# dog destractions during training?



## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

how do i get my family's four dogs to shut up?! 
no offence to canine people but quite frankly, there is only so much barking i can take!!! and i am trying to train moonbeam and milky way, which is difficult for me because they are my first to train. and the dogs bark incessantly!!! they never stop barking, and i never get much training in. where i got them from only had one dog, and it was leashed away from them, out of view, and didnt bark alot. how do i introduce them without ruining my chances of ever training them? two of the dogs are on leashes at all times (they are big dogs, about as big as milky way, the yearling) and one is old and wont go near them, the other is my sisters dog and is usually inside but is on the leash when outside. the two outside dogs absolutely cannot go in the house without tearing it apart, so thats out of the question... i wish we would get rid of them! GR!

any suggestions?

*** no offense to anyone. i am just not a dog person. ***


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

Hello,

can't you train out of sight of the dogs or arrange that the dogs be taken somewhere else on your property while training?


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

You have a problem on your hands. When you have four dogs together, their pack instinct kicks in, and unless you have them very well trained, they won't listen to you at all. They are interested in hunting.

You may be able to desensitize your dogs to the goat, but you have to be a good trainer to do that. It is risky to all involved so make sure the dogs are well contained when you have the goats out.

I have some large dogs in the yard behind me. They barked constantly when they were out. Since I couldn't train them directly, I took the goats to the back fence, against their will at first, and held on their leads while they browsed there. I played with the dogs through the fence, and would occasionally use a dog dazer as a goat approached the fence and sometimes a squirt bottle on them.

With time the goats ignored the dogs, and so the dogs ignored the goats. They were never in danger because of the fence between them.


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## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

i would love to train them somewhere else, or to take the dogs somewhere else but i cant. the only other place is my dads and i dont know if he will let me bring them over on his weekends for me to keep working with them. the dogs are very stupid... no offence to dog people. my mom and sisters never trained them- and i want nothing to do with them- so they never got trained. they dont walk them, they dont pet them, and they argue about feeding them. and mom wants to get a pot belly pig for my sister!!! GR!!! mom wont get rid of them either. they are on chains around the yard. they dont physically interrupt but they keep the attention of my goats.


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

Get yourself a dog dazer and use it on them. I have no patience with noisy dogs. And I love dogs. Just quiet ones.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

Well I am rather new to the pack goat. 
And I have 4 yorkies and a healer. And this is what
I am trying. First I brought out the one yorkie that is
always good off leashe. And Put goat on a leash. And
went for a walk. I did this several days. Where the goat
accually seemed to want to play with the yorkie. LOL

So then I got the healer. He wants to chase the goat.
So I leashed the dog. And we went for a walk. Goat
was off leash. So far we are on our second day. And
things are going smoother. Goat follows. No leash. 
Dog is on leash. They have smelled each other. Goat
was the one that initiated the contact. Dog lunged
at goat. So we went back to walking. And I will keep
at it til the dog knows this is MY goat. Not his. Then
I will bring the yorkie back in. 
And plus I ordered the dog dazer. So that when I let
the healer off leash. Maybe I can control him. 

Well that is what I am trying. If any of you have other
suggestions. I will be happy to listen.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Sounds like you have the right idea... control the dogs. The goat will learn faster than the dogs and eventually they both will be desensitized as long as the dog doesn't get rewarded for starting a chase.


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## Coyotl Viejo (May 22, 2010)

First of all, I think you need to have an honest conversation with your mom. With dogs that are so uncontrolled and explosive, I would not have my goats on the same property unless there were strong, tall fences between them! Perhaps your family needs to decide if they want dogs or goats. (I love dogs, but for your sake I hope that the decision would be goats.) You can point out to your mom that the goats are getting the better attention, thus it makes sense to get rid of the dogs.

We have a small herd of goats: one yearling doe, one doeling, one buckling, and two "wetherlings". We introduced the babies to the dog (Denali) when we first got them at just a few days old. We kept them inside in a larg kennel box, where the dog could sniff as much as she wanted. We also loved on them and Denali at the same time so that she would 1) see that we cared for the goats as members of our "pack" (her mentality), and 2) not feel threatened or displaced, since she was also still getting attention from us. I think it also helped the goats, which were afraid of her at first (instinctively?), but then they seemed to accept her as part of their "herd."

Now we trust her totally with them, and she goes into their pen with us. When we let them out to forage, they'll walk right up to her and treat her as an equal. I hope that she'll also be protective of them if they are ever in danger.

I should also point out that we have had Denali since she was 6 weeks old, so we are her only family. She accepts everything that is ours as hers, including the chickens. Every time we bring home more baby chicks and we keep them in the house, she gets curious and sniffs around, then accepts them. I think that if you were to get a puppy and raise it yourself along with the goats, you would find that you have a GREAT ally in protecting the herd, and the dog would just tag along with you in everything. When goats and dogs are pals it's a GREAT thing!

Best of luck!

Dan


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## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 31, 2010)

i have trained one dog to stay away from them. i took her on a short leash and stood real close to the goats on their tethers, just close enough to touch. she got all jumpy and the goat butted her, she backed up. got close again, got butted again. i've done it a few times now. she usually stays on my other side from the goats when i walk her by close to them. i think she is learning.
i taught the brainless dog! it's a miricale! 
ha ha ha! just kidding, i still dont like dogs though. the other two wont calm down enough for me to even think about going near the goats with them. i wont even take them on a leash. the fourth dog is lazy and doesnt bother them. he just sleeps on the porch and watches them a little. i think he thinks he is babysitting... :roll:


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

I love the dog dazer II. 
First off it shut my noisey yorkies up. And the neighbors
yorkies also. 

As I said. I started Buddy (the healer) out on a short lead.
Then I lengthened the leash. 
He is now working off leash. Sully (the goat) is still
suspisious of him. Is jumpy and nervous around him.
Which is very temping for Buddy to want to give chase.
But now I do not even have to use the dazer. All I have
to say is "be nice". I say this before it esculates into the chaseing
phase. If it got into the chaseing part. I would daze him. 

So far I have not ran into any neighbors dogs. But I do not
walk out until 4:00 pm. This is a retirement community so
most seniors stay home after 4:00. LOL They want to watch
the 5:00 news. 

I live just a few miles from wilderness trails. One of the reasons
for getting a pack goat.


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