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 >> >> _______________________________________________ >> This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list >> Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info _______________________________________________ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
