New to the group! Hello from Nevada!

[BoboFarm]

It sounds like it could work if the LGD stayed in the critter yard vs the backyard. My dogs would not be going in with any stock unless I had goats/sheep for herding training. If that were the case the LGD would need to be secured elsewhere. I'd also need a dog that is ok with kids (human kids ).

It doesn't surprise me that the coyotes attacked during the day. We see them all the time during the day in neighboring fields.

Working rotties can be difficult to train as well. They need to know what's in it for them to learn but once you find what their motivation is then you can work with them. They are so incredibly smart, it's scary sometimes. Anja is my girl. She's from one of our breedings. She was stillborn and I was able to bring her back. I've never had such a stable dog that's so sure of herself. She's not aggressive at all but if another dog pushes too much she will strongly assert herself. She has created a standard that I will forever compare any dog to.

It sounds like a LGD is like a cat I have seen several LGDs in rescues in our area. I just don't like other people's problems. I'm not into rescuing adult dogs, especially with kids in my house.

 

[Devonviolet]

I'm also not a huge fan of barky dogs and, correct me if I'm wrong

I hear ya! Dogs that bark all the time can get on your nerves. However, as @babsbag said, you generally want to keep an LGD with the livestock 24/7, and if your livestock are a ways away from the house, the barking isn't so bad.

That being said, our dogs do not bark all the time. They only bark when they sense a threat of some sort. If they bark at night, many times, we will go out with a powerful flashlight and shine it into the wood and the field, adjacent to our property. Sometimes it's a rabbit or armadillo. But sometimes we see the eyes of one or more coyotes reflecting back at us. We figure, by going out and shining the flashlight, we are telling the dogs, that we have their back, and they aren't in this alone. I could be wrong, but I think they appreciate us being part of their team.

Here is Deo, with one of the wethered Nigerian Dwarf goats, that we sold last summer.

Here he is again, on the gate, waiting for some lovin'. You mentioned you needed dogs that would be safe for you children. Both of our's love people, and are really sweet. However, I wouldn't want to be the human or animal predator, that tried to hurt their livestock!

As I mentioned earlier, we have Maremma's. One of the reasons we chose that breed, over Great Pyrenese, is that they don't bark all the time and they don't tend to want to wander if they get out. Of course you need to look at each dog, individually. But, as a general rule, Pyrs tend to bark more and like to wander if they get out. If our two get out, they will do a "run about" (no more than 200-300 feet out and around the fenced area) and will come right back to the gate, to be let back in with the livestock. It sure is nice to not have to worry about them running around the countryside.

Here are Violet and Deo, they are siblings (Deo is neutered, Violet is intact) and they get along beautifully. As Babsbag said about her's, our two LOVE to play in the cooler weather. They have holes, that they have dug, to lay in cool, damp soil, when it is hot.

I agree with Babsbag, that you probably won't need to think about getting LGDs until you get your goats. But, coyotes are known for not being stopped by 4' or even 6' fences. I truly believe our dogs have kept our goats (and birds) safe.

 

[BoboFarm]

@Devonviolet Yeah, barky dogs drive me up the wall! The gals that we do herding lessons with got Kangals. They got two females and they just rehomed one because she didn't turn out to be into her job. I've not personally met the one that they've kept but they do seem to like her. I like that she has a shorter coat. Do you have to groom your longer coated dogs?

Since we back up to federal land I don’t want wandering. We also have a trail that starts about 50' from the corner of our property. Do you think that would pose a problem?

 

[babsbag]

The trail could be a problem, my dogs go on serious alert when anyone walks by my land. But perhaps they would learn that it isn't a problem but some people might want to interact with the dogs or some might get mad if the dogs bark at them. I think I would figure out a way to make sure that the dogs are off of the fence line.

As far as the rescue, I agree. But there are adult dogs that are rehomed due to people moving or selling all their stock and the dogs need a job. Those were the ones I was thinking of, not ones from a shelter.

As far as the dogs liking children, that is pretty easy. They are loyal and protective. I had someone that bought a pup from to me to protect her children. She was a foster parent that had adopted 7 children and sometimes the birth parents would find out where she lived and show up to "steal" their children. The dog took care of that problem.

I had no idea that Rotties were herding dogs. Learn something new all the time.

 

[BoboFarm]

There is some foot and horse rider traffic on the trail but the trail doesn't go along our property line, it starts at the corner of our property (a wedge shape) and goes east of us to connect to another trail that runs parallel to us about 200' out. A bit hard to explain.

Yes, rotties were originally bred as cattle drovers. It's neat to watch a rottie work cattle or herd anything for that matter. I have a friend that has a rottie that herds ducks Anja is way too intense for ducks so we stick to goats, sheep and cattle. Sometimes she's even too intense for sheep. She works too closely

 

[Latestarter]

While you wait and ponder, there's a wealth of info here on the threads regarding all aspects of LGD ownership. Many posts have links. And, as you've seen, most LGD owners are pretty passionate about there dogs, so if you have a question, by all means post it! I'm sure you'll get feedback pretty quick