Dutch Shepherd and Goats
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2022 9:47 pm
Dear Forum,
Our female 2 year old Dutch Shepherd (Kiki) is generally doing well and becoming an all-round good dog. It took a lot of work and patience, but we all know what DS puppies are like.....
We recently got 2 goats for fire clearing our yard. Kiki is not handling the interactions with the goats in a productive way. Her drive continues to build and she's too rough with them and doesn't even respond to a leave it or come command. Completely unacceptable behavior. She hasn't hurt the goats yet apart from a very small tear in one of the goats ears, but left alone with them it would not end well. She certainly is showing "herding behavior" and I'm sure that she's genetically able to handle anything we throw at her. The questions I have are:
1. can dutch shepherds be effective in herding goats, or are goats really hard to herd for any dog?
2. how can I train Kiki to be more gentile with the goats (nudging, maybe a little nip, but never a bite)?
3. where and how to start training, other than simple introduction to the goats?
4. any exercises Kki and I should be doing before even starting this journey?
Kiki has her basic training down (most of the time) and she does not need to learn how to herd the goats. I need her to stop chasing them though when in the same fenced area. The simple solution is to keep her on a leash, but that is managing the situation, not training Kiki to stop behaving badly.
Thanks,
Gijs
Our female 2 year old Dutch Shepherd (Kiki) is generally doing well and becoming an all-round good dog. It took a lot of work and patience, but we all know what DS puppies are like.....
We recently got 2 goats for fire clearing our yard. Kiki is not handling the interactions with the goats in a productive way. Her drive continues to build and she's too rough with them and doesn't even respond to a leave it or come command. Completely unacceptable behavior. She hasn't hurt the goats yet apart from a very small tear in one of the goats ears, but left alone with them it would not end well. She certainly is showing "herding behavior" and I'm sure that she's genetically able to handle anything we throw at her. The questions I have are:
1. can dutch shepherds be effective in herding goats, or are goats really hard to herd for any dog?
2. how can I train Kiki to be more gentile with the goats (nudging, maybe a little nip, but never a bite)?
3. where and how to start training, other than simple introduction to the goats?
4. any exercises Kki and I should be doing before even starting this journey?
Kiki has her basic training down (most of the time) and she does not need to learn how to herd the goats. I need her to stop chasing them though when in the same fenced area. The simple solution is to keep her on a leash, but that is managing the situation, not training Kiki to stop behaving badly.
Thanks,
Gijs