herding and farm dogs together?
Question by David F: herding and farm dogs together?
ok lets say hypothetically i had a farm and on my farm i had free range chickens, goats, and cows.
with each herd i have a livestock guard dog with them that stays with them full time.
if i need to herd my cows or goats or even chickens for any reason would using a border collie be safe even though the guard dog is still there? or will there be problems?
any solutions to this?
Feel free to answer in the comment section below
5 Responses to herding and farm dogs together?
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if your guard dog is sure that your border collie is a friend then it shouldn’t be a problem.
Draillia
February 23, 2014 at 4:08 am
if the dogs get along fine shouldnt be a problem. most likely they will bolth do the jobs together just 1 will be more dominat at the job.
Bleh126
February 23, 2014 at 4:27 am
Border collies can be used to herd any animal safely if trained. I’ve lived on a farm all my life and our BC’s herd sheep and cows. I have seen people BC’s herd ducks which are similar to chickens and i guess sheep are similar to goats. I would remove the guard dog when herding your animals tho simply because your guard dog is there to guard your animals, keep other dogs from chasing them. In his head he won’t know that the BC is herding them and so he would be likely to chase him away unaware that he actually isn’t going to harm the animals. To stop confussion i would remove him for that period of time.
ETA: I wouldn’t use a long leash either for the guard dog. Your baiscally saying ”you stand here and watch this dog chase the animals you’re suppose to be protecting without chasing them away” When a dog does actually chase the animals he might think he’s suppose to stand there and watch. Remove him from the area completly and only put him back once you’ve finished herding!
~Skye~
February 23, 2014 at 5:10 am
Put the gaurd dog on a long-ish lead while you’re having a BC herd them.
Problem solved 🙂
If you ride a horse like a lot of livestock farmers do, you can either hold the leash or tie it to your saddle.
And if you’re walking…Well, then you can just hold the leash haha
Emily~ BC's NEED A JOB. <3
February 23, 2014 at 5:28 am
Your livestock guardian dog could see the herding dog as a threat when it was moving the livestock. Most ranchers that use LGD’s will move the dogs out of the flock when they are being moved or worked by the herding dog. The dogs are confined in a dog crate or behind a strong fence.
Single Worker 1230
February 23, 2014 at 6:12 am