# Protectors.



## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

Q's on protectors here: 

We have a German Shepherd/Chow/Rottweiler mix who is the toughest dog on the block. When I am calling my horse and she doesn't listen, he'll nip her heels til she's by me. He loves the goats!!! And he will protect everyone on the property from strangers/dogs/wildlife. 

However I was wondering, do the protectors need to be in the fence with the goats? 

How many protectors do you need if you have say a very small herd of goats? 

Are there any alternatives to dogs?


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## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

1. The dogs don'y have to be in the fence but it may help effectiveness.
2. How small? I would say 1-2.
3. You could have a llama,or donkey as well.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Llama! :horse:


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## jordan (Nov 22, 2007)

Sonrise Farm said:


> Q's on protectors here:
> However I was wondering, do the protectors need to be in the fence with the goats?


For my set up (and everyone's situation will be different), my dogs are actually more effective running loose on the farm and keeping predators from even entering. I have 24 acres, a 1 1/2 acre pen, a 1 acre pen and a 1/2 acre pen for my goats and I've never had a problem. But keep in mind that some of my dogs are large enough to rip gates off the posts if they needed to! 
Lois
http://www.fallcreekfarm.net


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## farmgirl (Jan 5, 2009)

We have always let our dogs run loose on the farm. This is the first year that I have ever had a problem with cyotes, killed a bunch of my turkeys, but it is only due to the fact that we had to put one of our dogs down this year and didn't want his brother outside alone at night because he is getting older now. as long as the dogs know who their pack is they should do anything neccessary to protect them, our one dog (the one that we had to put down, poor baby) would go so far as to dig his way under the fences to sit with our flock when something was around.


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