# Our LGDs



## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Our first experience with an LGD was a 10 week old Anatolian we named Sheriff.
We had no experience with them but since there's coyotes and plenty of unleashed dogs around here we knew it was just a matter of time.
All the way down to get this pup Bob kept asking me if we could afford it & all I could tell him was "we cant afford not to."
I got tired of being jumped on with huge muddy paws. But one day while in the barn I heard him whining, looked outside & we had unexpected human company.
It took a whole year before Sheriff would sit on command. About that time he suddenly quit jumping on me. He was just beginning to train me in the vein of hard headed independent thinkers. During that time period he lacerated a doe's rear leg so I put him in in a pen next to the goats.
The coming fall one morning he had jumped/climbed in to be with the goats. A few days later a neighbor stopped by saying a cougar had been spotted.
All the holes in the goat pen he dug and everything not nailed down chewed up was worth the getting past a does chewed up leg.

Then came Deputy. I had picked him out of a line up of pics someone had posted here on HT. She delivered him, brought him into the goat area, introduced him to Sheriff, made sure no hackles were up. Then she showed him how to put his front feet up on the water tub.
That's how this pup drank his water until he was big enough.
During his first kidding I didnt know what to expect but when I got closer to the doe he growled at me. I smacked him upsidethe head. 
The following year I heard him snap at a yearling and a few minutes later the squall of a brand new kid. I ran down there as the others were being born, Dep licking as they came out.
This dog keeps others away if Im bottle feeding. He has also escorted bucks back to the hay rack on his own if Im checking another buck.
There were some aggravating times when he had pulled off old barn boards & dragged stuff out to chew on. But we will never be without them, they are worth their weight in gold!


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

How long have you been using LGD's? How did you teach Sheriff to sit on command? I'm familiar with proper obedience training for dogs but unsure how much translates to LGD's


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Sorry I tried to post this on the other thread but it didnt happen. 

Ross its been only about 4 years now. And as mentioned, they are the ones who have trained me in the working LGD world. Im no dog trainer but have always been able to teach pet dogs to sit on a day or so.
Just tell them to sit, you know, pushing their hind end down with your hand and kind of pulling up on the leash or collar.
But Sheriff would sit for about two seconds or less.:grumble: I did manage to get him to "sit" when going in and out of gates or barn doors.
Then it got so he wouldnt go through unless he sat first.

He's not very good with babies he does not like to be jumped on, so he is with the bucks. Still, theres a wether who has a chunk of ear missing. I truly dont know if it was him or Dep.

I havent taught either one of them much of anything. "LEAVE IT!" lasts long enough for me to rescue a barn kitten.
One day while shoveling doggy logs I kind of showed it to Dep and said NO POOP HERE!! and it clicked!:goodjob: He had done his biz in the goat lounging area and hasnt left them there since.

But that's just my guys, they have been alot of work but getting past the puppy stage is everything. I have heard of folks giving up because of problems. But LDGs dont mature like regular dogs.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

> But LDGs dont mature like regular dogs.


 no they don't but knowing that would be important I would think. Actually your sit training is very much in line with obedience training. Makes sense really. Gve the command enforce it and reward with praise or whatever. Pretty simple. Good to hear your experiences and how you use them.


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