# How dangerous are domestic dogs to my goats?



## AmyJo (Aug 17, 2012)

We have allot of neighbor dogs in the area and I am wondering if I should be concerned with them jumping the fence and hurting my goats? Also I like to leash walk my goats should I be concerned that a dog will attack them when we are out on our walk(we don't go far)? The neighbors do a pretty good job of keeping their dogs in their own yard but I'm just nervous. I keep telling everyone that even if their dog is a "wimp" it could still hurt or kill my goats, am I wrong?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Absolutely that domestic dogs are probably your worst enemy. They are usually the ones that get in and attack a goat more than coyotes do. You need to protect your goats from any of your neighbor dogs. You would be surprised at how "timid, won't hurt a fly" Duke will kill your goat.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

Agree with Karen. I had goats killed last winter by stray dogs who got in their pen. I now have 2 LGD puppies, who aren't old enough yet, but will eventually protect my goats. I have a great dane, she is not allowed near my goats, can't trust her. She's the house dog.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Even my lovable lug labrador wasn't allowed near the goats. It's just instinct, he would want to play with them. I don't think he would have killed them on purpose, but the shock of the "play" or even if he tried to play bite with them could have been detrimental.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree with Keren as well...well said.... :thumb: :greengrin:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

we have a lot of feral dogs here in Hawaii so it's a real concern here. In fact driving home I saw a feral emaciated pit mix that looked injured. I called AC and I hope they picked him up for his sake. I'm glad that I have a large goat friendly dog roaming my property. I'm hoping he'd protect our goats if it came down to it. He does bark to chase off the ferals in the area.


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## dixiegirl3179 (Jan 20, 2010)

I lost a total of 14 goats to roaming dogs in 2 seperate incidents. The second time we had hotwire up, but the goats has rubbed the fence into it, shorting it out, so it didn't work. I bought some new goats and built a barn. They now get closed up in there at night. Be very careful if you have dogs that run free around you.


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## HamiltonAcresBoers (May 9, 2012)

Last year, the neighbors two dogs got into our sheep pasture and legitimately ripped the faces off of 5 ewes, killing 4. Those dogs were later shot dead by police officers.

Dogs are your #1 enemy, if you dont have cougar.

Just a month or two ago, we had a cougar come and snatch up a ewe and a lamb. SO grateful that they didnt touch the goats. Never heard of a cougar in kansas, until one is in our backyard!


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Dogs are the #1 killers of goats... and even if they dont mean to harm them.. the goats are awfully fun to chase, and that can kill the goat too!


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## AmyJo (Aug 17, 2012)

Thank you all so much this is exactly what I've been trying to say! I forwarded this link to ask my neighbors so that they can understand why I am so scared of the dogs running around. I'm not trying to be mean nor do I hate dogs. I think I see an LGD in my future


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Dogs are more destructive than some people give them credit for when it comes to being around livestock. Just one dog can do allot of damage and more then one is just trouble. One of my goats Beep in my signature to be exact was attacked by one of my own dogs. I was there. The dog had been around them before and acted fine. The dog did something that caused Beep to posture stiffly as she walked by him towards me. I guess he took it as a threat and before I could blink he had a 70lb goat on its back with his teeth at her throat. I had to beat him off her. He had cut an artery, there was blood gushing everywhere. The entire thing probably only took a few seconds but it felt like hours. Its amazing she lived considering it took us twenty minuets to get to the vet.

If a dog that had been around them could do something that fast I couldn't even imagine what a rouge dog without anyone around could do. I, like you also take my goats on walks. I always have a large and strong stick with me. I have had to use it on several occasions. Be very careful. I have also been ambushed by a pack of coyotes. Don't think that if your in a city coyotes are not a threat. City coyotes are used to people and are allot less afraid of us then they should be. A LGD is a great investment if you can get one do. We already have six dogs(none of which are the dog that attacked Beep) so they protect my goats during the day and at night I have a pen I put my goats in. Its too hot here to have a barn so its a chain link area with concrete on the bottom and a metal roof on top. Its the only reason I can sleep at night knowing they are safe.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

I agree with everyone. Dogs are dangerous, even if they are nice. The way the goats run from them triggers an instinct in most dogs they just can't control. They may not bite, but they will chase until the goats die of exhaustion. I've heard stories of people coming out to find their dog had gotten into the field and chased a goat to the point that it was down and unable to get up. They were so stressed their rumens shut down, they just couldn't recover and died or had to be put down. I've heard more than one story like this. And the dogs didn't understand why their new "playmate" was playing just fine and then stopped...standing around the down goat wagging their tails and just looking at them.

I've noticed dogs also have this instinct to go after the necks at some point. I've tried to train my herding dogs on the goats to bring them out of the bottom pasture and all but one eventually nipped at necks. No more of that. 

You also need to make the impression on your neighbors that if their dogs kill your goats the dogs themselves are then in mortal jeopardy from law enforcement. Even if YOU don't report them, a witness absolutely can and those dogs can be legally taken from the owners and put down because they have been deemed a threat due to attacking livestock. If my neighbor's dog came in to my field and attacked a goat, I WOULD report it. I don't want to see a dog die, just doing what comes natural. And I'm not trying to be mean to my neighbors...but for me, I let my neighbors know that if their dog every crossed property lines and harassed my livestock they would be hauled off by animal control and that action in and of itself may very well end with animal control killing their dog. Nothing personal, just told them that it would happen and that they should be aware of the very real threat that presents to their dog's life should they fail to legally contain it.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I will agree with everyone.

When I go for a walk with my goats, I take mace.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

In New Mexico if a dog is on your property harassing your livestock it is legal for you to shoot it.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

lissablack said:


> In New Mexico if a dog is on your property harassing your livestock it is legal for you to shoot it.


We have the same law here in FL.
I lost all my chickens to my neighbor's german shepherd cross that wasn't properly contained. I never caught her in the act, but her pawprints were all over my barn area and accompanied by feathers as they left the property.
Then the day after she killed my last chicken I caught her running out of my barn and off my property and back home.
I could have shot her. But in the grand scheme of things I knew her owners would be horrified at what she'd done once I told them (they are good, responsible people who just hadn't imagined their sweet dog would do sush a thing) and I knew they loved her dearly. I decided that she didn't deserve to die for just being a dog.
I took her owners a letter I'd written expressing my sorrow at losing my own pet chicken, Combover, and that I had followed their dog out of my barn and back to their house. I explained how over the course of a week and a half their dog had killed all my chickens.
Their dog has never been seen running loose since then. I have no doubt that they saw evidence of feathers on their property and knew what I said was true.
Years back, when I had a herd of fifteen or so horses here, shortly after a couple foals were born I witnessed something scary in my back pasture. Two german shepherds (not the one involved in the chicken attacks, just a cioncedence on the breed) were in the back pasture stalking one of the new foals. Just as I started running for the pasture my lead mare, Delilah (who wasn't mother to either of the foals) saw the dogs too. She went into the scariest attack mode I've ever seen. She ran, ears pinned, almost low to the ground after those dogs. I actually saw her jaws open wide as she got close to one. But by then the dogs were racing for the fenceline. Both of them jumped it easily, and it was just over 4 feet tall!
I never saw those dogs again and I have no idea where they came from.
Delilah's daughter, Fantasy, shares Delilah's protective attitude to some extent. She ran down one of our former boarder's lab and I had to call her off it so it could escape. Fantasy just attacks dogs. I was a little wary about her and my goats, so I introduced them carefully. Once I sold the only other equine here, Fantasy began to adopt the goats as her herd. Now she gets frantic when I let all three goats out in the front yard, racing along the fence and screaming for them.
I feel safer knowing that Fantasy loves "her" goats .


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## AmyJo (Aug 17, 2012)

So many informative stories! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I've had some problems with a couple neighbor's, not really about the dog issue but because I would shut my goats in their hut at night because I am concerned with the dog issue. One neighbor threatened to call animal control because he feared for the goats being "locked in at night". My hut is approx 7' x 8', ventilated and insulated. I was told that I am not a farmer and therfore do not know anything about livestock. I have been researching goats and talking to other goat owners for 2 years and have visted other goat farms and although I will never pretend to know everything I will say I do feel confident that I do know some things  . When I tried to explain about my fear with the dog issue and that was the reason I was closing them in at night, I was told "don't you think the goats would protect themselves against a dog?" All I could say was OMG they are FAINTING Goats!!!!! DUHHHHH!!! Now with all this other info I feel more confident with my original instinct and will 1 build a higher, stronger fence. 2 add on to their hut. 3 close them in at night. 4 look into a herd dog to protect my kids!!
My neighbors have become more respectful with their dogs and I appreciate this greatly but all it takes is one time!!!
Thank you all again for your stories and although I am sorry to hear these awful stories have happened to you and it saddens me that any of you have had to go through these losses I am again so glad that I have found this group and can have a source to look to which I can trust  I wish I could hug each and every one of you!!! :hugs:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

That is wonderful to hear and you are very welcome.... :hug: :leap: :leap: :leap: :leap:


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