# A little help please



## bronc (Jul 17, 2013)

I purchased a 1 yr old as/gp lgd that had been trained with goats. I brought her home and put him in a small pen with my 20 sheep. He did awesome for 3 days so I moved them all to a 5 acre pasture. 

Within 24 hours she killed two small lambs by playing with them too rough. She Is penned up and wIll be sent back to her original owner unless there is a surefire way to train her to stop playing with lambs. Why would she not act that way in the small pen?

I picked up another lgd today that is a little older and has been with sheep but I Havent turned him loose yet. What is the proper way to introduce one to a new flock?


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## Rock (Jan 5, 2009)

Goats are tougher than sheep maybe?


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## calmgentle (Jun 12, 2013)

This is just a guess since I'm new at LGD's, but could it be a bonding issue? Does she need more supervision until she adjusts? More time?
Karen Bailey
Calm & Gentle Dairy Goat Farm


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

You moved way to fast and I hope you don't make the same mistakes with the next dog. This dog was trained and bonded to goats, not sheep. Sheep were a totally new animal. I would have penned the dog next to the sheep for a week and then introduced them under supervision to see how they do while you were around. If things appear to be going good then start leaving them together while you are home or in the vicinity of the pasture where you can hear or see if things start going bad. Separate them when you are not going to be around and keep doing this for at least a few weeks. After 3 weeks if things seem to be going smooth leave them together. You are actually lucky you didn't loose your whole flock by adding a strange dog to it. Dogs behave differently when they are off their property and out of their normal routine. You could come to my place and I could show you all the things my dogs know but if you left with one they wouldn't listen to a word you say. A dog doesn't bond to a new family/pack instantly and in three days time that dog was still wondering why it is confined on strange territory and where are is its "pack," the goats. Goats and sheep are different animals, and the dog knows this and will need time to bond with them. Also goats are more likely to stand their ground to a dog, in my experience sheep tend to panic quicker and bolt. Running lambs and kids look like fun toys and this dog is only a year old. I wouldn't count on having a solid working dog for probably another 2 years. The only surefire way to fix a problem is supervision and training. I wouldn't give up on it yet, it really was set up to fail. The breeder should have been more helpful and offered more advise on introducing the dog to its new charges. Adding another dog to the mix can also make things worse, the two dogs could help burn some energy playing with each other which is good, but they will also pick up on each others bad habits.


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

She is also just 1 yo. She is still a puppy herself, and needs alot more supervision. With a slower introduction, and better supervision, she'll probably be fine in time. But she needs to grow up a bit more.


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## bronc (Jul 17, 2013)

Thanks, I guess I got some bad advise. What you've said makes more sense so I'll build a pen within the pasture to put her in and basically start from square one with both dogs. The second dog is about a year older and much less puppy-acting than the 1 yr old so it is possible he could be turned out with them sooner than the younger one?


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

If the older dogs is used to sheep it will probably be able to be trusted sooner, but I would still take a slower approach. A pen in the pasture is a great idea by the way.


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

Our dogs were a bit over a year old when we got them. We introduced them to the sheep and goats over a 3 week period IIRC. Yes, they will "play" with the lambs. You have to discourage that, but we've never had one hurt. I find that most of the playing happens when the dogs and sheep/goats have been separated for some time. The dogs seem happy to be back with the sheep and seem to want to rough house with them a bit. I never see them doing it now that they are with the sheep 24/7. But it could be that since they are out on pasture in coyote country that they have more to do. (OT- it's really something to see them react to a coyote!!! They go from lovable fuzzballs to big white lions in .000386 nanoseconds! Just a change in the wind can bring it on.)

I'd start over from square one. Take it slow and easy. Having another dog to "play" with will probably help too.

ETA- goat kids are nowhere near as tough as lambs. But does are usually more protective than ewes, that varies on a case by case basis IME.


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