# Night Pens-Dog In Or Out?



## Baymule (Mar 9, 2016)

Do you close up your sheep/goats at night? Do you put your LGD up with them or leave the dog/dogs out in the pasture?

I had a hard time getting Trip to accept the sheep because he was a year old when we got the sheep. All he wanted to do was play and chase them. Just one week ago, after many, many hours of supervised training, it all finally clicked. I spent the entire day in the pasture with Trip and the sheep and watched him bloom. He still has a very slight chase issue, but he is getting better.

I have been keeping him out of their night pen, so as not to tempt him. He is happier to be on patrol all night and sleeps at the gate to the night pen. He is with them all day, but I have kept a watchful eye on him. He refuses to sleep in a dog house. During bad weather yesterday, Trip joined the sheep in their shelter. Tonight it is going to storm and I just left the night pen gate open. If the sheep wander out of their pen, Trip is on patrol against coyotes, so I am not worried. But at least Trip can take shelter with the sheep, I don't have a shelter for him out in the pasture yet.

It got me to thinking, what does everybody else do?


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## frustratedearthmother (Mar 9, 2016)

Maddie lives with the goats/chickens full-time.  She started staying with them unsupervised at about 4 months - but that was during the daytime only.  It only took about another month or so before I trusted her completely and she started staying with them 24/7. 

I'll bet Trip will be awesome soon enough.  Shows what lots of attention and guidance can do for a good dog.  Congrats on getting him to come around!


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## Southern by choice (Mar 9, 2016)

We do not lock the goats up or the dogs. They go where and when they want.

Winter the goats will go sleep in the barn... the dogs usually are sleeping out on the land... yet you can tell they don't "sleep" but stay out. But since we have teams usually one dog will stay with the goats in the barn. A few times we closed the gate to the barn and in the morning a dog was in with them... they do not like them not having a dog with them.

Summer the goats sleep wherever they are cooler and dogs sleep where they are.

It wouldn't matter- even if we try to close a get and separate Ruby the Nubian will "free" he dogs. She LOVES her dogs and somehow thinks if one is separated she must come to it's rescue! 

The watchers generally lay right with the goats the patrollers will move about and usually put themselves in a position stationed away from the goats and more out in the open.


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## babsbag (Mar 9, 2016)

My dogs and goats live together 24/7. The goats have a three sided barn that they live in and are in it most nights and the day when it is raining. The dogs have access to all of it.  If the goats want to go into the pasture they do and usually one of the dogs will follow.


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## Baymule (Mar 9, 2016)

Coyotes are bad here and I had no dog with my sheep, so I closed them up at night. Even that was not coyote proof and I worried a lot. Neighbors are on coyote patrol and called or texted when they saw (or shot) at one, no matter what time of night. They know we have sheep and I appreciated the coyote alert. Dh and I have got up and checked on the sheep and several times DH shot a round in the ground at the end of the driveway to scare them off. Having Trip with them now is such a luxury! I still listen for coyotes though.


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## babsbag (Mar 10, 2016)

The coyotes here are bad too. I heard them tonight when I was out late doing chores and the whole darn pack is running just a couple hundred feet from my pastures. Makes me so thankful for my dogs...and my hot wire, just to help out the dogs a little. 

Sometimes the dogs go on high alert when the coyotes call and other times they ignore them. I guess my dogs speak coyote and I just have to trust them.


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## Ponker (Mar 10, 2016)

My Anatolian Shepherd is just a puppy. He's growing fast and I'm surprised when I look at the calendar and see he's aged another month ALREADY! I sincerely lose track. His training is ongoing. Without another dog to teach and correct him, I have to be on my toes every second when I allow him in with the sheep. He wants to play with them all the time. he face bites playfully but I correct it immediately. He chases and I correct him. He paws and I correct him. He is just too rough to put with the small one month old Finnsheep bottle babies since there is no momma to protect them. My ram hates the dog and chases him around whenever he has the chance. Prince has not made friends with the sheep. I think there is only one that halfway accepts him and now she has twins and won't let him near them. He sits and barks at the new babies and that causes Spotty to get anxious even though she and her twins are safely contained in a wooden stall. I correct this as well.

He cannot be trusted. Period. His only time with the sheep is with adults while under supervision.

I have high hopes he will turn around. he is still young and I've read it can take a year. (OMG )

Prince sleeps in the barn, in a pen next to his favorite ram's stall. He can't see nor reach the stall where the babies and momma are resting. All my sheep come to the barn at night. I close them in. My house dogs alert me if there is anything amiss out there and I go investigate. If I hear the coyotes close, I will shoot a few rounds into my favorite stump.

When Prince is done training, he will allow the sheep to stay out in the pastures close to the house. Just one dog can't protect the sheep from a pack of coyotes and I wouldn't put him in the situation. Close to the house, I will back him up. My house dogs are very keen on changes to the status quo and let me know.


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## samssimonsays (Mar 10, 2016)

When we finally get a dog, it will be left full time with the goats. We will expanding the pen substantially to give some range for patrolling for a dog and Until the dog is big enough, it will be penned in our first pen against the barn with the goats at night to keep them all safe. Eventually the gate to the first pen will be left open and they can choose where they go.


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## Pearce Pastures (Mar 11, 2016)

Our dogs are out 24/7.  We have large coyotes and they are a real PITA.  They used to come frequently onto the property but while we still have them come by, they are definitely deterred.  The only time they are locked in is when we have that once or twice yearly wretched storm when I need to lock down the barn.


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## ldawntaylor (Apr 21, 2016)

The dogs are in the original goat pen.  That pen is very close to a game trail that is used by deer and coyotes.  I can look out my windows periodically and see them travelling.

My goats are housed in a goat shed between the two dogs and my home.  I have another dog that stays in the yard.  She doesn't like other dogs.  Plus, I feel safer at night myself with her there.  I live within sight of the highway so there are issues from other people sometimes. 

Lady is definitely top dog, as well as being the oldest at about 9 years old.  She lives in the yard by the house.  She alerts when she hears or sees something and the others will chime in.  She will only occasionally chime in when the others are barking.  She has killed some small animals and has treed at least one racoon that I know of.

Next in age comes Rusty, he is only about 3 and a half now.  He doesn't bark all that much, but when he does I can sure hear him.  The vet said she thought he is part Great Pyr.  In looks I don't see it at all and then he will bark and I can hear it then.  A very deep, loud bark for a dog that weighs less than 60 lbs.  He is the one that broke a doe kid's neck when he while playing.

Then there is my mom's dog.  I would guess she is about 2 and a half.  Later this fall she may be reclaimed by my mother.  I hope so, she barks a lot compared to the other two.  She is very high energy and hasn't learned that I do not like it when she "body slams" me.  She will run full speed and then jump.  No, her paws are not really extended nor are her jaws open.  She just likes to bump into me as hard as she can.  She is slowly learning that doing that means she will have to wait to be fed.  And that if I am playing with her I will quit immediately.  She doesn't even remember what sit is when she is excited.

Perhaps you can see why I really don't trust any of them to interact with the goats directly.  Even supervised.


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## Baymule (May 24, 2016)

Well, Trip is now with the sheep 24/7. I let them come and go from their night pen to the pasture and Trip doesn't have to be separated from them at night anymore. It is working out great. The sheep trust him and he looks out for them. We came home a few days ago, it was raining and Trip came from the sheep shelter to see who was in his driveway. The sheep ran from the shelter to the hay bale and Trip chased them back to the shelter. It was so funny! During the day, when they lay down to ruminate, they all lay around Trip. It is so sweet to see the sheep cluster around Trip, trusting him to keep them safe.


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