I've heard that the barking can be an issue for people have neighbors close enough to be annoyed by that kind of thing. I have five acres and I still think constant nightly barking would really be a problem (For both myself and my neighbors).
I definitely don't think that having a LGD is un-doable for a beginner, but I do think it would require a lot of learning and speaking with people who have them to do it right. Having a dog accidentally injure your other animals one time can be extremely discouraging. I think people also get LGDs thinking they will also be pets, but from my experience and what I've read of other people's experience, they do not make good pets. This can be tricky if you need people to come care for your animals (Boarding them probably isn't an option) and it may be more difficult to have someone care for the dog in addition to the other animals. In addition, you will still have to get the dog to a vet (Unless you have a farm vet willing to vaccinate farm dogs when they visit -OR- you live in a state that allows you to do your own rabies shots and feel comfortable doing so). The dog will need to be spayed/neutered, and at the very least needs a rabies and core vaccine (protects against important things like distemper). I usually warn people about the vet care because I think people forget that farm dogs tend to be more expensive than livestock animals in regards to vet care, and you cant let these things go (Sometimes with livestock you can let things slide a bit more).
Another option you might want to think about is training a farm dog to be good around livestock, but not necessarily as a LGD. This is what we had and it was incredibly effective. We had an Australian Cattle Dog who was awesome around all the animals. During the day (while we were home) he had free range of the yard and access to a garage with a bed and water. He would regularly go out and check on the animals and then do doggy things around the yard. He very rarely went out of the yard. He was also a pet (though not a cuddly one), but that was nice because we could bring him on walks and camping and stuff. Then at night, we would close him up in the garage or crate him in the house. He would still hear things outside and alert us if something was amiss. Then we could go investigate it ourselves (with his help along side us!). Lots of dogs can be trained to be good with farm animals, and I think if you start them young enough, its a lot easier. Dalton was always easy. We didn't have to do much teaching in regards to the animals, but he was born on a farm and had many generations of farm dogs in his past. Usually I advocate going to a good breeder, but in cases like this, I think going to a farmer with proven good farm dogs is a pretty good option. You just have more possibility of medical issues down the road because you won't know as much about their lineage.
I definitely don't think that having a LGD is un-doable for a beginner, but I do think it would require a lot of learning and speaking with people who have them to do it right. Having a dog accidentally injure your other animals one time can be extremely discouraging. I think people also get LGDs thinking they will also be pets, but from my experience and what I've read of other people's experience, they do not make good pets. This can be tricky if you need people to come care for your animals (Boarding them probably isn't an option) and it may be more difficult to have someone care for the dog in addition to the other animals. In addition, you will still have to get the dog to a vet (Unless you have a farm vet willing to vaccinate farm dogs when they visit -OR- you live in a state that allows you to do your own rabies shots and feel comfortable doing so). The dog will need to be spayed/neutered, and at the very least needs a rabies and core vaccine (protects against important things like distemper). I usually warn people about the vet care because I think people forget that farm dogs tend to be more expensive than livestock animals in regards to vet care, and you cant let these things go (Sometimes with livestock you can let things slide a bit more).
Another option you might want to think about is training a farm dog to be good around livestock, but not necessarily as a LGD. This is what we had and it was incredibly effective. We had an Australian Cattle Dog who was awesome around all the animals. During the day (while we were home) he had free range of the yard and access to a garage with a bed and water. He would regularly go out and check on the animals and then do doggy things around the yard. He very rarely went out of the yard. He was also a pet (though not a cuddly one), but that was nice because we could bring him on walks and camping and stuff. Then at night, we would close him up in the garage or crate him in the house. He would still hear things outside and alert us if something was amiss. Then we could go investigate it ourselves (with his help along side us!). Lots of dogs can be trained to be good with farm animals, and I think if you start them young enough, its a lot easier. Dalton was always easy. We didn't have to do much teaching in regards to the animals, but he was born on a farm and had many generations of farm dogs in his past. Usually I advocate going to a good breeder, but in cases like this, I think going to a farmer with proven good farm dogs is a pretty good option. You just have more possibility of medical issues down the road because you won't know as much about their lineage.
