# Making an LGD a follower, not a herder.



## teemogoat (Mar 14, 2016)

9 month old Pyr, full blooded. Raised with goats. New to our farm as of a couple of weeks ago. Leash training going excellent. His behavior when I'm around is to stay around me. When I leave, he trots to the bucks (who are scared, never having been around LGD's before) and the bucks go running to their home pen for safety. He will follow them in and will sit and "guard" them, going into the main pasture now and then to check stuff. The issue comes in when the goats start to go back out to the main pasture. He will herd them back into their pen. There's been almost no play behavior or chasing, just trotting after scared bucks. What's your opinion on reinforcing him to have a "follow" behavior versus "herd and guard"? What he's doing seems like it's more of a "predator near" behavior. This could be because he's still new or young. I'm assuming the behavior will become more chilled out as he feels more secure in the place and especially after he matures. 

Right now I'm keeping him in his pen during the day, walking the perimeter with him in the afternoon/leash training then let him interact with the boys. Sometimes I'll leave him overnight with them since I've saw no play/chase. He'll spend the night guarding well, but it's the same thing, he doesn't want them going to the scary woods/pasture. And he's large enough that the bucks won't just pound him a good one and go where they want.

Thanks!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I would start out by putting the LGD in with the bucks for a while to get things to calm down there, especially if they are signaling the LGD to respond to their fear.
Hopefully there is a big space there and the dog can get away, if they decide to get rough with the dog. 
A safe place.

If they are scared of him, allow them to get use to him, so things calm down. Then try the dog back with the does and see if things change.

That is of I understand what you are trying


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## teemogoat (Mar 14, 2016)

I hadn't though of that. It's possible that the bucks being scared of him is making him respond to their fear and so he's doing what he should, bringing them home and guarding. Maybe he just doesn't understand it's him they are afraid of lol. There is plenty of space, enough that my fainters are on pasture/browse/hay and loose minerals only. Thanks Toth


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good luck.


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