# Caucasian/German Shepherd mix or nahhh



## ajmrzf (Dec 13, 2021)

I have 10 sheep/goats on a 3ish acre field. We also have children, poultry, pet dogs, and cats. We have 20 total acres, and in the summer, we rotate the goats outside of the pasture in the woods. I bought a GP/Anatolian shepherd mix off Craigslist when she was about 6 mo old (she was a chicken killer - but not anymore!) She has turned into a GEM of a dog with training in the year we've had her. I have been wondering if I should get a LGD partner for her. 

Reasons to get another: 1) When I separate the sheep and goats, one of the groups won't have a guard. They're in electric netting, but we have coyotes, bobcats, neighbor/stray dogs, etc. 2) Coyotes can be so crafty. I'd hate for 1 dog to get overwhelmed. 3) If one dog is out of commission for whatever reason (spay surgery recovery, injury, etc), I'd have a back up. All those things aside, I still hesitate bc I know how much work/expense it is to train up a dog.

I'm considering 3 routes: 
1) No additional dog. Do you have just 1 dog and similar farm specs? Did you find added benefit with 2? 
2) Puppy. I'd love to give my kids that puppy experience, (plus I love puppies!) It's nice to know the full history/training/trauma of a dog and be able to avoid aggression and poor habits with proper training. But that's ~2 years of heavy training by me. I'm able and willing, but also well aware of the commitment and not exactly *thrilled* by the thought. 
3) Another Craigslist dog. I know it's risky. That said, every animal except dumped cats and a few chickens on our farm came from CL. On CL, there's one 11 month old intact female in my area that's catching my eye in particular, but there are several "teen" dogs I'd consider if that one didn't work out. The one I'm looking at is a caucasian shepherd german shepherd mix. Both of my pet dogs are german shepherd mixes, so I'm familiar with that in general, but I'm not sure about that type of dog for LGD purposes. Anyone have a GS mix guarding their herd? I read on one site that they're more herders than guards, but I read somewhere else the opposite. What about a caucasian shepherd? She looks like a GS with a silky, heavier coat. She's large but not huge. The ad says she's around all the livestock and isn't aggressive. I'm not picking up any red flags from the ad. Any thoughts? Thanks!


----------



## Alaskan (Dec 13, 2021)

My baby sis is pretty good with dog training....

She tried a German shepherd for a bit...  she said the prey drive was too high.  She was obedient...  so fine if my sis was out with her. .   But that dog could not be trusted on her own. 


I used to really hate smart dogs... since they can easily figure out if you are watching or not....  and then only behave while you are watching....

BUT, we currently have a smart dog, with a high prey drive...  and he did go through a stage where he killed a number of our chickens...  we did manage to train him out of that, and he has remembered his training.   That part,, all good.  BUT, at the same time, we failed to train him to stop trying to nip at floppy Nubian goat ears. (He got better,  but not 100% trustworthy)

Prey drive can be powerful and problematic. 

But then you have familiarity with GS... so maybe you would be good at dealing with that kind of dog mindset. 


As to 2 dogs verses one.  

The great thing is if your well trained dog, trains up the puppy for you.  Some dogs will do that.  And that is way less work for you.  Of course, you never know if it will work out that way....  until you get the puppy...  but it would only work with a puppy.  

If you get a second dog that is older than the puppy stage, then you would be doing all training...  pretty sure your current dog wouldn't help out. .  And then there is the question of how they will get along.


----------



## Baymule (Dec 14, 2021)

I have 8 acres and 4 dogs. 2 Anatolians that stay with one flock of sheep, 1 Great Pyrenees that patrols the yard and jumps the fence when needed. He also jumps OUT to go chase deer.   And 1 Great Dane/Labrador mix that does what the other dogs do, so has made a good dog. He doesn't mess with poultry but can have a "want to chase that little lamb" reaction, so doesn't run with the sheep. The flock that is in the biggest part of the barn at night is guarded by the "yard" dogs.

My male Anatolian trained the female, got her as a puppy. The male was barely a year old, but let the puppy maul him and still does. He hates the Great Dane/Lab cross and is hated right back. I have to keep them separated. The female Anatolian went through a guinea killing stage--and led the other dogs astray. Drove me nuts, couldn't pen up the stupid guineas because they were wild. I caught the GP eating the second guinea of that day and like to beat him to death with a dead guinea and a flyswatter. Then I penned him up for 3 weeks and walked through the pen daily for 3 weeks just to ignore him. He got the message. He also eats ducks, doesn't bother chickens-go figure. Gave away my last guinea. I'm not supposed to have ducks. 

As far as the cross bred dog that you are looking at, are you ready to accept defeat and rehome the dog or make it a house pet that is never allowed near the other animals? The chances of the dog making a guardian is maybe 50/50. I'd at least go visit the dog and see how it reacts to their livestock. Does it run with the livestock unsupervised or just out in the yard?


----------



## ajmrzf (Dec 14, 2021)

Thank you both for the replies. I always like reading about the experiences of other people. Lots to think about! Thanks!


----------

