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  1. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    Have you looked into the kuvasz? I have two of them. They are a fierce LGD but have been known to herd as well. In fact, the first time i let the chickens out after getting the second puppy, she immediately herded the whole flock back into the coop! Do talk to breeders, though, to find the best...
  2. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    Yeah, I'll bet. I got a second LGD puppy already but my first one isn't even a year old yet. I'm paranoid she'll pick up Athena's bad habits before I get them trained out of her!
  3. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    Some are faster than others. Athena's sister only needed to be pinned by her owner twice - she's been able to be loose and wholly trustworthy with her flock for months. She also happened to be lucky enough to have older, experienced LGDs to learn from. My Athena, on the other hand, needs...
  4. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    At some point she/he'll discover that they look like fun to play with. When that happens, any time the puppy goes for a bird grab it by the nape and sharply pin it to the ground while saying "no". Also teach it to be gentle and not to bite. My big girl comes to the coop with me at lock-up to say...
  5. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    Mine took to roaming - or should I say, herding my neighbour and her two little dogs home whenever they passed by on their morning walks :p She's still a puppy, though, so even though she's well aware of her boundaries, if she sees something interesting on the other side she HAS to investigate...
  6. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    I know about the barking - and so do my neighbours, I'm sure! I eventually wound up with a kuvasz puppy. And yes, she looks like some of the other breeds - I believe a few, if not most, of the white-coated breeds were developed from the kuvasz. I love her to pieces, she does double-duty as both...
  7. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    Yes, I was considering newfs among my options. I don't think the coywolf has made it to nova Scotia yet, or at least not down south shore where I am. I did watch David Suzuki's show on them so I know what they're about. Doggy won't be sleeping outside at nights, though; I lock the kiddies...
  8. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    I've read that the best way to start with a puppy or really young dog is with an older dog that already knows the job and the older dog teaches the young one. I also read a lot that the larger and lgd breeds don't fully mature until around 2 years of age. I'd be worried starting with a puppy...
  9. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    oh, the dog searching and researching has been a HORRENDOUS process to say the least! I've been searching for over a year, it's TOUGH! But, I grew up with dogs and I believe no family is complete without one; having chickens and the recent (this year) predator issues has only served to make me...
  10. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    Yeah, that was one of the first sites I looked at earlier in the year. My birds are fliers - they can all clear 4' no problem so this wouldn't work. Yep, I have a big-(insert adjective) marans hen that can clear a 4' fence, the BAs and anyone else so inclined can, too. I tried confining them to...
  11. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    That guy was the cheapest. $200-something for the net, another $200 for the power source, then 15% tax on top of that. Ordering from the states would wind up about the same after shipping and import fees. Number of birds fluctuates - right now I'm down to only 11, 3 of which are near-future...
  12. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    Agreed. It took two years for my flock to be "discovered" by predators and this whole year has been a disaster since. The foxes have decided they don't like being hit with the pellet gun so I haven't seen them in a while. When I do finally manage to trap a coon, it's going to become a pair of...
  13. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    I priced it out and it's like $500 for 100ft? (Can't remember the size, but nowhere near enough for an acre.) And I couldn't imagine trying to run the stuff through the wooded sections and the sections with uneven terrain... definitely not a viable solution for me. As for it keeping coons out, I...
  14. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    I, too, have a small property. I'm adopting a 4-yo what looks to be a collie/shepherd cross this weekend. The people she's coming from have 1.5 acres and have never had to put up a fence for her. I did research the cross, and they are supposedly quite amazing. I'll have to let everyone know how...
  15. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    I just love a good dog! Funny thing is, the breed was not even on the long list we were considering, he was a complete and total fluke! When I researched, I found that they've been repurposed as therapy and companion dogs in old folks' homes because of their careful, patient nature. I had always...
  16. Phoenixxx

    Livestock guardian dogs

    I was glad to see in this and another thread that some of us are employing dobermans. I was actually looking for a shepherd since I don't have the land to satisfy a proper LGD and only a small flock of chickens, but I stumbled onto an ad for a dobie that we adopted yesterday :) He was kept in a...
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