised, but I didn't see anything. He must have seen a coyote run by or something.

We weren't going to put him in full-time with the goats yet, but since we lost our Mastiff, and he has been getting along so well with the goats, we figured it would be the safest thing for everybody. 

I absolutely don't expect him to protect the goats from coyotes, but if he can stand his ground and bark at them it may be enough to keep them from thinking about trying to get in. They say presence is 90% of a LGD's duties. 

Then later that night, while I was milking (we milk at 9:30 after dark, and I've been letting Diego out to spend some time outside the pen while we milk) my dog Dakota was running back and forth on his run barking his "I'm going to EAT you" scary bark. I know he had to have seen coyotes, he hates them. As soon as Diego heard Dakota barking he ran over to me and sat right next to my leg looking at where Dakota was looking and then looked at me and ran over to the goat gate.  

He is so amazing! He's not nearly as naughty of a pup than I had expected.  Though I know that can change with age.  
*


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## Southern by choice (May 1, 2013)

There is nothing like a LGD!

I am with you WMR!


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## Grazer (May 1, 2013)

He sounds like a really promising pup, definitely showing the right instincts! 
Way to go Diego!


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## babsbag (May 1, 2013)

Before I got my LGDs I was afraid to even be out of my house at night. I am a major afraid of the dark kind of person and I am home alone during the week which makes it even worse. I figured the goats were pretty safe with the hot wire we have, but I sure didn't feel safe; and as we all know, goats don't always keep a 9-5 schedule when it comes to kidding and medical care so it made it really hard.

Since I have my dogs I am not worried about being in the goat pen or walking the 100 feet from barn to house. I know that if they aren't barking life is good, and if they are barking I just stay with them and life is still good. I can't function on my farm without my dogs in the barn. I LOVE THEM. The Border Collies keep me safe in the house.

DH wanted me to get rid of them since the neighbors complain about the barking at times, but I told him that if they go, I go, so that shut up his barking. 

They truly do make life better.


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## PendergrassRanch (May 1, 2013)

I need to get me one of these!!!!!!! I swear as soon as we finish fencing all that I want to fence. I am going to start looking into an LGD. Life would be so good with someone watching for me.


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## bcnewe2 (May 1, 2013)

Yeah for Diego! 

I have already experienced the same thing!

Jess is 17 weeks but she is locked in a paddock with access to the barn.  She can pretty much see everything but not get to it yet.
She was barking last night late, it wasn't a I'm bored bark it was alert barking.  The neighbor (who knows exactly why we got Jess and is on board) looked out too!  She called to tell me how well Jess was doing.
Tonight we're gone maybe 2 hrs.  Chickens were out of her paddock in our frontyard. Same neighbor said 4 fox kits w/parents  were in my FRONT YARD killing my chickens. Poor Jess was going crazy Trying to climb out!  They got 2 before the neighbor set off an air horn and Thiey scattered. I'm sure my 4 border collies were in the house screaming. That didn't even scare them away! 

I hate that I lost chickens but WOOT WOOT for Jess and Diego!  

I only wish I could let her out more but not yet....Although she has complete access to the sheep at night, I keep them in her paddock. 

Babsbag, I lived in the boonies of Arkansas.  I had 2 lgd's, they kept packs of huge coyotes away (I say huge cause one came after me and a bottle lamb which btw is totally unheard of but I swear it was stalking us) it was within 15 or 20 ft of us.  Those dogs took off after it and never even barked. I heard it yip as it hit the electric

One night I went out to see the sheep in the dark because I too felt totally safe with my LGD"s and I'm not even a nervous or scared type person.  I heard growling right in my woods. Big growling!  LGD's were with the sheep, I never saw anything but I called a dog, hiked home and had to have a glass of wine just to calm down!  

After a day or 2 I wasn't scared anymore.  Having a dog makes all the difference and really when was the last time you read or heard about a human get maimed or mauled by a coyote, wolf or even bear. It is rare indeed but livestock loss is an everyday occurrence!

Yep they are AMAZING and I am so pleased that we got this little girl! So I'm feeling ya WMR

For now I am going to let neighbors father come in and hunt the foxes. I hate to kill wildlife, that's why we chose the LGD.  I can't stand that I'm losing my best friends the hens. And I totally agree 90% is that bark and the territory barking.


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## babsbag (May 2, 2013)

PendergrassRanch said:
			
		

> I need to get me one of these!!!!!!! I swear as soon as we finish fencing all that I want to fence. I am going to start looking into an LGD. Life would be so good with someone watching for me.


Did I tell you that are 3-4 liters of them on Craigslist right now?  Check Redding CL  

I am sure that one is calling your name.


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## Stubbornhillfarm (May 2, 2013)

Congratulations WMR!  I  know the LGD's are amazing, but every time I hear someone else give a testimony it still amazes me.  Nice work Diego.   And Jess bcnewe.   

bcnewe, *"Those dogs took off after it and never even barked."*  This is one of those amazing things to me.  The LGD knows when barking is the best course of action.  But when mine are actually chasing something, no barking...strait to business!  That's how I know that they have actually seen something as oppossed to heard something.


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## PendergrassRanch (May 2, 2013)

babsbag said:
			
		

> PendergrassRanch said:
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I know. I've seen those ads too.  I can't justify one right now since we haven't finished fencing. Some day...


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