- Thread starter
- #501
Ridgetop
Herd Master
No worry here about flooding! LOL Even though the sheep eat off all the green stuff, we don't usually have any soil slippage either, probably because we don't do any slope grading. Mostly we just grade the top off to get rid of the manure and loose mud on the flat top of the ridge. However you can see why we are looking for something less steep. Slightly rolling is ok for pasture with slight rises for house and barns. Will be planning seriously for property purchase next year so we can move by 2020.
Yes, the puppies were all adorable. Here are pix of the males that are left.
The puppy on the left is a black masked fawn, the puppy on the right is the black masked brindle, and the last male is white or cream. The brindle has a large white splash on his chest, a tiny white snip on his nose and white on his toes. Beautifully marked. They are currently with goats and Debra has started them on coming to her when called. I think she might have 1 white female left. They are all nice large pups, raised outside in the snow, with a partially enclosed well bedded shed. Angel is probably wondering why someone doesn't turn on the A/C here in 70 degrees! We barely drop to the high 50's at night! The parents are currently defending against wolves, foxes, coyotes, cougar, and whatever other predators lurk in northwest Idaho. Debra said someone lost a horse on another ranch to a cougar several months ago. The puppies are adorable! Angel already is attached to the sheep. She is doing so well!
I really loved the little brindle bitch due to her markings. She was allover brindle with no mask, but she was one of the smaller puppies. Debra is keeping her. Erick picked the puppy for me based on the videos of the puppies, size, conformation, and their behavior on Debra's Facebook page. He and Debra discussed their temperaments and attitudes and chose Angel for me before I went. Angel was actually the one Debra had originally thought to keep. Angel was more watchful, calmer, and seemed to have the makings of the kind of livestock guardian we wanted. She also has lovely conformation and Erick thinks she wil be little taller than Rika. Rika is a nice size bitch at 125 lbs. She is about 28" tall while Bubba is 33" tall. Both are as fast as a striking snake, and very athletic. That is what we need with these tricky coyotes, the steepness of our terrain and the division of our livestock area by the house which sits smack in the middle f the property on the ridge top. Great place for the view, but really awkward for the dogs to try to protect both sides from coyotes.
Rika spent all her time with the sheep so we got a second Anatolian, Bubba, to do double duty as sheep guardian and home protector. Angel will be Rika's replacement eventually, so we needed an Anatolian who was more sheep motivated than human motivated. She is cute as a bug and we have to be careful not to bring her inside except when the older dogs are off duty. She is sooo adorable that DH has to restrain himself from putting her in his lap! Only the realization that she will eventually be about 130 lbs. keeps him from spoiling her in that way. He actually had me take a photo of him with her on the bed to tease our friends! I have to be strict with DH more than the puppy!
We took our first walk around part of the property with Angel this am. She was on a leash so we could keep her with us since the mules and donkeys were loose. They came up to sniff at her and she was very happy to meet them. Lacey stomped at her though and I didn't trust the donkeys either, so we kept walking watchfully. We were trailed by 4 equines until they lost interest and started grazing. I won't let her loose around the donkeys and mules until she is older and can evade any stomping or biting. They are used to the larger dogs, but will sometimes try to sneak up on them. I am not sure what they will do if they catch them, but the adult dogs don't let them get close enough to find out either! LOL She was tired out when we got back and dove into her water bucket for a ling cold drink. The heat is hard on a furry puppy used to below freezing temperatures.
Angel's kennel run is right up against the ram pen which was actually the night fold last summer. DS1 is planning the layout of 2 other large corrals or folds for the ewe lamb we don't want to breed yet, and the 2nd ram that won't be turned in with the ewes this breeding. We will also make 2 more of the A frame shelters from the left over corral shelters. I think we will put up the shelters first, then build the pens around them though, that will be easier than trying to slide the corral shelter panels over the top of the 5' high corral panels again! LOL As we train her, we will keep Angel in one of the large folds, switching her between the different sheep - unbred ewe lambs, solitary ram, and breeding ewes & ram. Eventually we will let her be loose on the field with the other dogs during the day and shut her up at night in the barn pen with the ewes at night.
Rika is already teaching her to be polite to her elders. LOL Bubba has accepted her and is sweet to her.
Yes, the puppies were all adorable. Here are pix of the males that are left.
The puppy on the left is a black masked fawn, the puppy on the right is the black masked brindle, and the last male is white or cream. The brindle has a large white splash on his chest, a tiny white snip on his nose and white on his toes. Beautifully marked. They are currently with goats and Debra has started them on coming to her when called. I think she might have 1 white female left. They are all nice large pups, raised outside in the snow, with a partially enclosed well bedded shed. Angel is probably wondering why someone doesn't turn on the A/C here in 70 degrees! We barely drop to the high 50's at night! The parents are currently defending against wolves, foxes, coyotes, cougar, and whatever other predators lurk in northwest Idaho. Debra said someone lost a horse on another ranch to a cougar several months ago. The puppies are adorable! Angel already is attached to the sheep. She is doing so well!I really loved the little brindle bitch due to her markings. She was allover brindle with no mask, but she was one of the smaller puppies. Debra is keeping her. Erick picked the puppy for me based on the videos of the puppies, size, conformation, and their behavior on Debra's Facebook page. He and Debra discussed their temperaments and attitudes and chose Angel for me before I went. Angel was actually the one Debra had originally thought to keep. Angel was more watchful, calmer, and seemed to have the makings of the kind of livestock guardian we wanted. She also has lovely conformation and Erick thinks she wil be little taller than Rika. Rika is a nice size bitch at 125 lbs. She is about 28" tall while Bubba is 33" tall. Both are as fast as a striking snake, and very athletic. That is what we need with these tricky coyotes, the steepness of our terrain and the division of our livestock area by the house which sits smack in the middle f the property on the ridge top. Great place for the view, but really awkward for the dogs to try to protect both sides from coyotes.
Rika spent all her time with the sheep so we got a second Anatolian, Bubba, to do double duty as sheep guardian and home protector. Angel will be Rika's replacement eventually, so we needed an Anatolian who was more sheep motivated than human motivated. She is cute as a bug and we have to be careful not to bring her inside except when the older dogs are off duty. She is sooo adorable that DH has to restrain himself from putting her in his lap! Only the realization that she will eventually be about 130 lbs. keeps him from spoiling her in that way. He actually had me take a photo of him with her on the bed to tease our friends! I have to be strict with DH more than the puppy!
We took our first walk around part of the property with Angel this am. She was on a leash so we could keep her with us since the mules and donkeys were loose. They came up to sniff at her and she was very happy to meet them. Lacey stomped at her though and I didn't trust the donkeys either, so we kept walking watchfully. We were trailed by 4 equines until they lost interest and started grazing. I won't let her loose around the donkeys and mules until she is older and can evade any stomping or biting. They are used to the larger dogs, but will sometimes try to sneak up on them. I am not sure what they will do if they catch them, but the adult dogs don't let them get close enough to find out either! LOL She was tired out when we got back and dove into her water bucket for a ling cold drink. The heat is hard on a furry puppy used to below freezing temperatures.
Angel's kennel run is right up against the ram pen which was actually the night fold last summer. DS1 is planning the layout of 2 other large corrals or folds for the ewe lamb we don't want to breed yet, and the 2nd ram that won't be turned in with the ewes this breeding. We will also make 2 more of the A frame shelters from the left over corral shelters. I think we will put up the shelters first, then build the pens around them though, that will be easier than trying to slide the corral shelter panels over the top of the 5' high corral panels again! LOL As we train her, we will keep Angel in one of the large folds, switching her between the different sheep - unbred ewe lambs, solitary ram, and breeding ewes & ram. Eventually we will let her be loose on the field with the other dogs during the day and shut her up at night in the barn pen with the ewes at night.
Rika is already teaching her to be polite to her elders. LOL Bubba has accepted her and is sweet to her.
and they did not fall on deaf ears. Well, DH is a little deaf without his hearing aids, but I paid attention. LOL
