# Introducing him to the farm animals



## Mmiles07 (Apr 24, 2013)

Our Marley is a fantastic gaurd dog, he is very very very protective of the babies as he should be Im extremely proud of him. He is a rott/lab mix. Heres the issue we just got some hogs and I know eventually he is gonna want to follow me to the barn and I worry he isn't going to react well to the new farm members. Any tips on introducing him to the farm animals without incident?


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Read thru the various posts here, there's several very good ones about how to train a dog with animals.

Patience-could take weeks or months, very clear instruction/control(don't let him get in a bad situation) and consistency.

Good Luck!


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

You didn't say how old Marley is.

I can tell you what has worked for me (with "thinking" and predator aggressive dogs). The first thing I teach any dog I own is that I'm boss; and if I say it is not to touch its food (or anything else), then it is not to touch it until I say it is ok to do so. This gives me a lot of control when introductions are transpiring.

I have a new pup on the premises and my older dog (a 4 yr old lab who thinks he should get ALL the attention) did (notice past tense here) not like her at all. Yet my lab has already been trained to do what I ask, i.e. not touch whatever and permit whatever. Thus, with only a few minor mishaps (growls/barks) the two are actually sleeping near each other...still not as close as the pup wants as the pup is only 8 weeks old. Yet I don't have to worry about Cujo (the lab) hurting the pup.

When Apache (Anatolian/chow/lab mix) was alive, she was rather aggressive; yet she was, also, obedient and would even nurture baby goats. (Apache in turn taught the next dog, Cherokee, being a fullbred German Shepherd, how to guard the goats/fowl; and Cherokee winded up adopting 2 baby goats who nearly lost their dam.)

Mmiles07, I would suggest you simply make sure Marley is obedient to your commands (Use a leash if need be.) and take him on out. If the situation were mine, I would walk *slowly* around the newcomers (stopping frequently for a few minutes) with Marley on a leash making sure the new comers were NOT FRIGHTENED by Marley. (One of the tricks to introducing a dog to another animal is to do so in a way that does "not" frighten the "other" animal. I remember when Cherokee was being trained with our dairy goats, I literally attached her leash to Apache's collar when I could not be around. Apache would stop Cherokee from chasing the goats!)


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## Mmiles07 (Apr 24, 2013)

Im sorry, Marley is 3yrs old.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Marley is going to know the pigs are there. I agree with bringing him near the pigs. Bring him toward the pigs and when he alerts, have him sit. This is your initial perimeter. You can only bring him as close as you can control him. Since you don't know what his reaction will be, supervise him for the next couple of weeks and work with him. Rotts like to bite and Labs like to chase. He can learn that his job is to sit outside the barn when you go in to care for the pigs. Use lots of praise.


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## Mmiles07 (Apr 24, 2013)

Maura said:


> Marley is going to know the pigs are there. I agree with bringing him near the pigs. Bring him toward the pigs and when he alerts, have him sit. This is your initial perimeter. You can only bring him as close as you can control him. Since you don't know what his reaction will be, supervise him for the next couple of weeks and work with him. Rotts like to bite and Labs like to chase. He can learn that his job is to sit outside the barn when you go in to care for the pigs. Use lots of praise.


Thank you for your advice, Marley has been doing great he sits almost patiently and waits for me to finish in the barn, The first few days he whined when I disappeared from view. He is exceding my expectaions Thank you again!


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