Thinking about getting a dog or two

[first time farmer]

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Thank you those are really helpful.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Cattle dogs are great, but I couldn't imagine having two at the same time!

We have a male red/blue heeler and he's a great dog, but not very good with strangers and especially not with children. Unfortuantely, most cattle dogs just aren't good with strangers or children, and I'd trust a 100+ pound pit bull with my child before I'd trust my heeler.

Our dog is extremely protective of "his" yard and "his" animals. He's great with the chickens, but can really get on the horse's nerves. We never trained him for herding, but he does it on his own. (As pat said, unless they are trained for herding, they are more of a harrassment to your animals). Dalton (Our dog) will herd chickens and he even herded the goats if I asked him to. However, its difficult to keep him from bothering the horses since he has run of the property. Luckily the horses hold their own, but dalton was kicked a time or two before he learned to stay clear of the back end.

Cattle dogs are extremely intelligent, and that gets them into trouble more than anything else. They are really like children, and you have to treat them like dogs, not so much pets. Our guy is constantly challenging us and if he doesn't want to do something, he'll let us know. You have to have a strong understanding about being the "alpha" in the pack. Unfortunately, the rest of my family doesn't always reprimand the dog the way I do, so he gets mixed messages. This is definitely not ideal for training a dog and I do get frustrated when he growls at me and I found out it was because my dad let him get away with whatever he was doing the last time. They remember just about everything, and they'll remember when you let them get away with something. They are constantly testing, testing, testing.

Certainly socialize your dog(s) as much as you can. I took my dog EVERYWHERE when he was a puppy and he still has issues. For the job he has here at our house, his issues don't cause a huge problem. However, people who want to treat these dogs like pets may have a problem with them. The fact that he is protective of our property is ok because its his job to protect the barn, chickens, and the house. When we have company over, we put him in the garage and I keep him away from little children. I've found that cattle dogs just don't like being tugged on and little children can be very unpredictable. Never trust your cattle dog with anyone other than yourself. Typically they are very good with their family, and dalton does accept us as his "family". The problem occurs because they are so protective of their family.

I used to joke that Dalton was more like a sibling than a dog, and it was true. For years he would nip at our heals and run around us barking. It took a lot of tedious training to break him of that and he still does it occasionally. He would also talk back, huff and puff, and whine and cry.

Don't get me wrong, cattle dogs can be wonderful dogs. Dalton was a very quick learner and was house trained rather quick. He stays on the property and never wanders, and he loves to go on hikes. He's wonderful on the leash and has even chased coyotes off the property. I won't go hiking without him because I know he would protect me till the death. One thing I do notice about cattle dogs though is that they are rather gun shy. Ours hates thunder and would probably pee himself if you shot a gun by him. I would recommend getting yours used to gunshots right away, especially if you intend to take them on hunting trips.

I try not to badmouth the breed, but it seems so many get dumped off at shelters around here because they are just too much for people to handle. They can be wonderful farm dogs, but unless you have a job for them to do, they get in trouble. The key to a happy cattle dog is to treat them like a dog, not like a cuddly pet. They need lots of structure and lots of strict training. Two dogs will certainly be a huge undertaking, but hopefully you survive with all your hands (and feet) intact! They are very nippy dogs, and that doesn't go away any time soon.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. A lot of farmers have cattle dogs (and most of the cattle dogs around here are from the same line as our guy! LOL) The ones that we have talked to have had very similar experiences as us. Even though I don't think I'd ever have a cattle dog again, I wouldn't trade our current guy for any other type of dog.