New LGD puppy. :D

[jodief100]

we have 2 great pry's female and male, when i go to feed them the male stands back untill the female is done, but I have one goat that contunies to eat their dogfood. I feed everyone at the same time just so the goats leave the dogs alone, but one is determined to eat their food. How bad is this for her,??? right now she's dryed and breed. Don't want her to get sick. and lighting the male pry stand's back and lets her eat. Patty

I bring my dogs into the interier of the barn and shut them away from the goats to feed them. They are left in for about 15-20 minutes twice a day to eat. They have learned they have to eat within the alloted time or they don't get to eat.

It works great until one of the feral cats decides to let itself be seen and then the dogs spend thier 20 minutes trying to get the cat.

 

[Roll farms]

We feed our dogs inside the barn....same as Jodie says....they know to eat while I'm doing chores or else they're SOL and go hungry for the next 12 hours.
If a goat comes in and there is feed left in the pan, they'll try and snarf some.
A few years ago I had a severely anemic doe who wanted ONLY dog food, she'd try everything to get to it. The vet said she "knew" she needed a feed w/ more fat / protien than hers had. Once she was well again the craziness for dog food stopped.

 

[cmjust0]

The primary dog food offender in our herd is *the* fat one. Perpetually fat and slick, and -- as luck has it -- extremely resistent (or perhaps resilient, I suppose) to the effect of barberpoles. She's 4-1/2 now and keeps so easily it's astounding. A really, really good goat. Ornery, but good, and an excellent mama who makes excellent babies to boot.

I dunno what's ever gonna kill that goat, but suffice it to say that I wouldn't rule A) choke or B) a massive, tubbiness-induced coronary.

 

[dianneS]

cmjust0: Wow, congratulations on the new pup. I hadn't caught this thread until now. Sounds like she's going to be great. I hope you don't go through any of the "growing pains" that I did with my boy, if you remember! But you'll know how to handle it if you do.

My once horror-of-horrors of a dog has blossomed into an amazing animal. I can't imagine being without him now. I don't have any need for a second dog at this time, but some day we will want another one so that we won't be without a LGD when the day comes that Alex is gone.

I just got an email from the woman I got my dog from. She said she's disappointed in some of the puppies, and seems to think that the great pyr in them is what has caused some problems with them. Her female (my dogs mom) was 1/2 great pyr 1/2 Karakachan. She had a tough time with that dog after she had her first litter and had to re-home her. This woman seems to blame all problems that anyone has had with their pups on the mamma dog and the great pyr in her? I personally think that these particular dogs just take a lot of patience and persistence, some people just give up on them too easy. I'm so glad I stuck it out with my dog. It certainly paid off!

I've had no problems with Alex since we got through his "growing pains". I don't see anything wrong with his behavior or temperment.

Alex is more likely to stick with his goats rather than go out after a predator. Apparently this is a Karakachan trait, I'm told. That's good enough for me. All I need is a loud barker to keep the predators away around here. We're not fighting off wolves or bears.

I had to go out and see what the trouble was a few times this summer. I took my mag light out, in my bathrobe, and found Alex standing up at the fence. He literally pointed at the trouble maker... the fox. The short-haired Samson's fox that has been running around our property for the past year. That fox is bold, but keeps his distance now that the dog is here. I chased the fox away, threw some rocks at him and yelled. As soon as he was gone, Alex took a head count of all of his goats. He was quiet the rest of the night, and the goats slept in late the next morning!

I can't say enough about what a great dog he is and how I can't imagine not having a LGD now. I'm so glad I didn't give up on him. I wanted too, many times. Thanks everyone on here for all of your help and advice and encouragement!

Here are some updated pics of my boy, now that he's filling out. He's getting huge!

He's winking at you!

 

[Roll farms]

He's a hottie!

SO glad you stuck it out w/ him....Glad he's a 'good dog' now.

 

[cmjust0]

By the time he's...say...two years old, I'd wager that you're not gonna be able to imagine life without him around.

and now you say ...

My once horror-of-horrors of a dog has blossomed into an amazing animal. I can't imagine being without him now.

Now I don't wanna have to go and say I told ya so or anything like that, but seriously...I did. Almost verbatim.





He's a very, very pretty boy and I'm SOOOOO happy that you stuck it out with him. He seemed to have what it took all along, but just needed some correction. It's *got* to be a good feeling to know that, while his breeders have had terrible luck with the rest of the litter, you stuck it out and are being rewarded so handsomely..

Just awesome to hear!

 

[dianneS]

By the time he's...say...two years old, I'd wager that you're not gonna be able to imagine life without him around.

and now you say ...

My once horror-of-horrors of a dog has blossomed into an amazing animal. I can't imagine being without him now.

Now I don't wanna have to go and say I told ya so or anything like that, but seriously...I did. Almost verbatim.





He's a very, very pretty boy and I'm SOOOOO happy that you stuck it out with him. He seemed to have what it took all along, but just needed some correction. It's *got* to be a good feeling to know that, while his breeders have had terrible luck with the rest of the litter, you stuck it out and are being rewarded so handsomely..

Just awesome to hear!

I know! You did, you did tell me so! I'm so glad too. Thanks so much!

 

[Beekissed]

That is a beautiful animal!!! What breed mix is he? I can practically FEEL that fur...it looks so soft!

 

[cmjust0]

I kinda have a special place for problem LGDs, I guess.. That's how I came to have Ivan -- he was the ultimate problem child. I tell folks that he "only" tried to bite me 3 times the day we met him -- and that's absolutely true -- and it's not as if he didn't engage in a little teenage boredom behavior as a younger man, too. "Youthful indescretions," as it were.

It happens.

LGD owners don't like to talk about it because they think their dog is "defective" or something, but the fact of the matter seems to be that *a lot* of folks end up buying LGDs from noobie LGD owners/breeders with instructions that go something like:

"This dog is magic. It's made of magic, and it runs on magic. Do not interfere with the magic that is your new dog. If you pet and/or love on the dog, the magic will disappear. The dog will magically know what to do, now, forever, and always, and will never need any correction. Toss it in the goat pen, stand back, and watch the magic happen."

For some dogs, that may be true. They may never make a mistake nor require any correction.. For a good many more, however, it's just not true at all. And when it turns out to NOT be true for a given dog, nobody has answers because...well...they're *supposed* to be magic!...right?

So, I kinda make it my mission to spread the word that they're not magic....THEY'RE DOGS. Your dog isn't defective -- your dog is a dog, and dogs need correction from time to time. Some more than others!

It's OK.. Its' really OK.

 

[Roll farms]

Everyone who got a pup from me were given strict, "DO NOT put this pup in w/ kids or does due to kid. PLEASE. Wait until they're at least 18 mos to introduce them and then MONITOR the behavior" Along w/ about 20 links to reputable LGD breeders' sites, info, etc...and my best advice on how to start them, when to fix them, etc.

Don't you just know in about 5 mos. I got an "OMG the dog ripped a kid's ear off" email.

It's generally the owner's fault when things go wrong, either through ignorance or being told the wrong thing...but it makes me MAD when a dog isn't given what he needs most to 'become' a good guardian....time and a chance to grow up.