# Over protective of babies



## woodsie (May 22, 2013)

My all-star Pyr  Samson that has been doing incredible with the lambs just had an incident this morning with a ewe that lambed this morning. She was labouring and he was standing guard outside the run in shelter like a good guardian. She had the first lamb, he was being respectful and helping to clean off the baby....the baby was cleaned up and then Samson decides this is his baby and starts growling and snarling at the mom. I corrected him (yelled NO! then told him calmly that is her baby), fine for a minute then starts up with the ewe again, actually chasing her off with teeth beared. At that point I haul him out of there and lock him in the kennel. 

Now this ewe is the one that steals their dog food and they make that same kind of snarling chasing off of their food bowls, but they always stop once she is 10-15 feet away from the bowls. The other ewes and goats they are not food protective around but this ewe is a real pest as she is hooked on dogfood. I do take their bowls away if they don't finish their food but still she will try to move in when they are eating. The behaviour looked almost identical to how they act when she is trying to steal their food. There have been no other instances of this behaviour with the other ewes. 

My female Winnie was being fine with the lambd but mom was not kean on a dog being around her lamb while she was pushing out the other one (understandable after the outbreak with Samson). So I put them both in the kennel/dog run - they are still locked in the kennel... I think they will be fine once they are all dried off and I'll supervise them with her for the first couple days but still wondering if there is something I else I need to do to correct this behaviour. Suggestions, advice?

I am thinking of moving mom and lambs to the kennel for some bonding time and then they don't have to worry about their safety.

Thanks - of course this happens right after I am bragging about how great they were being. :/


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## Southern by choice (May 22, 2013)

This is the first time your dogs have EVER really had a job... their FIRST time with lambing... do not be discouraged they are actually doing great. You are doing the right things. This particular ewe... when she is strong enough again, will she ram the male if he gets too close and she doesn't like it, or is she the type to just move away?  Ewes or does that are timid will need your help ( which you are already doing) Sharp no's to the male , even lead with abrupt correction sounds necessary. 

Some dogs will try to steal the offspring. :/


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## babsbag (May 22, 2013)

I find that my dogs are very protective of the doe once she is done kidding; to the point of growling at each other. Then I figured out that they really aren't trying to protect the doe, they want to eat the afterbirth and will fight for it. 

My female cleans the babies, but she does let the mom have them back. My male is really not too interested in the youngins', one way or another. However I have a frind with an LGD female that will steal the babies and not let the does near them. She has to intervene quite often, but once the baby is up and nursing the LGD is fine to just watch.


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## woodsie (May 22, 2013)

Well peace in the pasture again...I let the dogs out this afternoon after mom and lambs had a good bonding time and everythings seemed back to normal. Samson is usually pretty quick to correction so I think we are fine...I'll just keep a close eye when lambs are still wet. I suspect he just got carried away with his protection role and since he snarls at this food stealing ewe he took it too far... I am sure glad I was there however to correct him. 

I am still so proud of them and how good they have been with the lambs, reminds me of the biblical lion and the lamb pics.


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## Southern by choice (May 23, 2013)

glad all is well! 

These dogs have such "heart" don't they!


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## babsbag (May 23, 2013)

woodsie said:
			
		

> I am still so proud of them and how good they have been with the lambs, reminds me of the biblical lion and the lamb pics.


When I left for work this morning my 2 LGDs were in the smallish pen with all the does and kids. They have a huge pasture to go to and yet they choose to stay with the kids, it made me think about the same pictures. It is so heart warming to see them together and to look so at ease with each other.  

Right now I have my pens set up so that they kids and their dams are on the border of our land, near the neighbors dogs and the road. Not my first choice, but just the way it worked out for now. The dogs stay in that pen probably 90% of the time now that it is in use by goats other than my 2 bucks. They know that that is the weak point in my pasture; I am sure that is why they are in there. 

They truly are special dogs.


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## bcnewe2 (May 23, 2013)

I had a pyr that actively stole lambs if he could.  I ended up with 2 bottle babies because he got the lambs to bond to him first.  We finally caught him in the act and I shamed him, and drug him off to be locked away from his lambs.  He got the message quickly once that happened.  
Still, the love these guys have for their families is unbelivable and beautiful.


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