starting to look into LGDs locally. I'll try googling on the subject
regarding the dogs themselves, but there are some AB-BB questions
related to dogs I'd like to ask:
male or female dog? does it matter?
at what weight/age are the AB-BB lambs, that they are less likely to
get played with and accidentally killed?
at what age are the dogs when they are less likely to accidentally
kill a AB-BB lamb?
since we only breed once a year--in this case, once in 3 years-- and
only two or three ewes at a time, we don't have a bunch of spare lambs
around to spend allowing a puppy to figure things out.
-Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies
On Fri, May 9, 2014 at 8:35 PM, Michael Smith mwsmotorspo...@gmail.com wrote:
This is all great feedback on the LGDs thanks, folks. Mark I am sorry I am
not closer. Would love to buy a pup. Here they cost about $500. (Not sure how
much you get, though;-P
Carol your minimalist barkers sound like my Aussie Sheila. She's fine in my
book. What she does not do is just go on a 1-hour 2am lonesome barking jag
that does not stop. I would not be able to deal with that, even with
earplugs, which I do use. For her, there's always at least a reason in her
mind to bark. Sometimes she joins in on the local dog chorus of full moon
baying and if I don't like it I let her know and she's pretty good about
stopping.
When I saw her growl and chase away that full grown coyote the second night,
I realized what a fool I had been to take her to the next pasture while two
perfectly safe ewes, in a closed paddock, had lambs. Why I was so concerned
about their stress levels is beyond me. Now I know the reason the last
attackers last year never came back was soley because of Sheila being in
there all last year. Not a bad use for an untrained herder.
-Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies
Sent from my iPad
On May 9, 2014, at 4:30 PM, Carol Elkins celk...@critterhaven.biz wrote:
Michael,
Most LGDs believe that a good offense is the best defense and will network
with the entire neighborhood to keep current on the state of affairs.
Networking in this sense is barking. And LGDs need to bark long before there
is a problem to ensure that whatever is out there doesn't become a problem.
In my experience, there are over-barky LGDs, but I have found that my
minimalist LGDs still bark at things that I don't perceive as problems. Like
you, my farm was victim to a combined cougar/coyote attack that killed and
consumed 5 90-lb lambs. I lived under siege until I could purchase my LGDs.
They were 6 months old when they arrived (they don't become adults until
they are 2 years old), but they had their adult bark. That bark is what I
have relied on ever since they arrived in 2008 to keep my farm safe. Yes, it
can be really annoying at times (full moons are particularly problematic),
but I have ear plugs.
Carol
At 03:50 PM 5/9/2014, you wrote:
Sheila is a good dog in that she only barks when there's really a
problem. Living only 30-40 feet from the house, that is important to
us. I'd like to at least try to get the pup to learn from that
example.
Carol Elkins
Critterhaven--Registered Barbados Blackbelly Hair Sheep
(no shear, no dock, no fuss)
Pueblo, Colorado
http://www.critterhaven.biz
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