# Mutt



## Shayanna (Aug 1, 2012)

We keep our goats on 10 acres of property, which they share with two cows and a horse. Our fencing is 3 strand electric, which the goats respect, but could get out of if they wanted. Because we don't lock up our goats at night, we would like to get some sort of guard animal to keep outside with them. Also, when it comes to kidding season, we want the dog to learn to keep the kids from going through the fence. So kind of herd them. We have a friend who has puppies, Collie/St. Bernard/Something mix. I know they don't sound like a good farm dog, but my mother has one of these dogs (not this litter but from same parents a year ago) and he is showing the traits we want. He will happily lay outside and relax with her goats, but if one breaks out or gets free, Max will bark and round the goat up back where it belongs. He does this without being taught. I also don't want a dog that I can't trust around my kid as I am expecting. What advice can you give me? How do we train one of these dogs?


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## Batt (Sep 8, 2006)

Just my opinion...The Collie instinct is to herd, and Great Pyrenees is the base stock for the St. Bernard breed so you might get some of both breeds, but there is no sure bet. Do not overly socialize the dog. Just put him/her in with the animals and see how it goes.

I would prefer one of each (I have a Lab and a GP) one for each purpose.


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

I'm going to disagree with Batt about not overly socializing the dog. A dog can be well socialized and do it's job well. 

While you might not get a good LGD out of that mix, it could very well make a great farm dog. Of course it could turn out to be a horrible farm dog but there's no real way to know. 

You will want to watch the pup around the livestock to make sure she/he doesn't start chasing. Puppies do that. Correct any bad behavior if the goats don't. You'll have to supervise around chickens. They really can be bad about chasing them. It's like a living squeaky toy. 

I have a GP mix right now. I haven't found her that difficult so far. She's nearly 9 months old right now. The goats were big enough to teach her how to behave around them when she was still small. The chickens required more supervision. She leaves the big chickens alone but did take to cleaning one of the banties. Poor bird. I just made sure the chickens were locked up at night so she couldn't get to them. That was when she would get the bantie. During the day she's fine with them all. 

During the day she is inside on the floor or couch. It's too hot to make her stay outside. At night, she doesn't want to come in. She's out there in the middle of the pasture keeping a watch over things.


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## Kits&Kids (Feb 10, 2012)

With a mix/mutt of non lgd geans the odds are against you.i have two.a pyr and a akbash.The instinct is breed in them and not taught. just my 2 cents.


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## AJohnston (Aug 17, 2012)

Honestly, it depends on the dog and how it is raised. I have a female chow/lab/great pyranees mix that is one of the best protectors on the entire property. She is just a Mutt, and we're sure that there is some other bloodlines mixed in there somewhere. She's good around all of the other dogs, horses, and any livestock that has ever wandered up to the property. She keeps the fencing checked and makes sure if anything/anyone gets out that WE know. And she will do her best to keep them in the area until someone can come and get them.

Raise them as a pet if you want to have them good around the family, but make sure, even young, that your dog is with you during chores and out and about with the livestock. They need to see that they are part of the pack and that it is their duty to protect them. Train them away from playing with your livestock as they grow... A growing pup could seriously injure any of your livestock without meaning to. And should something like that happen (accidental injury/accidental death), that's when you have to seriously fear the possibility of them going into predator mode and seeing your livestock as food.

If you have seen good genes from this line before, then chances are you'll see good genes in these pups. But you have to be mindful that training is the biggest factor. Your mother may have never had any "official" training introduced, but she has trained her dog, whether she knew it or not.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

AJohnston said:


> Raise them as a pet if you want to have them good around the family, but make sure, even young, that your dog is with you during chores and out and about with the livestock. They need to see that they are part of the pack and that it is their duty to protect them.


The thing about LGDs is they protect what they "own" and love. Some people want them to simply protect livestock, so they keep them separate and make them feel like they are part of the livestock herd. If you raise them as a pet, then they are part of the human pack and protect the humans. They still chase off coyotes and stray dogs and things, but they think they are a human instead of a sheep or goat. 
That's ok with me, but it just depends on your need. If the dog protects the humans then it might not chase off kids who would hassle your flock or strangers who would just tease the goats or something. It just depends on who you want your dog to be in the protection scheme. If it soley a goat protector, then raising it with the flock like a goat would get your further with that. If it is a farm protector then raising it as a farm dog works well. If it is to protect and care for your children, then keep it as a pet with your family. Some of the harder breeds of LGD would die to protect a child if it is raised with that child. But that can be a problem too because kids have friends coming in and out. So you want the dog to be able to accept other kids too.


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## AJohnston (Aug 17, 2012)

I've never had an issue with that mekasmom. I bottle fed my pup, she grew up in the house and around the family. But she also grew up taking me outside to do the chores. She loves the animals, she takes care of them. If something goes running out a fence, she jumps on them. I've seen her grab a few animals by the back of the neck and slobber them up good until I can make it over to grab them. Once I'm there, she jumps away, wags her tails, and trots back over to the gate to wait for me to bring them back inside. She's never hurt a single one. I'm also well aware that she'll protect me and my family. She's the first dog you have to look out for when a stranger is up around the property. You always know something is wrong when she barks because she hardly raises her head to most issues. And when you're out working the horses and one gets a little too frisky, she's the first one to jump in the corral and get between you and a 1500lb animal. But if she doesn't think your in danger, then she's the first one to go out in the pasture with the horses and make sure they are alright. Coyotes? She'll chase 'em. Stray dogs... Well, she has a tendency to play with them unless they try to start trouble. lol She's just a good dog. Maybe because she's a Mutt? I'm not sure.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== I also don't want a dog that I can't trust around my kid as I am expecting. What advice can you give me? How do we train one of these dogs? ===


Not much advice, just what I've experienced.

I brought home a 2 month old puppy. I had just received 25 day-old chicks I had ordered and they were in a 10 foot x 10 foot area of my kitchen.

I opened the chick's gate, went inside, and sat on the floor. The pup followed me in and sat down beside me. That surprised me!!

As I sat there petting the pup and telling her those were MY birds and she was not to hurt them, she also just sat there. She then got up, walked around and sniffed a few of the birds, then returned to me and sat down. Another surprise!

I told the pup she passed the test and now we're going outside where the adult birds roam free with the other stock. Told her the rules were the same outside; don't hurt my birds or other critters. The pup stayed with me, never chased a bird or anything else, and that was the extent of her 'training.'

The pup chose to be a livestock guardian and has been on the job for 10 years. No coyotes or other critters have come in. All flying predators have been chased off. Haven't lost ANY critters since this dog has been on the job. The dog even barks at the airplanes 30,000 feet up in the air. 

The dog checks out each egg that hatches, each piglet that farrows. The dog loves everybody, 'specially kids; just don't touch her stock or owner! (Somehow it's okay for children to do that!)

I never did any special socializing. The dog seems to know who can be trusted and who can't!

And a big surprise for those of you who don't really know the breed of dog who is NOT on the list of guardian dogs, she's a papered American Pitbull Terrier, the only breed I keep. Altho the dog acts like she's still a pup (still runs like the wind), I'm looking for a couple of puppies of the same breeding.

I must have been given a special gene. No matter what critters I have, I don't work hard at training any of them; I talk, they do.


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## AJohnston (Aug 17, 2012)

Rogo said:


> === I also don't want a dog that I can't trust around my kid as I am expecting. What advice can you give me? How do we train one of these dogs? ===
> 
> 
> Not much advice, just what I've experienced.
> ...


This is much the same experience I have Rogo... I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. Dogs understand far better than people give them credit for. This is a form of training... And it's amazing how well they pick up on it. Some dogs... They just know.


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