Regarding my last post about Ezzy getting picked up and having to get her from the shelter I am seriously thinking I might not ever have anymore livestock guardian dogs after her time is up.
I am now in my 60's and I don't know that it is worth all the trouble. I've been thinking about this for long time. While I do love dogs and having them around, the effort it takes keeping LGD's is considerable. There is the constant worry that they could get loose and run out into the highway, or disappear out in the woods. That's what happened to my very first Kangal Dog Arie, she was killed on the highway. "Disappointing" would be a definite understatement.
Arie was a superb specimen "physically", but she was too gamey to be with livestock. She was showing this trait very early on as a pup, with extreme food aggression. It was a ton of work to get her to behave with the animals. And she absolutely hated the rams. After approximately a year and half I felt I could finally trust her then she got out of the only spot that wasn't electrified and got hit by a vehicle out in the highway. All that money, time and effort down the drain in an instant!
I've had dogs my whole life and in my adult life owned many of the working breeds, I know what it takes to successfully raise and keep a dog.
While researching for livestock guardian dogs, right away I saw people stating the requirements for them, that they need to have good sturdy fences, high and electrified as they will roam. To me this seems a little counterintuitive. I mean if it takes a fortress to keep the dogs in, won't that more or less keep the predators out?
I understand that many of these breeds were developed out in the open ranges where they can patrol miles and miles of grazing lands. So it seems to be asking a lot of these dogs to stay put on smaller by comparison homesteads and farms. My thought is that Americans should be breeding strains of dogs that tend to stay put and keep their charges in close proximity.
I have seen one rancher on youtube that has dogs that will stay within a single strand electric. To me that's the way to go. And if I ever change my mind I would search for a strain of dogs that are bred to stay close like that.
Training has something to do with it too no doubt. But if you are always fighting genetics it seems to be a losing battle. Can you ever completely trust the dog? That's the thing that keeps me awake at night. And I'm getting too old for that kind of thing.
With that said I am enjoying the process of acclimating Ezzy to the house. Been bringing her in a couple times a day making her stays longer and longer. Earlier today she actually relaxed long enough to lay down on the carpet. She is very restless in the house and sits by the door eagerly waiting to be let out. She walks around I guess looking for a way out.
I'm in the process of dismantling an old secure kennel to put up right next to the house. Also I will attach her and Lokums big insulated dog house to the kennel. This will make the transition easier I believe.
I don't think anyone ever reads this blog anymore so this is mostly just for my personal records. This blog has been a valuable resource to me, for keeping records, since I don't have a good memory for dates and such.
