WORKING DOGS

Kolia (one of our rescues who had never been around sheep) with our bummer lamb

The first kid born at Rocky Mountain Farm and another of Blaze & Alexi's charges

A puppy being introduced to another of the alpacas it will be guarding

(photo courtesy of High Spice Alpacas of Walking Lightly Farm)

Noa & Lucky, our bummer lamb, who really was lucky to be alive :-)

Rain, hail, sleet, snow or ice storm: the guarding must go on.

(photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain Farm)

The very lovely Red Jungle fowl that the dogs are guarding at Rocky Mountain Farm

Urso (one of our rescues) watching everything & cruising the pasture, 2003

First lamb of the season, 2005

(photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain Farm)

The back-up crew, Elly & Bella

(photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain Farm)

Elly with one of her llamas

(photo courtesy of Abra-Cadabra Alpacas)

Lexi with one of her best buddies: a ferret :-))

Homes (one of our rescues) with Amanda

(photo courtesy of Dog Valley Ranch)

Lexus with Amanda

(photo courtesy of Dog Valley Ranch)

Lexus in the snow

   SHEEP & DOGS

Emily & her lamb 2/11/03	Everybody needs a short break from work sometimes......	Cocoa & her quadruplets 2/24/04
I confess to being fascinated by commentary that has recently been circulating on the internet.  The internet can be a great tool and also a source of either frustration or amusement (depending on one's own mood :-) when it comes to the dispensation of whatever wisdom people are choosing to post at any given time.  Lately I've read posts to some bulletin boards that Caucasians are no longer suitable for livestock guarding.  That would infer that they are no longer suitable for guarding whatever territory they view as their own.  I cannot begin to imagine where this concept originated.  Having had the opportunity, primarily because of the rescues I've taken in, to observe various "livestock guardians" in action, I've come to the conclusion that the more correct term would be "territory guardians".  They have no desire to cuddle with the sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, alpacas, llamas, cattle and horses they're exposed to.   They will, however, in some cases with great pleasure and in others with effort and patience on the part of the owner, expand their territory to include any livestock added to that which they're already guarding.  It may take a few days or weeks of introductions, especially if it's rabbits or chickens that are new to them, but the working Caucasians do accept them and just include them in their "creatures to be protected" category.   And it's also totally silly to think that the number of  animals a Caucasian has to protect has anything to do with his ability to do so.  If a dog is going to chase 3 sheep, he will chase thirty or three hundred.  As a matter of fact, the lower the number, the more confident a dog with the desire to chase would feel!  It is up to the breeder to determine the strength of the prey drive in any given puppy and in my case, also the adult dogs that have come into rescue and to not allow those dogs with a high prey drive into the pasture.  Two of Yeguza's puppies were not introduced to sheep until June of 2004, at which time they were 21 months old and they immediately added them to the area they were already protecting.  Their owner had it planned perfectly and built a perimeter around the fenced pasture area for the sheep.  This way he was able to allow the dogs to become accustomed to the sheep and still have the ability to patrol the full circumference of the pasture.  Given the coyote incursions on his property, he has lost no sheep, but has had to add two additional dogs to his "crew".

The above photos are courtesy of Rocky Mountain Farm

When they were two years old, their owner added chickens, turkeys and goats to the mixture and was very careful to introduce Blaze & Alexi to all the new critters. Blaze expressed some interest in chicken dinner to begin with, but when she was told "no!" decided guarding them would be an okay thing to do........and the coyote pack in that area has been chased off quite a few times now, but periodically will check in to see if the dogs have become complacent........dumb move :-)

Alexi & Blaze with their back-up crew: two 1 year old Kangal puppies

(The above photos are courtesy of Rocky Mountain Farm)

Kozlak, one of our rescues, at the highest point in the sheep pasture, 2005.

Kozlak guarding in the lambing pen, 2003. The coyotes were relentless but with all the dogs here, both our own and the rescues, we've lost no sheep.

At this point,  given that we've lived here for five years now and fenced and cross-fenced the whole property, the coyotes have gone off to greener ( or perhaps just quieter :-)) pastures.   They can't get near our property without setting off our "alarms",  whose volume depends upon how many rescues are here at the time in addition to the regular crew.  Even the puppies were joining in a chorus last night when the coyotes announced a kill from several miles away.

And we suspect that every cottontail rabbit in the area has moved onto our property.  The dogs will give chase if they spot one, but these bunnies were not born yesterday: they are most active at night and frequent those pasture areas that the dogs are not in at the time.  Also, we put up range fencing so the wildlife would get a running chance.  We have large coveys of quail here as well as pheasant and occasionally a neighbor's peacocks.   The dogs will tolerate the quail crossing the property as well as birds coming in to pick up dog hair for nest lining,  but will chase off cruising hawks, falcons, ravens, crows and magpies.

Zack with his alpacas and watching from the highest point on the property

Zack is not one of our puppies but he also illustrates the Caucasian's desire to be on the highest point of the property in order to be able to protect the whole territory.  He definitely does not like to be penned up with the Alpacas! 

(These four photos courtesy of High Spice Alpacas of Walking Lightly Farm)

Elly is one of the Kangal puppies we fostered in 2004 and things were not working out for her because her littermate Bella is such a very dominant bitch.  Elly has moved on to another farm, where she's responsible for her own pasture with llamas and alpacas and she's having a blast and doing really well!

(Photos courtesy of Abra-Cadabra Alpacas) 

	Can't let even a drop of that milk get away........
Taking a well-deserved break	One ferret trapped in his play tube.....

Homes (one of our rescues) with Amanda, who prefers the company of the dogs to her mothers'	Lexus and Amanda
Lexus with this year's first snow baby	Homes loving the snow

(Photos courtesy of Dog Valley Ranch)

For more information, email Angie Wheat

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509.521.7842