English Shepherd as Poultry Guardian

Ben appears to have done something not so nice. He may have killed a neighbors goose. Source for this not owner of goose and also someone from experience I need to verify. Either way Ben will be confined during day. Neighbor will be approached and more than one goose may need to be acquired. First to replace neighbors with additional to use as trainers to break Ben of interest in geese. Geese will be a pain in the butt even once Ben's problem with them is worked out. Dogs are expensive.

Neighbor still has goose and it is in good shape. Source for information more of a problem.

centrarchid said:

Neighbor still has goose and it is in good shape. Source for information more of a problem.

Click to expand...

Well, that's good news.

Problem is a combination of issues. First relates to sewage waste from their lagoon coming across our property that was not in compliance with law. They were negatively impacted by that where they are having to make adjustments to their sewage treatment. Secondly is an issue with dogs. Mine have violated their space and theirs have violated mine. Both parties have chickens. They also have discarded carcasses across fence that brought in scavengers my dogs had to deal with and nasty prizes my dogs bring back. We are restricting dogs more now from going in their direction. In past when Lucy was a pup and guarding our place from humans, neighbors would deploy a small dog that would chase Lucy back onto our porch. They found the interaction entertaining and repeated it to my dismay. Now as an adult, Lucy runs their small dogs off when the owner walks by and the owner and party accusing Ben does not like that. Recent incident caused neighbor making allegation to be very distressed. Neighbor also behaves consistently in a manner not consistent with good dog husbandry which complicates human / dog interactions. Those small dogs until recently would periodically come into our yard and still do some distance from core of poultry area. Actual owners of small dogs also planted fruit trees on our ground and harvested out meadow as hay without asking. That was done twice. Second cutting required taking a fence down I installed and otherwise contesting of property boundaries. Land was recently surveyed and markers are easy to see. Bullying was attempted with surveyor efforts discredited by neighbor.

My neighborhood is a bit on the rough side.

OhYikes!

Ben's coat is getting much heavier. He will likely have little trouble sleeping exposed on even the coldest winter nights. Currently he is still having trouble with getting hot. Lucy seeks exposed locations more for interest in surveillance while Ben is concerned more about thermoregulation.

Ben now hiking leg when watering bushes. He still does not produce a smell of a top dog that will give a coyote reason to pause.

Over last couple weeks we have been having some Great-horned Owl fun that Ben has yet to master. Ben raises alarm but he does not operate like Lucy where he gets under owl to harass it.



Last night serious dog versus coyote action to the south although not involving my dogs. Ben is not ready and dogs to fight off their home turf.

Sounds like you are happy with your English Shepard. I am strongly considering the breed to replace my aging mutt (she is a Shepard of some sort but having got her at a shelter I have no way of knowing) Cold shouldn't be a problem for your pup, but depending on your summers heat will. I broke down and started trimming her hair in the spring (I know many are against it, but until I started she was miserable and confining herself to my basement. She would lay there flat with her belly on the cool floor.) I just have the groomer cut her hair long.

We cut the hair of our long haired dogs each summer and the will continue with English Shepherds. Heat has proven to be an issue. Hot dogs do not patrol as actively.