Please share your thoughts on sheep giving birth in the forest or field

[soarwitheagles]

It's rather amazing how much damage one or two bad apples can do to the bunch. Justsayin...

Latestarter,

The last thing I want to do is give LGD's a bad rap. I believe 99.9% of LGD's are really nice and do a great job.

Unfortunate for me, my first introduction to LGD's was a negative one that was from a person that had the bad experience with one.

I am hoping to renew my mind [paradigm shift] by reading about many positive experiences with LGD's and one day, actually owning a LGD.

Please forgive me if I have been too negative regarding LGD's. Let's not permit one negative experience to sour all the good in the adventure of owning a good LGD!

Please post some good stories about LGD's or perhaps we can make new a thread titled, "Positive experiences with LGD's!"

For every negative experience with LGD's I am certain their must be literally thousands of positive experiences with them!

Help us out here if you can!

I will begin by sharing two true stories of a dog that saved my life twice...

It was back in the 1970's, and I lived in a remote part of the Santa Cruz Mountains in a genuine rain forest of giant redwood trees. I was hiking just above the forest when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a snake swiftly coil and strike at me. At that exact moment, my dog just happened to run quickly between me and that rattle snake. The rattle snake attempted to attach itself to my dog's side, but the fur was way too thick. So he did not get bitten and he most certainly saved me from the four fangs of the rattler. Due to the remoteness of my location at the time, I think I would have been in serious trouble because I would have had to hike quite a ways before phoning for emergency personnel.

Second incident occurred in the 1970's one night just past midnight. Some wacko had hiked through the woods and was hiding in the bushes near my cabin. To this day I am not sure who it was. But when I went to investigate with my dog, he flushed the intruder out, and then chased the intruder through the forest for quite some time. Early the next morning, I tracked the person's prints for quite some distance through the woods and realized my dog had flushed out someone who had hidden in the bushes observing me in the middle of the night...and this was when Santa Cruz was the murder capital of the world...

So I like a good dog. I had many, many years of fun with that dog. Some people thought my dog was part German Shepherd and part coyote. To this day, I am not sure what he was, but I do know he was incredibly protective and incredibly loyal.

 

[babsbag]

@Southern by choice can share many many stories about her LGDs. Mine protect me when I am outside. I have good fences and DH didn't want a dog that barks all night (my current ones do not bark all night) but I talked him into a pair of dogs. Now that I have them my life has changed as far as being comfortable on the property at night. If they aren't on alert then I know that I am safe. I will never be without them again. My male has also saved a kid from drowning in a water trough, has cleaned many a kid when I haven't been here, and just generally takes care of the newborns. He stands guard over them until I relieve him of his duties. And they like people.

They do bark when they need to, my electric fence can fail and I don't panic anymore. They follow the herd out to browse, and just make me smile. I have few and far neighbors right now and the few times they have gotten out the dogs come back in a few minutes, they don't go far. It is best to let your neighbors know that you have dogs and that they are livestock friendly just in case. Many neighbors actually like the LGDs as they will keep the neighborhood clear or predators.

 

[Latestarter]

Please understand my comment was in no way intended to be harsh toward you, your experience to date, or your "fears"/concerns. I was merely pointing out that in today's litigious society and the news providers need for blood & guts and sensationalism, you only hear one side of virtually any/every story... the gory, bloody, bad side that drives up viewer numbers and sales. You don't hear about the flip side, the good, because that's not as interesting. You can read many stories already posted on the LGD threads, both good and bad. Nothing as devastating as what happened to your neighbor, and I am sorry that he had to endure that.

I have extremely limited LGD experience and started out with an LGD from a very knowledgeable/experienced/thorough/conscientious/BYH member/breeder. I have years of experience with dogs in general. LGD breeds are "different" than a normal "pet" dog. They are more intelligent, more independent, generally very intuitive, & much more protective of what they "own" and that which is "owned" by you; their owner/partner. My Mel is very friendly to virtually anyone that comes to my place. You can verify that with @Devonviolet or @Baymule And I have met both of their LGDs and the only damage was being drooled on, a couple of dew claw scratches on my inner forearms from supporting them while they tried to kiss my face, and dog hair on my clothes The ones I've had the pleasure of meeting (introduced by the owners - not walking up to them on my own) have been pretty much awesome animals Mine is a big loveable lug who needs his ear scratches and attention.

The exception is if I'm wary or "stand-off-ish" toward the person. And if a person ever shows up that Mel doesn't like, I can assure you that I'll trust his judgement. The whole purpose of the LGD is to be "scary" and "threatening" to scare off potential adversaries/predators. They shouldn't attack except as a last resort. And if a person brings that on themselves, they'd best be ready because if Mel is attacking them, it would be for a reason, & I will be too. When Mel goes off site with me for socialization, he's always been the perfect gentleman dog with everyone who has approached him. Never a single growl. I've met LGD's in the mountain meadows of the high rockies guarding sheep and they bark and threaten as you approach the herd. But if you stop and back off, as I did, they do as well. They just don't want you near their charges.

I have no idea of the history of the neighbor or dog involved with his injuries. It really doesn't matter. I do want to point out though that in today's society, if a thief enters your residence and trips and falls down a flight of stairs, he could sue you for injuries and in many states (notably the most liberal ones like the one YOU live in) he would likely win compensatory damages. The poor thief shouldn't have to worry about being injured while stealing from you. It has been said that if you accidentally hit someone with your car, you should back over them to make sure they're dead as it's less costly than a court liability & damages battle that could cost you millions and destroy your financial future. In some states, the govt will "allow you" to protect yourself and possessions as long as the perp is inside your residence. But heaven forbid you shoot him while he's on your front porch. So if the first round doesn't drop him, it's said make sure he's dead then drag him back inside... I shouldn't think that I need ANYONE'S permission to protect myself, my family and my belongings. I consider it a God given right. A sad state of affairs indeed. OK... getting into rant mode... time to back off

If you get the chance to visit a ranch with working LGDs or a good breeder's ranch where there are active working dogs, I will be completely astounded if you don't fall in love with them when you interact with them. They are a breed apart and special in so many ways. I can't see myself ever being without one again, and I don't even have my livestock yet. justsayin

Sounds like your dog friend in your youth was indeed a lifesaver for you.

 

[Bruce]

I don't have a lot of experience with LGDs but 2 years ago we visited a breeder of Anatolians in Oregon when there visiting my father. There were probably close to a dozen dogs out with the goats including a few pups probably 8-10 weeks old. I was expecting a bunch of wary dogs and figured they would keep their distance. We went out in the pasture with the breeder and only one dog kept her distance with that wary look I was expecting from all of them. The rest NEEDED to be scratched. Once they each had their turn they wandered off back to their jobs. The pups stuck around of course. Turns out the reason the one female was standoffish was because some kids had visited the prior week (nephews I think she said) and they had been chasing after the dog.

And we met a GP at the fair, he was in a pen with some sheep. He is an outside dog whose job is to guard sheep when at home. He was tired having been petted by hundreds of strangers pretty much the whole day.

The people who gave us the 2 alpacas have a herding dog and a GP but NEITHER has been trained AT ALL as a working dog (sorta sad given they had 7 alpacas and 3 goats). Bark bark bark and lots of running around any time people on the road walk by the house. Same thing when we went to the house even when the people were home. We went to water and treat the 2 remaining alpacas (the ones we were getting) and the goats daily for 2 weeks in early September while the people were on vacation. The lady (Kelly, in her 40's) said the GP plays kind of rough with her husband and her because they wrestled with him when it was a pup (now maybe 15 months old??). But he is a LAMB near Kelly's mother who is a bit unsteady on her feet. Her 2 dogs are Toy Yorkies. Aslan (the GP) KNOWS how to behave with various members of the family and no one had to teach him to be VERY gentle around Kelly's mother.

 

[soarwitheagles]

Bruce,

Wow! Thank you for sharing your stories. Now those sound like the kind of dogs I would like to have here!

I will continue to read up and check nearby LGD's in my attempt to feel more comfortable with them. I really do desire to have one or two LGD's here at our ranch.

To be honest with you, I would rather have reliable and safe LGD's now, rather than wait until we have a problem and lose some sheep.

We are still continuing our practice of letting the sheep browse and graze the forested area every day during daylight hours. So far, no problems at all and I think we have had them out there for over 4 weeks. Haven't lost any sheep, but I am still keeping the new lambs back near our house, outside the forested area. I simply do not wanna take any unnecessary chances...

By permitting the flock to eat the free forage in the forest, we are saving approx. $10-$20 per day on feed costs...and the sheep are doing a good job of knocking down 10-12 acres of forested floor. By Feb-March, I think we may be able to populate the back forest with up to 100 sheep...and that would be a huge money saver.

 

[Bruce]

$10-$20/day starts to get significant pretty fast!

I went back through this thread focusing on the LGD attack on your neighbor. What I can't find is any indication that the dog was a working Livestock Guardian Dog or was a dog that is one of the breeds commonly used to guard livestock. Big difference.

Think of property guard dogs. Which come to mind? Perhaps a Doberman Pinscher with docked tail and pointy cropped ears that stand up? I worked for a vet when I was in college as a pre-vet major (before I figured out I didn't really want to spend my life dealing with flea allergies, spays and neuters, etc). I worked weekends, first task in the morning was to put the dogs out in the runs and clean the cages. Which puppies cowered in the back of their cage while all the others were up front looking for attention? The long tailed floppy eared Dobies.

Point being dogs are trained to their tasks. There are plenty of cut/docked Dobies that are fearsome to look at (partly because we have been conditioned to think all Dobies are aggressive) but friendly as can be. And there are those that are trained to be aggressive guard dogs. OR they are untrained and uncontrolled. I'm wondering if your neighbor was attacked by a LGD breed dog that was one of the 2 latter types.

 

[babsbag]

I had a house sitter at my place over Thanksgiving and I was a little concerned that my 11 month old puppy was not going to like her. The pup has always been a little timid of new things in her space, like a wheelbarrow or a piece of plywood. I don't have visitors often, the last one in the barn was in July so I just wasn't sure about her. Well, she loved the sitter. I introduced them and after that all was well; of course my 2 older dogs got her all muddy and had to have belly rubs. I would love to see what these dogs do with a stranger when I'm not around. Maybe my sense of safety and protection around them is over rated.

My female, Sigueme, even lets people around her puppies. She stays right near, and gives the stink eye if they misbehave but no aggression at all. Once a man came to look at the pups and mama left, wouldn't stay in the barn with him. She went about 20' away and sat down and just watched. Fortunately he decided that an LGD wasn't for him which I was happy about. If she didn't like him he didn't deserve a puppy. He had 2 children with him so I wasn't afraid for my safety but it made me wonder about Sig's discernment. She has only done that once with multiple litters of pups.

 

[soarwitheagles]

$10-$20/day starts to get significant pretty fast!

I went back through this thread focusing on the LGD attack on your neighbor. What I can't find is any indication that the dog was a working Livestock Guardian Dog or was a dog that is one of the breeds commonly used to guard livestock. Big difference.

Think of property guard dogs. Which come to mind? Perhaps a Doberman Pinscher with docked tail and pointy cropped ears that stand up? I worked for a vet when I was in college as a pre-vet major (before I figured out I didn't really want to spend my life dealing with flea allergies, spays and neuters, etc). I worked weekends, first task in the morning was to put the dogs out in the runs and clean the cages. Which puppies cowered in the back of their cage while all the others were up front looking for attention? The long tailed floppy eared Dobies.

Point being dogs are trained to their tasks. There are plenty of cut/docked Dobies that are fearsome to look at (partly because we have been conditioned to think all Dobies are aggressive) but friendly as can be. And there are those that are trained to be aggressive guard dogs. OR they are untrained and uncontrolled. I'm wondering if your neighbor was attacked by a LGD breed dog that was one of the 2 latter types.

Bruce, you bring up very important points and sure helps a lot.

Yes, $10-$20 per day does begin to add up very fast! We are so happy that the sheep can eat in the forest with no problems at this time.

I suppose just about any dog can be a "good" dog if it is brought up/trained right. I still have not been able to speak with our neighbor's son who was attacked by the dog in question. I look forward to speaking to him and asking many more questions! Perhaps greater clarity will help sort this out.

Thanks again for your help!

I had a house sitter at my place over Thanksgiving and I was a little concerned that my 11 month old puppy was not going to like her. The pup has always been a little timid of new things in her space, like a wheelbarrow or a piece of plywood. I don't have visitors often, the last one in the barn was in July so I just wasn't sure about her. Well, she loved the sitter. I introduced them and after that all was well; of course my 2 older dogs got her all muddy and had to have belly rubs. I would love to see what these dogs do with a stranger when I'm not around. Maybe my sense of safety and protection around them is over rated.

My female, Sigueme, even lets people around her puppies. She stays right near, and gives the stink eye if they misbehave but no aggression at all. Once a man came to look at the pups and mama left, wouldn't stay in the barn with him. She went about 20' away and sat down and just watched. Fortunately he decided that an LGD wasn't for him which I was happy about. If she didn't like him he didn't deserve a puppy. He had 2 children with him so I wasn't afraid for my safety but it made me wonder about Sig's discernment. She has only done that once with multiple litters of pups.

Babs,

Another great story and thank you for sharing!

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and salutations one and all. Per a request I received I have removed all the posts regarding tail docking/ear cropping as well as those dealing with spay/neuter and have moved them to threads so named. I have left the LGD discussions above as Soar had started that subject within his thread asking for LGD input/ideas. Hopefully this thread can now drift back closer along title lines. If there's more you'd like me to do Soar, just PM me and let me know.

 

[babsbag]

Sorry about the thread hijacking.