Kelleybean Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 A friend of mine has a goat farm. She wants a border collie but is worried that it will not leave the goats alone. For those of you with working dogs on a farm, how do you handle this? She wants a pet and doesn't want to keep the dog confined all day. What do you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Adopt an adult dog that isn't showing interest in livestock (and has been thoroughly tested around them). Last year I placed a foster dog in that exact situation. Dog is happy, goats are ignored, owner is happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelleybean Posted December 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 She wants a dog that will help herd the goats but will chill with the family the rest of the time. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Good fences and good training, but don't expect to be able to leave the dog loose with access to the goats. If your friend hasn't trained a working dog before I would advise her to buy a trained adult and find a mentor to help her learn how to handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 I have one laid back dog and one intense dog. The laid back dog still hopes for opportunities to herd 24/7 but I can easily call him away from watching the goats even if I'm working in the pasture with them. The intense one wishes I would allow him to create opportunities for hearding 24/7 and I can't even allow him to hang around outside the fence where livestock is kept. He goes in to work and then is taken in the house. So a lot depends on the temperment of the dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 She wants a dog that will help herd the goats but will chill with the family the rest of the time. Thoughts? Have a good fence. Seriously. Border collies are perfectly capable of having (or being taught) a good "off switch" when they are not working their livestock, but a fence is the only sure way of keeping a working dog off livestock, when the livestock don't need working. That said, if she has never had a working dog before, she should seek some training and education. A border collie that will work must be *taught* the appropriate behaviors, including when to leave livestock alone, and how NOT to run up and down the fence, harassing animals on the other side. Respectfully submitted, Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 A border collie that will work must be *taught* the appropriate behaviors, including when to leave livestock alone, and how NOT to run up and down the fence, harassing animals on the other side. This. My house/dog yard is surrounded on three sides by pastures. The sheep are sometimes up near the fences. The dogs have been taught that they are not allowed to work the stock through fences, nor chase along the fenceline or anything like that. When I'm feeding/doing chores there is sometimes some interaction along the fence lines, but the dogs can be out in the yard with sheep just feet away and the dogs know not to bother the sheep. But it takes some consistent training at the start. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivia Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 I have one laid back dog and one intense dog. The laid back dog still hopes for opportunities to herd 24/7 but I can easily call him away from watching the goats even if I'm working in the pasture with them. The intense one wishes I would allow him to create opportunities for hearding 24/7 and I can't even allow him to hang around outside the fence where livestock is kept. He goes in to work and then is taken in the house. So a lot depends on the temperment of the dog. I have a situation similar to this. I have one dog who is quite intense and when we are just hanging out outside she will be glued to the gate/fence where the sheep are just waiting for me to decide or remember that I need to go do something that requires her to work. :-) She isn't running the fence, that isn't allowed, nor does she harass the stock through the fence. She just lays there and waits. She doesn't really want to do anything but wait to see if you need her. My other dog is happy to hang out with me, wander around and do any other chores that I'm doing or sit by my feet if I sit in a chair under a tree. If I walk towards the gate he is there, ready to work but he will go amuse himself elsewhere. My third is somewhere in the middle. She will focus on the gate for a while then sigh and give up until I make a move toward the fence then she flies to the gate hoping it's time to work. None of them are ever allowed free access to the fences between them and the sheep, just in case (I'm a little paranoid). They are house dogs other times and when we are done for the day they hang out in the house with me and are perfectly happy to do so. My more intense dog would not have been a good dog for a beginner though. I second the idea of getting a good trained dog or at least well started one and working under the instruction of a good trainer. I think that would save a lot of frustration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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