Cougar Attack!

[Baymule]

There is plenty of habitat here for cougars and game too. I wish cougars liked feral pigs. Not even a cougar wants to mess with durned hogs. Haha, maybe a feral hog “moat” around our property would keep predators out. LOL LOL

 

[Bruce]

That puts the hogs at the top of the pecking order! Glad we don't have them here.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

There is plenty of habitat here for cougars and game too. I wish cougars liked feral pigs. Not even a cougar wants to mess with durned hogs. Haha, maybe a feral hog “moat” around our property would keep predators out. LOL LOL

I can't think of any kind of pet that will keep your farm safe. the most effective means of preventing predation is to keep the predator from getting to your animals in the first place.

 

[Baymule]

I can't think of any kind of pet that will keep your farm safe. the most effective means of preventing predation is to keep the predator from getting to your animals in the first place.

Livestock Guard Dogs are not pets. They are working dogs. I love on them, shower them with attention and let them in the house for time "off" if they want it. Our female Great Pyrenees refuses to come in the house, she just doesn't want to. Predators can strike at any time of day or night. Am I supposed to lock my sheep in a cage with top and bottom to keep them safe? or should I put my faith in my LGD's to warn predators away and engage with predators when it becomes necessary? My Livestock Guard Dogs ARE my means of preventing predators from getting to my animals in the first place, so I don't know where you are coming from with this statement. Perhaps you would like to clarify it.

It's not like I have a pet pug and expect him to chase away a cougar. Even LGD's don't always succeed when they are up against a cougar. But if several LGD's are barking and raising a ruckus at a cougar, it can deter the cougar to go looking for an easier meal, such as the one that started this thread. The cougar has been on both sides of our property, it was heard by more than one person, screaming, and the dogs were going ballistic. The cougar did not attack, predation prevented.

Our farm dog (and pet) is a Great Dane/Labrador cross. Even he stepped up recently to chase away a predator that was in the yard, while the LGD's were in the pastures.

Lab/Great Dane Puppy!

Awwww...…..(digs toe in dirt)…..thank you @Finnie, that is sweet of you. Yes, I joined BYC first, mostly hanging out on the predator and coop threads to start with, to learn what to do and what not to do. I built a strong coop, got 2 hens and it took off from there. Chickens. The "gateway" farm...

www.backyardherds.com

I have a great story for y'all. Carson has been coming into his own, growing up and becoming a good farm dog. When he was younger, the other dogs would bark and run towards danger, Carson would bark over his shoulder as he ran towards the house. Gradually he gained confidence and joined Paris and Trip running up and down the fence line barking at trucks and other elements of danger.

We went out of town for Christmas, we left Christmas eve morning and came back the day after Christmas. Our neighbor Robert was taking care of the animals. At 8:30 Christmas Eve, Neighbor Jimmy called me and said that our dogs were going nuts, he walked over to the fence, didn't see anything. His home and 2 acres backs up to our fence. I thanked him for watching out for us while we were gone. I called Neighbor Ron and asked if his dogs were barking and upset. He said no, and promised to watch out for us while we were gone. Around 10 that night, Neighbor Robert heard our dogs raising a ruckus and drove over to our house. All the dogs were upset, but he didn't see anything. He told me this the next day, Christmas. Sentry the puppy was in Pasture #1 and could go in a section of the barn. Trip and Paris had the run of the back yard, side pasture and could go up to the back of the sheep barn. Carson had the run of the front yard, about an acre, fenced. Even though none of the dogs were in the barn with the sheep, they were on all sides of the barn.

Neighbor Ron called Christmas morning to tell me that at 1:00 AM our dogs were barking like mad, so he got up and drove up to our gate and walked inside. Carson had bayed a bobcat up against the stock trailer! As Ron walked up the driveway, Carson turned his head towards Ron and the bobcat took off. We had a one week old lamb that would have made the bobcat a nice meal. Ron looked around to make sure that everything was ok. He said that Carson acted like he didn't want him on our property (and normally they are friends) so he kept his distance while he checked things out, then left.

So it seems the bobcat was on our place the first time the dogs made a lot of noise, when Jimmy walked to the fence, the bobcat ran off. Likewise when Robert came over to see what was wrong, the bobcat saw him and left. When Ron came over, Carson had the bobcat bayed and Ron saw it.

We are grateful to our good neighbors for looking out for us while we were gone. We are proud of our dogs for keeping the bobcat away from the sheep. We are impressed beyond words with Carson and how he patrolled the yard and stopped the bobcat. Our puppy has grown up. He ain't a scaredy baby any more!​

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[frustratedearthmother]

I'm with ya @Baymule and am so proud of Carson!

I dare any predator to try to get past my 3 LGD's. The smallest is over 100lbs....the other two 135lbs and 140lbs. That's 375lbs of "don't mess with my critters" that no person or predator wants to deal with. They even protect me in the pasture. I have hogs, horses and goats. The dogs won't let the hogs near me - or if I'm really trying to do something with the pigs I have to DEMAND that the dogs stay back....doesn't always work. If I walk to the far back of the pasture they are on either side of me, bumping into my legs they stay so close. (but they can't protect me from poison ivy/sumac) They do what they think is right and 99.9% of the time they make the right decision. We had a bobcat that came into the front pen many years ago (I was LGD-less at the time) and killed and disemboweled a goat about 30 yards from the house. That doesn't happen anymore. LGD's were bred for this job and they do it well.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

We don’t have those types of predators..but we do have coyotes...but they are not NEAR that type of threat..I’m glad you have that type of safety...and wrapped up in fur!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Me too! We have coyotes too. They are right across the street howling this time of year, but they've never even tried to get in the pasture where the dogs are.

 

[Xerocles]

There is plenty of habitat here for cougars and game too. I wish cougars liked feral pigs. Not even a cougar wants to mess with durned hogs. Haha, maybe a feral hog “moat” around our property would keep predators out. LOL LOL

Don't know if you ever watched, but pre-farm days when I had tv, I watched "Walking Dead". Somebody caught and chained a bunch of zombies for protection. Maybe you could do that with feral hogs. Catch a herd and chain them around the perimeter. No....you'd tame them and claim them and they'd just be more farm animals.

 

[Baymule]

No I wouldn't tame feral hogs. I'd shoot them and make sausage.

 

[Devonviolet]

WOW Bay! I just found this thread! Good Boy Carson!!!! He’s a sweet dog, and we get along beautifully, but I wouldn’t want to challenge him in the dark. Ron was smart to give him a wide berth!

I wasn’t aware we have cougars in the part of Texas. I know we have bobcats, cause I found a 3” cat print in the neighbor’s yard, in mud right after it got one of their chickens. Our two LGDs do a great job of keeping predators away, and we have never lost an animal to predators, in the five years that we have been here.

Like you, we love on our dogs, but they are with the goats 24/7, and they are awesome guardians.