KrisK Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Yet another question before I jump into having sheep! Since I have determined that I only want 5-6 sheep - at least to start , would a guardian dog be a good idea? We live in N. Ontario. We definitely have black bears, timber wolves & brush wolves (coyotes). The location of the polebarn will be within 100 metres of the house. The pasture itself is entirely visible from the house. Is it reasonable to consider a guardian dog? Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajarrel Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 This is a question I've thought about numerous times with my flock of 80 and each time decided "no." We have (many) coyote (and roaming dogs) and graze our sheep on pastures scattered thoughout over 200 rolling acres (some not visible and/or readily accessible), but have not personally suffered losses. Instead of getting a dog, I invested in good fences. Until I run into problems, the barking, possibility of the dog getting out and/or biting someone and, of course, taking on responsibility (feeding, training, health care) for yet another animal seem not to be warranted. My advice would be weigh your predator pressure/ability to safely secure your sheep against any costs/risks having a LGD pose. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted February 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Thanks Kim. If you have that many sheep and do without a guardian dog then my small flock when it arrives should be okay. Believe it or not, my two little guys do enough barking to keep away most of the predators anyway. Since I'm starting from scratch, I do plan to invest in good fencing right away. I'll do a small area first, then expand as necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Yes, you may be able to do without one, with good fencing. I know many people who seem to. But be aware that I also know some people with excellent fencing and mangement (including bringing the stock up to a barn at night), who ended up with a guard animal because the individual animals in their areas were so persistent. A lot depends on the conditions in your area, how much food is available for the wildlife in general, whether there are a lot of roaming dogs that are used to having their way with livestock, and how habituated they all are to people and the challenges of fencing and barriers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajarrel Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Edited since Rebecca and I posted at the same time I'd be inclined to see what local people do. When I first started out with the sheep my neighbors were extremely helpful in helping me anticipate problems endemic to our area. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted February 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Fortunately, there are no roaming dogs in our area. We are one of 4 properties on the road. Only two of us have dogs and my neighbour says there's been fewer predators around since we moved in. So I guess my little yakkety zach has a purpose The wolves tend to be heard not seen although I have had one wandering through the fields hunting mice. Hopefully, we would manage without one in the beginning but I guess time will tell! ETA - at the moment, no one has sheep around here..just cattle who seem to do fine wandering through the bush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Having had a good LGD now, I won't be without one again. There is no fence that can hold out a determined coyote or stray dog. And all it takes is 1 incident to cause irrepable damage. In 20 years I can report major kill incidences on 1 hand. But when it happens..oh dear God. A group of local dogs ripped a dozen goats and lambs to pieces. Not killed them, that would have been too kind..but ripped of their udders and legs, tore their eyes and faces off...lovely things like that. I local "friendly" Lab dug under the door to my friends lambing barn where he proceed to kill 30 ewes and their new born lambs. My friend wept for days over that one. Both of us have Maremmas now, and I can't say enough nice about the breed. A person or child would have to crawl down their throats to get hurt by these guys, they ignore the Border Collies but heaven help the dog with ill intent. My friend has seen hers, who is the biggest softie with people on earth, drive off a cougar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsnrs Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 My hubby opted out of the LGD idea because of the barking. We have a few sheep and no problems. We did have a large Alpine buck when we first moved here who was very imposing looking. We have good fencing too. Just lucky to not have had any problems but coyotes, pigs and hawks are all around. Sometimes we get stray dogs but not so much any more. My friend raises a Pyr/Anatolian cross who do a good job at her place as she doesn't have fencing yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 What will probably happen is that things will be fine for a few years, and then something will happen. The rabbit population will crash, or a new pack of wolves will take over the territory, and you will suddenly find yourself loosing lambs at a very rapid clip. If you're not in this for commercial production, and are only going to be keeping the five sheep, you may wake up one morning to discover that you have no sheep left. Basically, the answer is that you don't need a guard dog until you need one, and then it's too late to get one. The issue is just how much do you have to lose and how willing are you to risk it? A good guard dog is not cheap, unless the alternative is feeding a couple hundred lambs a year to coyotes, and then he looks like a stone cold bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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