Dog question...

[Frosty]

I have been hearing more coyotes in the last few years, for the first several years that we lived here I never heard any. I admit, it makes me a bit nervous. So I have been reading up on LGD breeds, but have a few questions.

To start, I live on the very edge of a very small town (like 10 houses). We do have a leash law in the town, and considering that I don't want their dogs at my place, I would need to make sure that my dog doesn't go to theirs. Is fencing the only option? For starters, I think if I fenced my whole property to keep a dog in, wouldn't that also keep coyotes out? If so, why have a dog?

I have about 25 acres, I don't think completely fencing it would be an option. The big problem would be the area in front. With winters 6 months long and normally a lot of snow and wind moving snow around after you clear it all, I think keeping a gate area clear would be a nightmare. Not just for us to get in and out, but we also need to keep access for heating fuel to be delivered and delivery trucks like UPS.

I have heard that those radio fences (where the dog has a collar that shocks them if they try to leave an area) don't work on dogs like the GP, that they have a high pain tolerance and don't respect them. Is this true?

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[watchdogps]

You certainly dont have to fence the whole thing. Just do the parts you want to keep your animals in. No, a fence will not keep coyotes out if they want in. Thats why the make "coyote rollers". Radio/invisible fences may keep an LGD in (my experience is that ASDs are actually very wary of shock type stuff, although I know some who've breeched invisible or even hot wire fence, but most will respect it). But, if a stray dog comes onto your property, it may not go home. IF the dog begs mercy from the LGD, it MIGHT be allowed to leave, but if it challenges the LGD or goes after the animals in it's care, the interloper may be wounded or killed. I hear people thinking "fine, thats what I want" but remember the possible consequences. If the owner of that dog finds out and gets angry, you may have a dead dog of your own or at the very least an unpleasant interaction with them. So, I suggest a physical fence as a first line of defense as well as "insurance" against mishaps.
If you have just a smaller area where animals who need to be guarded are, fence that and the LGD can stay there, and you can invisible fence the rest, or more of it for when you are there supervising, doing chores etc. I know people who've done that.

 

[watchdogps]

Oh - what kind of animals do you have for them to guard? I see a goose in your avatar.

 

[dainerra]

invisible fences depend on the individual dog. Some dogs learn after only a couple zaps, other dogs ignore them no matter what. The other problem is that if the dog gets excited enough to run through the shock, he WON'T come back in. It also does nothing to keep out other dogs and predators.

"Real" fence won't keep coyotes out since they are climbers. They jump, grab the top and climb on over. I've heard a lot of good things about "coyote rollers" if you want to look that up. A tall fence with a dog inside can be a deterrent since they prefer an easy meal and usually won't mess with a yard with a dog. Except little dogs, which coyotes view as tasty snacks.
When it comes to keeping a dog contained, there is no "100%" secure option. Dogs climb, they dig, they jump, they chase. All of those can lead a bored dog to leave your property. LGDs are a little different as their instinct is to stay with the flock. However, they are also meant to cover large areas, so a small property can leave them to decide that they should patrol the whole neighborhood.
A dog can be trained to a visible boundary, but again, you have to stay on top of that training and be aware that the dog might leave and you not know it.

 

[dainerra]

Oh - what kind of animals do you have for them to guard? I see a goose in your avatar.

we were posting at the same time! lol I didn't notice the goose. I can tell you that geese can be better flock protectors than some dogs. My grandmother had a childhood collie killed by a goose. Remember, most predators want an easy meal with little chance of getting hurt. Of course, like with dogs, the protectiveness depends on the individual goose.

 

[Frosty]

The goose in the pic was named Poop, but sadly, she was killed by a Sheltie. I gave the Sheltie away after that... I have chickens, a few geese (that are not allowed to free range because they like to hang out in front of the house and my husband hates the mess they leave), a few guineas, some peafowl, and turkeys.

I also want a deterrent for raccoons and rabbits in the garden. Predators that I have had problems with are raccoons, fox, and coyote. The hawks around here don't bother my poultry, maybe because there are enough bunnies and gophers to keep them happy?

The neighbors have already been warned that if their dogs come here, they might not go home. I had one neighbors dog dig into my chicken tractor and kill my replacement layers, another nabbed one of my barn cats from the rail fence in front of my barn (those folks were honest and told me about it after they saw it happen). Another neighbor doesn't keep their dog confined and ignores the leash law, it nabbed one of my chickens but the chicken escaped. There were feathers ALL over their yard where the dog was chewing on it. I was going to talk to them that evening and let them know that the chicken was ok, but before I had a chance to go over after they got home, the guy ran out and used the bagger on his mower (I never saw them use the bagger before) and he cleaned up all of the feathers. Since he runs over trash normally and leaves it there, it was obvious they thought I hadn't seen it yet and were hiding the evidence.

I guess fencing would be the best bet to contain a dog... I just have to figure out where to run it so it won't be a pain in the winter.

Thank you for the advice, I do appreciate it!

 

[chikinfarmr]

I have a trail camera set up by the chicken coop. I check it every other day or so. If I notice predator pictures, I set the live trap with cat food. I live out in the country. I still have a dog problem. As for the chicken killing dogs I have a tractor with a front end loader and a .22 . Good luck.

 

[watchdogps]

Warning neighbors doesnt mean they wont shoot or poison your dog if theirs gets killed.
We dont have quite the snow you do, but we are in a very flat area that blows and drifts a lot. Right now, I have spots in my yard that you can see the grass and spots that are up to my Anatolians bellies. A nieghboring alpaca farm puts a stepladder over his fence when the drifts block his gates, LOL!

 

[peteyfoozer]

LGD's are pretty respective of electric fence, unless they are pursuing something, then they will just blast right through it, so you need something more substantial. Also, part of their methodology is barking to warn off a predator. If you don't have neighbors too close to be bothered, that is not a problem. Our closest neighbors are 20 miles away and my dogs only bark when there is a reason. My experience has been that my dogs will "escort" a dog out of the pasture. If it refuses to leave, then they will use more lethal methods. So far, everything has been convinced to get out and stay out.

 

[dainerra]

The OP wasn't talking about an electric fence. She asked about the inground "invisible" fencing. It works great for some dogs and not at all for others...