# Lgd and goats?



## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

We have three nigerians now that HATE our dogs. The dogs havent ever done anything to the goats in an agressive way at all. All goats are new here... Gracie is three, cosmo and gardenia are six months. My irish wolfhound is my service animal and when i am havin really bad days he wont leave my side... so he will go into the goat pen with me for my chores being very calm just stayin right beside me as i move about. Some days when i am a bit wobbly but not horrible bad he will go in with me and lay down to watch me and if i stumble he is up and at my side. The goats are so not amused. When Si goes in they all go to the loft and give major stink eye usually....but he is a BIG boy at #150 and standin 36in at his withers. Si could care less about the goats. He pays them NO attention to them except to watch them out of the corner of his eye and when gracie goes for him he just walks away or moves around me (think under the skirttails kinda thing... he does this part when i am havin a really bad day because he wont leave me). Tucker... a small maybe #15 and a lil bit smaller than an aussie mixed boy loves to go do chores in all the animal pens with us. He thinks the goats are playin with him (he whines outside of the stall and waggs his tail like a feind and dances til one starts to chase him away, then he only runs in circles round them never charging or bein ugly) until grace rolls him then he just scrambles out of the pen. Is there a way to get gracie to understand none of the dogs will hurt her here? The two younger goats are not as bad as gracie... cosmo the wether some days just jumps on their loft or ignores tuck and others goes for tuck while gardenia could really care less bout all of it. The littles dont go after Si at all... they get in the loft or just do their normal thing or watch him.

Another question along those lines..... we soon will be gettin larger goats for brush clean up and are debatin a lgd or donkey. Coyotes and the occasional stray dog are the large predators we have here. We will most likely get adult or close to adult goats... would it be better if we decide to go the lgd route to get a pup or look for a bit older of a dog? Great pyr is what we are lookin at. On an older dog.... do they bond easily with a new herd or is that a bad idea alltogether? Or would a donkey do better with adult goats that have possibly never been around a dog? Just dont want a pup gettin hurt by a goat. These will be penned with movable hot wire tape not an enclosed fence per se like the nigerians are. Or any other suggestions on this one? 

Sorry for my book and thanks for any help you can offer!


----------



## BorderKelpie (Mar 27, 2016)

My goats and sheep didn't care for my dogs either, which had me concerned about getting my Anatolian Shepherds. Considering the predator load at my place, I had no choice.
I did get lucky and found two started 8 month old pups to integrate with my livestock. I started out kenneling the LGDs in the yard with the goats and sheep, and when they dug out of that, I ended up having to tether them in the pens with the stock. The goats were the worst (as the two big girls have horns and are more than happy to use them).
Once the stock realized that the LGDs were not going to chase them, they started to back off picking on them. As time went on, the stock figured out the dogs were watching out for them. Now I see them huddle up with the dogs when they are feeling threatened (neighbor's dogs, most often). 
These same sheep and goats will still pick on my house dogs and herders, though. They can tell the difference in the types of dogs.
If at all possible, try to find a nice adult or older, started pups as it can take upwards of two years to train an LGD to guard stock. They are a lot of work, but so worth it in the end.

As far as using donkeys as livestock guardians, I know a lot of people do that, but in my Learning About LGD group, we see horror stories of donkeys being mauled by dogs, or of donkeys accidentally injuring/killing smaller livestock trying to play with them. I have been told that using a prey animal as protection from predators isn't fair to the donkey. That makes sense to me, but I do know people use them for that. Research carefully and go from there.
Best wishes!


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Any dogs who are not bonded with the goats will react that way. The dog is not part of the herd.

With a LGD they are with the goats 24/7 and the goats get use to them or tolerate them. Some of my does after kidding will chase the LGD off not wanting him near the kids. 

It will be an issue for your service dog, he is mature and may not like another adult dog around, they may fight. 
If he is male, you want a fixed female which may work out better. But then again, some adult LGD's are set in their ways and do not get along with other dogs. 

You do not want 2 males or 2 females. 

With a LGP there is a lot of work training them. You have to be there 24/7 watching and correcting them. And putting them away from the goats when you cannot watch.


----------



## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Thank you! 

So i am takin from this that a pup might be better for the goats? Since an adult would already have its own “peoples” and may not take to new goats? And my Si.... he could care less about grown or pup. We have had friends bring strange grown dogs here and if they are ugly to him he just herds me away to the house if it happens to be a bad stay by maman day. He has never been confrontational. We do understand about a grown lgd not likin him though. And yes we would spay any female that came cause we dont want pups to need worry over... unless it were ones we brought in purposefully. Hubby is retired and i also stay home so the being home to watch and train isnt a problem. We really prefer a pup so it can learn us and here instead of tryin with an adult and not knowin how it will react to things just didnt know if it may be a better way to go for pup safety if we got older animals.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Sounds like a good plan.


----------

