Farm Dogs
by Ida Livingston of Davis City, IA
Dogs are companion animals and on a farm they can be a vital partner that helps make a farm successful. They guard vulnerable livestock and crops. They can alert their human companions to undetected threats. They can also save a lot of legwork when moving livestock.
Callie
Khoke had a longtime canine companion named Callie. Callie was a mixed-breed dog of unsure origin, but we suspect it was Blue Heeler and Shetland Sheepdog. She had been dumped near our property and followed Khoke home. She was very young then but no longer a puppy and became his daily comrade for over 15 years.
Callie alerted Khoke to any wildlife assault on the chickens and helped him collect the milk cows at chore time. Khoke usually takes a backpack with water to whatever field he’s working in and Callie would stay by this backpack instead of following the mower around the field. Woe unto any hapless soul who dared touch that backpack!
When Callie began not only to slow down but not be able to keep up, we knew we had to find a replacement. Our livestock and crops depended upon her for their safety and as her hearing and sight dimmed, she needed an energetic companion to run those laps she no longer could. We did not choose Callie’s breed but since she needed a companion and we had no convenient strays show up, we began to consider what breed of dog would suit our needs. We identified our primary need as a guard dog, a territorial dog that was large enough to be a threat to raccoons and respected by coyotes. Yet we did not want a dog so large that we needed a part time job just to feed it, either.
Silas
Khoke’s family has long had Border Collies whom they train as stock dogs. These are trained to work cattle and sheep. However, they are so geared to herd that they have no “off” switch. They often are kenneled so that they don’t practice herding the chickens, horses, sheep, cattle, neighbor kids or mailman in their idle time. So despite his family’s not-small bias, we decided not to get a Border Collie.
The best dog my family ever had was a Blue Heeler cross named Curly. We considered Heelers and found that they fit the criteria we were looking for in a farm dog. Heelers, also known as Australian Cattle Dogs, are known to be loyal companions who are territorial, guarding areas that they identify as belonging to their human companion. They are a medium-large dog that can be tenaciously stubborn – not easily deterred from a task and very intelligent.
We found a breeder a couple hours south of us and arranged to buy a puppy. I say he was a breeder, but he was simply a man with two Blue Heeler farm dogs with whom he raised puppies when they weren’t working. We loved how devoted the dogs were to their human companion and selected a male puppy from the litter.
Silas came home with us just barely old enough to be weaned. He spent his first couple weeks sleeping beside our bed at night so he wouldn’t become anxious. Once he adjusted to the separation from his litter mates and reoriented to our home as his, he moved outside so he could acclimate as the weather cooled down that fall.
Once Callie forgave him for showing up, she would play with him as she was a naturally playful dog, even as she aged. Silas learned the ropes from Callie, picking up basic commands quickly. We have a half mile stretch of road that we walk frequently and on the road we require our dogs to “heel” or “fence.” Heeling means that they follow directly behind or beside us, not wandering around on the road. Fencing means they follow along as we walk, but on the inside of the perimeter fence that stretches along the road. Both of these keep them safe from being hit by vehicles on the road.
When Callie could no longer see or hear well enough to help Silas, we decided to get another puppy. We had enough wildlife pressure that we really needed two working dogs. One night in a fight with a raccoon, the raccoon wrapped itself over Silas’ face and was trying to scratch his eyes out. He could not shake it off and I could not kick it off. I summoned whatever meager courage I had and grabbed the raccoon by the tail and pulled it off. As soon as it was off, Silas nailed him. This incident expedited Ruby’s arrival to our home.
Silas and Callie did not consent to the addition of Ruby and acted downright hurt about it. After a few months they forgave her intrusion into their lives and accepted her. As Ruby got bigger and more helpful, Callie spent more time holding down the porch floor or keeping me company, she just couldn’t do the miles Khoke put on every day anymore.
Heelers are a cattle dog, but this is not why we chose the breed; we needed a guard dog. We did not spend any time training Silas with cattle. However, Silas is a quick study and keenly intelligent. He went with Khoke every day to get the milk cows at chore time, just tagging along as a pup. He knew that every night the unweaned calves go to their pen in the barn and the cows get milked. Well, calves get to an age where they decide, “Nah, I’m not going in tonight, catch me if you can!” Then they run around the barn instead of in it. Khoke has learned that the best thing to do is ignore them, lock the cows in the stanchion, then go back and get the calf.
Well, the first time Silas saw this happen, he employed himself without command. He was only a few months old and he knew the daily routine. When the calf hiked his tail and ran around the barn instead of in, Khoke ushered the cows in and locked them in the stanchions. About this time he heard the calf bellow. Stepping out of the milkbarn, he found Silas chasing that calf in laps around the barn until the calf recognized the safest place was in it. To this day, Silas will help round up cows who disregard routine, with or without command.
Common Farm Dog Breeds
There are many, many suitable farm dog breeds. Many more than I could possibly attempt to name. Identified breeds have been bred to promote certain characteristics and instincts. Some of these are not a good fit to every farm or home. It is a good idea to do some research to find what meets the needs of your home before investing in the long term commitment of the farm dog.
A lot of the breeds that we recognize today as family or guard dogs were originally bred as a guardian or stock dog. Most people recognize Rottweilers as a guard dog breed. They are a breed that dates back to the Romans and historically were a stock dog and can still be used for that today. They can move stubborn animals that are difficult for other stock dog breeds to handle. They are a large, strong dog that is not easily deterred.
Many farm dogs are high energy and need space and work to reach their potential. If one does not have enough work to exercise their body and intelligence, these can easily lapse into undesirable behaviors and habits. The research it takes to find a good fit is definitely worth the time.
Even within a breed, personalities can vary and can be genetic. Our Silas is uncommonly sensitive for a Blue Heeler and all his progeny share this quality. A neighbor has a Blue Heeler who is extremely affectionate and demonstrative, she is also very willful and difficult to train. All her offspring show a measure of both of these qualities. Some Heelers are so energetic that they are a bull in the china shop in a home and would not make good house dogs, others would be laid back enough that they would do just fine. Their direct offspring will likely reflect these qualities.
One does not need purebred dogs to find a good dog either. Mixed breed dogs will retain some of the instincts of their parent breeds. Many of these have made excellent farm dogs.
Rat Terriers
Many farms have had rat terriers. These are an alert, intelligent dog that has historically been used for rodent control. These dogs have quick reflexes and are great at helping manage rodents.
Rats are a common problem on farms as they can survive in the wild as well as on a farm. They will travel from one farm to another if they are reasonably close. They damage grain by defecating on it, tearing open sacks or chewing into wooden bins. They can steal eggs and can and will kill chicks. Anything that can help manage a rat population is excellent.
Shelties (Shetland Sheepdog)
Shelties are a beautiful, clever little dog. They look like a miniature Collie. They make wonderful pets but have also been used as a working dog that can herd livestock. Shelties are a very intelligent dog that is eager to please. They are smart enough to learn a wide range of commands and that is helpful with any task. This is a high energy dog that benefits from having a lot of physical exercise. They also need something to stimulate their brain; they are very smart and need to have their natural intelligence exercised, too, or they may lapse into behavioral problems stemming from idle frustration.
We met a couple who had a beautiful Sheltie as a house dog in an urban neighborhood. They bought interactive dog puzzle toys that dispense food as the dog figures out how to work out the puzzle, this was how she was fed every day. This was how their Sheltie got to exercise her intelligence and they had to increase the levels of difficulty to keep challenging her.
Khoke’s parents had a pair of Shelties named Mandy and Dusty when he was a small child. Jeff has often told how he would be working on a building project about a mile from home and remember something he forgot to tell his wife. So he would write a note on a piece of paper and tie it to their collar and say, “Go to Jenia”. They would run all the way home, Jenia would read the note and write a reply to send back and then tell them to “Go to Jeff”, and they would.
Corgis
Corgis are a popular family farm dog. They are much loved for their friendliness. They are a short-legged stock dog that can herd animals and are less likely to be injured by being kicked than a taller dog.
My brother and his wife have Corgis that they have become extremely fond of. Emery taught them to herd his pigs. They are a gentle family dog and they found that their Corgis are more likely to stick close to home than other breeds that they have had. He and his wife Kaity own and operate a Farm Supply store and are not home all the time. Farm dogs can have a hard time staying home when they have a lot of idle time to kill.
German Shepherds
German Shepherds are a large, intelligent dog that was originally bred as a herding dog. In modern times they are more widely recognized as service dogs. They can be found working for the police, military and assisting the blind.
These dogs are large, often weighing well over 50 lbs. As a guard dog they are a significant threat to wildlife as their size can stand up to the challenge of most normal wildlife. Smaller dogs require more backup.
Their protective instincts can easily turn aggressive towards those outside the family. One of my brothers lost a portion of his ear to a German Shepherd at a friends’ house when he was a child. It is important for these dogs to be well trained and socialized.
Border Collie
Border Collies are an intelligent, high energy dog that has been bred aggressively to develop its herding instincts. They primarily herd sheep and cattle. A dog too aggressive for sheep often works well with cattle and a dog that is not aggressive enough for cattle often works better with sheep.
The Border Collie is a godsend to anyone moving large flocks of sheep or a herd of cattle. They are intelligent enough that they can learn a wide range of commands. Their instinct is to round up the flock or herd and bring it to you. Often they are sent out where they collect the flock and by obeying verbal or whistle commands, they move the flock to where they are directed. This is where their high energy and intelligence are both employed. They often cover great distances to round up the stock.
These are often sweet, loyal dogs who are easily recognized as a traditional farm dog. For this reason they are often sought after for general farm dogs. However, they are such a high energy dog that has deeply ingrained instincts that they must be a working dog. If they do not have enough work and become bored, they will often go looking for things to do on their own. They will herd pastured animals, the poultry running loose, children or guests, all without being instructed to if left with too much idle time. Idle Border Collies can unnerve guests when they feel stalked by the dog. I have seen farms with non-working Border Collies whose herding and guarding instincts come together to “herd” and nip guests.
We have two Border Collies across the road from one of our pastures. When they are not kenneled, they often come to our pasture and herd (chase) our cattle without our or their owners’ permission. I am sure they employ their idle time on their owners’ cattle too.
My husband’s parents, Jeff and Jenia Livingston, and his sister, Niyole Kuzee, have raised, trained and competed Border Collies for years. They keep their dogs kenneled when they are not working as they have no “off” switch. If they did not kennel them, they could easily come home to dead sheep from being overworked.
Australian Cattle Dog (Red or Blue Heelers)
Australian Cattle Dogs are commonly called Blue or Red Heelers. They are a tough, medium-sized dog originating in Australia. They were originally crossed with Dingos, an Australian wild dog, in the early development of the breed.
They have a predominantly black or red coat with white hairs evenly dispersed through it to give them the distinctive “blue” coloring. The Red Heelers have the same dispersal of white through the red. If they were a horse we’d call them a red or blue roan. How much white is interspersed in the coat affects how dark or light the blue or red is. They also often have a solid colored mask on their face.
These dogs are intensely loyal, often called a “one person dog.” They bond predominantly with one person and their life and motivation revolves around that person. They guard the property because it “belongs” to that person (whether it actually does or not), they protect the family or livestock because of that person. All other bonds are secondary to their primary attachment.
When Silas was a young dog, he was attracted to spending more time with Khoke because of the high activity level. When Ruby’s legs grew long enough to go with Khoke, too, Silas did not like this. Khoke was his person, but since Ruby attached herself to Khoke and had no plans to change it, Silas changed his primary attachment to me. He loves Khoke and will obey him, but if a footpath forks and Khoke and I walk in different directions, Silas will follow me and Ruby goes with Khoke. He did not want to share the object of his primary attachment with another dog.
Australian Cattle Dogs can be described as independent: this is a nice way of saying stubborn. This quality has two sides. This stubbornness is why they are often used to handle difficult cattle as they are not easily deterred. At the same time, if they develop bad habits such as killing chickens or chasing cars, it can be very difficult to stop the habit.
They are also an intelligent dog that thinks independently. They can try to anticipate what they need to do before they are told to. Our Silas does this. When Khoke brings in the milk cows, if the calves do not go with their mothers, he will find them and bring them without Khoke having to tell him to. He is also smart enough not to put so much pressure on the calf that it bellows, that would set its mother on him and make the job unnecessarily difficult.
Heelers are tough and tenacious. They are not easily discouraged from the task at hand. Khoke’s dog Callie was done chasing a cow if she got kicked, but Silas can get knocked end over end and it only adds energy to the pursuit when he regains his footing. Most dogs have a common range of diseases for their breed but the top of the vet call list for Heelers is injuries. They are a tough dog with a tough job that often gets them hurt.
Idleness however, is not a Heeler’s friend. They are a working dog and need to work. Too much idleness and they pick up undesirable habits like killing chickens, chasing cars, herding and nipping children, visitors, or the mailman. These habits once established are difficult to reverse.
The name Heeler comes from their tendency to usher livestock from behind. They will nip at their heels to drive livestock with more emphasis. A Header is a dog who meets livestock at their head and turns them to bring them back to their handler.
Great Pyrenees
Great Pyrenees is one of several excellent Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs). Other examples of excellent guardian dogs include Anatolian Shepherd, Maremma Sheepdog, Pyrenean Mastiff, and a surprisingly long list that I have not even named. Great Pyrenees are a very large dog, often weighing well over 100 lbs, and were bred to guard against wildlife as large and aggressive as wolves. They have a heavy waterproof coat that helps withstand the elements as they can spend most of their life outside of shelter when they are employed as LGDs. They often live among the flock or herd that they guard. This dense coat also helps protect them when in combat with large predators. I have heard that those who live in areas with wolves, the guardian dogs benefit from having a heavy, even spiked, collar. This protects their neck in the event of an attack.
These guardian dogs will protect a variety of livestock. The most common are sheep and goats but they will also guard cattle and about any other stock on the farm. The best guardian dogs have been raised with the stock they’ll guard from the time that they were a puppy. Often they have minimal human contact. It is best for their bond to be with the stock and not people. If they bond with people, often they will escape their fences to seek out the companionship of people. This can leave the livestock vulnerable to predation.
Khoke’s cousin Zach Miller had a Great Pyrenees named Rooster who guarded his Jacob Sheep for several years. Rooster personally detested sheep, but he knew what his job was and was zealous at it. Anything that crossed his pasture that was not a sheep was attacked.
Rooster wouldn’t actually attack people but he would let you think that he would. I opened the gate to the pasture once while Khoke and I helped at shearing and encountered Rooster. I did not fear him, though he barked aggressively, as I did not anticipate an actual attack. He closed his mouth over my arm in a light hold but not an actual bite to emphasize his displeasure at my presence. Rooster was the best Great Pyrenees LGD that I have seen. There is no doubt that he, along with his guardian dog companion, Angel, would have killed any dog or coyote that attempted to enter that pasture.
Some guardian dogs are perimeter guardians like Rooster. He guarded whatever livestock lived inside his perimeter fences even if he didn’t particularly like the livestock themselves. Other guardian dogs are flock guardians that actually bond with the livestock. Khoke’s sister Niyole has a pair of Anatolian Shepherds with her sheep. These dogs are aloof with people but are deeply bonded to the sheep and grieve if a sheep dies and howl if one escapes the fence. She has to pen the guardian dogs if she wants to work the sheep with her Border Collies.
Great Pyrenees also make devoted family pets. They guard the family with the same energy that they would livestock. This can occasionally be problematic should they threaten visitors or more likely, your visitors’ pets.
I knew a family in Tennessee with a Great Pyrenees named Pedro. This family pet would accompany their children everywhere. These kids often went to a large spring a short walk up the road. Across from this spring was another property with two Chow’s with whom the Pyrenees would fight. Since the Chows were not actually aggressive to the children, Pedro was no longer allowed to go along. This Pyrenees was not happy about this and would stand on their porch to watch them carefully when they walked up the road. One day a vehicle stopped a couple of the young girls as they were walking on the road. The girls were frightened by the driver who was offering them candy out his window. Suddenly Pedro was there and he put his paws on the open window and leaned in to bark directly in the driver’s face. The driver immediately remembered his accelerator and Pedro took his children back home.
Mixed Breeds
Maintaining pure breeds is only important to humans. Dogs don’t care about looks, all they are interested in is who smells pretty and will mix breeds readily. And honestly, when you have a really good dog that you love and meets your needs, you aren’t going to care about its pedigree.
Often, those of us who have farm dogs have a once-in-a-lifetime-dog at one point or another. Every dog ever after is measured against them. Unfair but true. My fathers dog, Curly, was this for him. Curly was half Blue Heeler, a quarter Feist and a quarter Rottweiler. This medium-sized dog was devoted to my father and guarded his livestock and crops.
My family did not realize how much Curly actually did until he was badly injured and had to take a few weeks to recover. Curly had an encounter with a neighbor’s large Pit Bull that did not stay home late one night. While Curly wore a cone as he recovered, we kept him in the house as he would be vulnerable in any combat with wildlife.
During this recovery period the wildlife noticed his absence and aggressively moved in on our crops and also began picking off the poultry. The damages were obvious by the day. Curly’s first night back on the job he collected a raccoon in the corn patch before it was even dark. The wildlife then realized that he was back on duty and the losses stopped.
Skippy, a Red Heeler mixed with an unknown parent (that we always suspected to be a coyote as he sounded just like one) was a sidekick to Curly. Skippy loved more than anything to sample the heels of retreating livestock. He helped collect milk cows, motivate the bull to keep a healthy distance and keep the pigs voluntarily in their portable pen.
We would move the pigs through the spent garden in round cattle panel pens that were easily moved. Eventually, the pigs would learn that they could lift the pen with their snout and slip under for some free range foraging. When this happened we’d say, “Pig, pig!” Skippy loved to both chase and taste the porkers who soon learned that the safest place in the whole world was inside that pen.
I have seen many wonderful farm dogs of mixed parentage, some identifiable, some not. Often they live longer than purebreds, Khoke’s dog Callie lived to be about 17. These dogs can sometimes dodge the genetic diseases found in purebreds. They may retain some of the instincts of their parent breeds but exactly what will be kept can be hard to predict. An intelligent, obedient, devoted dog of any breed is always a welcome companion in any home or farm.
Training
Honestly, it is hard to find a time too soon to begin training your dog. Granted, the puppies should have their eyes open first, and should not be overhandled the first couple weeks. They are weaned and sold often between 5-6 weeks of age. When they are only a few weeks is the ideal time to teach basic commands like “come.” They can’t outrun you yet (usually) at 5 weeks old and it is easier to have a positive training experience for both you and your puppy.
Be cautious about starting dogs too young on dangerous tasks. They are afraid of things and should be. Puppies are babies and need protection. They should only be learning basic commands and obedience for the first 6 months. They can be injured and/or traumatized by livestock and then never be able work stock because they are still too afraid even after they are mature. Ruby was run over by a cow when she was a puppy when she did not get out of its way in time. It took her nearly 4 years to gain her confidence around cattle. That she gained it at all was largely due to the fact that she did not have to earn their respect, Silas already had. Ruby matched his color and the cattle could not tell them apart.
I prefer a puppy that came from a home with children. Children will interact with puppies, they were made for each other. This early socialization can help build in a tolerance and understanding that human children do not behave in predictable patterns and this expectation is good for family dogs. I also try to avoid puppies from kennels. Often these are not socialized as well and can have poor hygiene habits that can carry on into adulthood.
There are two primary training methods; reward training and punishment training. Too often people lapse into punishment training and physically or verbally chastise undesirable behavior. Too much of this and your puppy/dog just becomes afraid of you, or never allows you to catch them.
The best methods focus on bonding with the dog/puppy; lots of praise and petting. This makes them want to be with you and want to please you. This is reinforced with reward training, praise, petting or treats for obedience. For a well bonded puppy/ dog, very little punishment is ever needed, often only verbal expressions of disappointment or scolding.
Consistency is very important and obedience is not negotiable. One of the ways we have taught our puppies to come in an enforceable way that is not too harsh is to have them on a retractable leash. When we tell them to come, we reel them in if they don’t and then praise them for successfully accomplishing the task, whether they did it voluntarily or not. They learn that coming actually gets them something they like and resisting/disobeying is not fun.
We always try to leave any disciplinary experience on a positive note. They are reinstated into good graces soon after a scolding by letting them know that they are a good dog. Long drawn out punishments are unnecessary and don’t work. Dogs have very short conscious memory and don’t remember why they are grounded in the kennel or why you are mad at them for very long. They need to be corrected in the moment, not later, they won’t understand what they did wrong. And regardless of how tempting it is, never punish a dog for obeying, no matter how frustrated you are at how long they took to finally come.
Our dogs, Silas and Ruby, are Blue Heelers. Their breed has a famous stubborn streak. Silas however, is extremely bonded to us and highly sensitive to verbal reprimands. He is by far the most sensitive Blue Heeler I have ever seen and that has made him very easy to train. He is intelligent and desperate to please us.
Ruby is a sweet, affectionate dog with a stubborn streak that requires more insistence to obey. However on the spectrum of Heelers, she is still a mild dog. They both have responded well to bonding and reward training. They have learned a wide range of commands including:
- No
- Come
- Go Home
- Stay: Our dogs wilt at this one. It means that they can’t come with us and to look at their response one would think that I had beat them.
- Heel: This is so they follow at our heel. This is helpful to keep them safe if we are walking on the road, through the beef herd with cows and their new calves, or if a neighbor dog is threatening them and I don’t want mine to attack.
- Fence: This command sends them to follow the road on the inside of a pasture fence when we are walking or driving a horse on the road. This lets them trail along with us but off the road.
- Sic’Em: This sends them to round up an errant cow or attack wildlife.
- That’ll Do: Releases them from a task or command.
- Go See: Sends the dogs from me to find or follow Khoke.
- Where is it?: Sends the dogs into our woods/creek area to scout for wildlife.
- Load Up: Instructs the dogs to jump up into a wagon or vehicle.
- Shut the Door: If we are carrying wood into the house we can instruct Silas to Shut the Door and he will push it closed.
- Out of the Kitchen or Go Upstairs: Exactly what they mean.
And there are a range of other minor commands and short sentences that they understand.
A variety of basic commands that they recognize and obey are very helpful when using a dog to assist in a task. One year Khoke had a bad fall and injured his back and it took several weeks to heal. This of course was the time that our beef herd found a weak spot in the fence and joined our dairy herd. We went out at milking time to find 80 head of the wrong cows in the milk cows pasture.
At the time, Khoke’s injury was fairly fresh and he could not so much as throw a stick or snap his whip. So he took Silas and rounded up the milk cows and I locked them in the barn. Then Khoke returned to the pasture with Silas and using the dog to put pressure on the cattle he began to move them back to the point of entry. Cows who were reluctant or resistant, Khoke would simply point to and say, “Si, there”, and Silas would give that cow his personal attention. When she would be sufficiently encouraged in the right direction, Khoke would call him back and direct him to the next loitering bovine. They rounded up the entire herd with their half grown calves and pushed them back out the fence that they came through with Silas simply following Khoke’s verbal direction.
Heelers are famous for their stubborn streak and how difficult it can be to undo bad habits once they have begun. A Heeler that has begun killing chickens can take extreme measures to stop. Prevention is the best cure. In my experience, most dogs benefit from having a close encounter with an aggressive setting hen as a puppy. This imprints a strong lifelong respect for chickens.
Another common problem is how to keep puppies and young dogs safe from wheels. Vehicles, trailer tires, tractors, wagons, you name it, all have us catching our breath when unassuming and clueless puppies are wandering around. On one hand, screeching the brakes doesn’t teach them to respect and avoid wheels and yet not stopping can be fatal.
In our experience, the best way to get a puppy to pay attention to wheels and watch out for them is to use a wheelbarrow frequently and let the puppy get run over by the wheelbarrow tire. It usually only takes once or twice, it hurts a little but does not injure them (unless heavily loaded perhaps) but it does frighten them. They start paying attention to tires. We don’t chase them down with the wheelbarrow, we just allow the natural consequence of inattention to have its way.
Wildlife Management
Wildlife often threatens vulnerable livestock and crops on a farm. If you don’t believe me, just test your wildlife pressure by letting your poultry roost outdoors or plant sweet corn and see how much is left for you to eat. Regardless of your dog breed, any dog can alert you to things you would not normally see or hear. Your average dog can hear 4x farther than you can and smell 100,000 times better than you can. Some dogs can do even better than that.
Some breeds are large enough that they can and will confront and attack wildlife in their territory. Even a dog that doesn’t do this can still blow their cover by alerting you to the presence of wildlife. Often this is a sufficient deterrent to wildlife.
Wildlife can carry diseases that can spread to your animals. Your dogs will be vulnerable to the rabies, distemper and parvo than can be carried by wildlife. It is important to maintain their vaccinations against these. Even non-aggressive wildlife such as deer and rabbits can carry and spread undesirables such as ticks, fleas and lice. Mange is also spread by overpopulated wildlife. A good guard dog discourages traffic from these and indirectly reduces our exposure to ticks.
Most wildlife is relatively shy of humans. Little good comes to them from their close association with humans. But when the local wildlife becomes overpopulated, either by habitat loss, or the natural shifts in the predator/prey balance, or rather, when it is out of balance, then the wildlife begin to pressure the farms (and urban areas) for food.
Khoke has found that reducing the population stress helps not only to protect the farm, but also the wildlife balance as well. Here our most problematic wildlife is raccoons who have few if any predators. When wildlife become overpopulated, not only do their food sources not meet their needs, but they often have an outbreak of disease. This is often in the form of mange.
When our dog Silas matured and began to fully guard his territory, he treed 36 racoons over the course of a summer. These were raccoons that had come to see if we had closed our chicken house door. Silas has a certain bark that he uses only on treed raccoons and Khoke gets up in the night to dispatch the raccoon who volunteered itself to lower the local population stress. The summer after this, Silas treed 32 raccoons, and ever since then he has had very few that checked out our chicken house, maybe only 3-4 per year. As the wildlife population raises in other places, they move into our area again.
For as wonderful as the farm dogs are for their frontline defense, they need help too. Chained dogs can be killed by coyotes. Someone I knew had a very large Rottweiler that they had chained in their backyard and was killed by a pack of coyotes. On the chain, she was not able to escape or fully defend herself.
Khoke’s cousin Nate has a Blue Heeler named Ella who was nearly drowned in a pond by a raccoon one night. Ammon Weeks’ Golden Retriever, Braxy, pursued a raccoon into a pond in the middle of the day and was very nearly drowned as well. Ammon kicked off his boots, swam out and saved his dog by pulling the raccoon off Braxy’s head. This raccoon then did not survive Ammons temper, even in a pond.
Raccoons will climb on a dog’s head in the water and hold it under with their weight until the dog drowns. In the water a dog cannot get them off. Even on land, a raccoon situated firmly on a dogs’ head can be very difficult for them to dislodge without assistance.
Without guard dogs, wildlife can and will become emboldened. They will help themselves to everything-in-the-world’s-favorite-food: chicken, even in broad daylight. Coyotes, fox, and raccoon are often nocturnal, but if they know your farm is unprotected they will not hesitate to help themselves at any time of the day. My friend Deborah lost over 200 chicks one summer and another neighbor lost 80 chickens, also over the course of a summer. This contributed to the repopulation of Blue Heelers in our neighborhood and the chickens in these places have been much safer ever since.
Another draw for wildlife to farms is the fact that most livestock has had their survival instincts bred out of them in favor of fine feathered poultry, egg production or carcass weight. Feral instincts don’t yield marbled meat, good birth weight/weaning weight ratios, not to mention animals that stay in a fence. So without sufficient protection, small livestock are often easy pickings for wildlife. Much easier than prey wildlife who do have their survival instincts fully intact.
Sometimes You Need More Than One
Among the rugged, densely wooded hills of Tennessee, my family started off with two dogs; Curly, our Blue Heeler mix, and Ebony, a Black Lab. These two worked every night and yet we still lost poultry around our house. After a while we realized what was happening. Our farm was frequented by a pack of coyotes. A couple coyotes would bait the dogs and draw them out to our far barn and then the rest of the pack would sweep through and catch what they could find. The noise at the house would bring the dogs back but it was too late.
This stopped when a young stray that we named Skippy wandered in and took up residence. This changed the dog dynamics. Before Skippy, Ebony would always accompany Curly to be backup. When Skippy showed up, he and Curly would run out after the baiting coyotes but Ebony would stay at the house and bark for moral support. The coyotes could no longer make their sweep near the house.
Having more dogs than you have work for can cause its own problems though. Idle dogs bicker among each other and can wander the neighborhood or find other forms of mischief. One dog with bad habits can teach them to the others. Then an annoyance can turn into a full blown problem.
Rights and Responsibilities
Laws and regulations vary from state to state regarding dogs. In some places, dogs must be registered. Other locations have a “leash law” requiring dogs to be on a leash, lead, or kenneled to protect the public. Often this is not enforced in rural areas. Regardless of that fact, if your dog bites someone, the ensuing consequences are greater if the dog was free in a leash law zone.
Idle dogs with not enough work as well as unfixed males often get the urge to explore the neighborhood. It is your responsibility to do whatever it takes to keep your dog on your own property. When your dog is not on your property, you are still responsible for any damages it incurs. Wandering dogs can kill livestock, engage in unplanned procreation, challenge the territory of other dogs, collect other idle dogs to wander together as a pack, and other forms of mischief.
People losing livestock, having unwanted puppies, or breaking up fights between their dog and yours may have a hard time resisting the urge to send your dog to the Happy Hunting Grounds. Shooting someone else’s dog is not legal except in self defense. The proper procedure for problematic dogs is to first inform the owner of the dog of the problem and/or damages. If this does not resolve the matter then consulting the local authorities becomes appropriate.
A neighbor of ours has several large Pyrenees type dogs. These began roaming the neighborhood in their idleness and started killing some of our sheep. They were a pack of large dogs that could easily have killed our dogs or threatened a person. Sighting them on our property, our Ruby rounded up her litter of puppies and forced them into our shed and out of sight of the dogs. Smart mama!
We resisted the urge to take matters into our own hands and just called the neighbor. I am not sure how he stopped them from roaming but we never saw them again. Buying dead sheep was not an ongoing investment he wanted to make. And honestly, the life of our sheep is worth more than just money.
Vaccinations
For those who have farm dogs, a routine rabies vaccination is not just recommended, in most states it is law. The only state that does not have a law requiring rabies vaccinations is Hawaii, unless that has recently changed. All other states have laws requiring rabies vaccinations, though some states allow for exceptions.
Skunks, raccoons and other animals can carry and transmit rabies. Your dogs are your frontline defense and if they come in contact with a rabid animal, you may not know. It can take weeks and even many months for the symptoms to manifest themselves. Dog bites are the #1 way that humans are exposed to rabies and 90% of those cases are children.1 Rabies is fatal and there is no cure once the symptoms show up. Widespread pet vaccinations here in America have dropped our human rabies infection statistics well below the worldwide average.
1 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies
Neutering/Spaying
Unfixed male dogs are more territorial and aggressive than those who are neutered. This is a two edged sword. Often unfixed male dogs claim, mark, and enforce their territorial boundaries with greater authority than those who are neutered. This can give them the confidence to keep the wildlife pushed back, adds alertness to all aspects of guarding and leaves them less likely to take no for an answer when moving livestock. (However, Rooster that I talked about earlier was a neutered Great Pyrenees and was the most aggressive LGD that I know of.)
This quality in a male dog can also make them more likely to be aggressive to people, whether the people deserve it or not. Unfixed male dogs can also be extra aggressive to other male dog. They may wander the neighborhood looking for lady dogs who smell really pretty and then of course fight any male dog they find there, too. These behaviors are your responsibility to prevent if you choose to keep your male dog intact.
Female dogs that have not been spayed come into their heat cycle about every 6 months. They will attract male dogs over the course of about 3 weeks, though they will not actually be receptive for that entire time. Open top kennels do not always prevent her from sharing the company with the neighbors male. I have seen dogs who could and would (and did!) jump/climb a 5 ft chain link fence.
A dog’s gestation is roughly 60 days, a little more or a little less depending on the breed. She will deliver anywhere from 1-15 puppies depending on her breed, size and health. Our Ruby had 11 puppies in her first litter. Around 4-5 weeks, the mama dog is very tired of the puppies and spends more and more time away from them. She is ready for them to be weaned. At this super cute puppy phase is a good time for them to find their permanent home and bond.
Puppies are a lot of work to look after, they are messy, noisy, and chew on everything. Chewed shoes strewn across the yard, shredded paper, scattered trash bag contents, are just a few of the side effects of having puppies at your residence. Then you have to find homes for them before they drive you completely crazy. Honestly, it is worth the vet fee to have your female dog spayed unless you want her to have puppies on purpose or have a fail proof way to keep her from having them.
That Once In A Lifetime Dog
Silas is our dog that all others will be compared to. Dogs live between 10-15 years of age depending on their breed and health. Over the course of a human lifespan, those who keep dogs will outlive several generations of them.
Our Silas will be 8 in August and I realize that he has climbed his mountain and sometime in the next couple years will begin his journey down it. In the meantime he lives and works on our farm alongside us and is genuinely appreciated and recognized for his role on our farm. To think of him not here grieves me already as I know that day is coming.
In the book, “The Education of Little Tree,” when the main character was being comforted by his grandfather over the loss of a much loved dog, his grandfather reminded him that his sadness was a testament to the life of the dog. It would hardly be better for the dog to be loved and valued so little as to not be missed. Silas (and Ruby, too) will be missed when they go. But our farm will always have dogs and they will all be loved.
