Does this sound like a good plan?

[Billy Foster]

I have an opportunity to get a 1 year old neutered Maremma from a farm near me. The reason the dog is available is it has killed a couple of the owner’s chickens. The dog’s parents work and the sister is working well on this same farm. The dog has grown up with goats, horses, ducks, chickens, and a donkey (I think it is kind of a free range free for all). The owner says the dog has never lived inside but I suspect it gets a lot of human interaction. My thoughts are that this dog may be an opportunity for me but I would need to set this dog up to succeed for it to work. My intention is to put this young dog in a horse stall with a sausage ewe. Let him spend some time with her and get a feel if he is bullying her or if he is minding his manners. If he is being a pest then I can up the ante with a couple of hogget’s that will most likely set him straight (I keep hill breeds and they are not feeble). If all calms down over the course of a few weeks I would put the dog and his new sheep friends into the flock withewes and lambs. I would pen the dog in a length of temporary fence (48") within the paddock at night for a while. I do have a few farm dogs (herding and pet) that I would introduce him to when he first gets to our place so he has time to be ok with them as well. During this time I would not be spending time with the dog and only would give him some attention at the time of feeding but no other time so he can focus on hanging with sheep not us. I realize this is not ideal but since this dogs family has been successful guards and he is in what people say is the teenage years of his life I figure it could work if he has some structured guidance at this point.
I understand dog behavior, having raced sled dogs for so many years, but I do not have ANY experience with LGDs. I have gone back though older posts and learned a lot. I think I have a good plan but I would really love to benefit from everyone’s experience in this slightly novel situation
Also:I will only try this if I have the permission of the current owners to deal with him as I see fit in the event he is not able to be trusted.

Thank you
Billy

[Janet McNally]

Hi Billy,

my concern with confining the dog in a small space with the one ewe is that at this age these dogs can bore mighty fast and he WILL get into trouble in that setting. What are your other options? do you have some rams in a big space? or some yearling ewes or dry ewes you can put him with in a larger area? Give him lots to do. A dog with a job stays out of trouble.

Janet

[Janet McNally]

ps I always recommend that people tie the new acquisition for about 10 days to get the dog accustomed to the new owner. I've heard of more than one adult LGD that bolted never to be seen again upon turning him loose on a new farm. Don't be afraid to give him some attention during this time, you want him to trust you. If he is tied in the sheep pasture or pen, that will help him get his bearings and learn where he belongs.

Janet

[Billy Foster]

Good advice Janet.

Yes I can put him in a larger area (a few rolls of perminet with some yearlings). When I talked to the owners it really seemed like the dog has turned playing with the chickens into a deadly game (for the chickens), he is fine with all the other animals including ducks, I suspect the ducks give it back when toyed with . If boredom is an issue at this age is there anything else I can do to help keep him from getting into trouble out of sheer boredom i.e. cow knuckle to chew on or going out to see him a few times a day just to give him a pat. I also move the sheep a lot (MIG), will this be stressful for him to not be in the same spot or will he get used to the sheep and get security from that?

Also I like the idea about tying him in there. I did have concern about the dog wandering and was going to use 48" net to address this but tying him as well will create a much more controlled situation.

Thanks again Janet

[Janet McNally]

Hi Billy,

to prevent boredom give him bigger spaces, things to chew on (usually they find that in the environment if there are trees etc), and frequent moving will all help. I would say that 1 net x 3 nets is adequate space if the flock is moving frequently. Anything smaller is quite confining for a young dog that needs something to do.

Moving frequently is good for him, it teaches him to move with the sheep.

Janet

[Billy Foster]

Well I can certainly give him more space.

Thanks Janet

[Billy Foster]

Dante is doing great.
The dogs name is Dante and he is doing great. I picked him up Saturday and he is with the sheep and they all appear harmonious. I put him in a big area next to the ewes w/lambs with a couple hoggets for the first day. When Dante approached the yearlings for the first time they cleared the 48” perminet to get back with the main group, I guess I kind of knew that was going to happen . I left him by himself for the night and in the morning I removed the net separating them. I really expected some commotion when the dog approached the group. The only experience these sheep have had with dogs is being bullied around by a border collie. I keep Cheviots and they are anything but docile or meek. I really expected some of these ewes with lambs to either bowl him over or at least they would all head for the hills when he approached them. I was SO surprised; he didn’t even get a foot stomp. The nastiest ewe I have, she is so stubborn with lambs at foot and will go head to head with the herding dog, actually approached him and sniffed him. It was like she did not sense a threat. Within 2 hours Dante was sitting 5 feet from the mass that were laying down chewing their cud. I would watch Dante walk towards the group and just as I would be getting the feeling that the sheep were starting to get uncomfortable Dante would sit down or stop and look away. It would appear that he really has a feel for their pressure points. This is my first experience with an LGD so I may be stating the obvious but it is so interesting to watch the centuries of selective breeding at work. I am still keeping a close eye of the situation to be sure that this teenager does not start thinking of lambs as play things but I very happy with the progress so far.

Janet: Thank you for the advice of putting them in a big paddock. It looks like it gave everyone the space they need to live together.

Billy