I would like to add that if the LGDs are neutered, it takes the reproductive drive out of the picture. They don't seem to want to pursue those needs and seem to be more attentive to the job of guarding their charges.
I have witnessed on many occasions my female Great Pyr "counting" the alpacas she was guarding. She looked like she was making sure all were there. As a usual thing with mine, one would sleep while the other one watched.
At the birth of my first cria, Rosie barked and woke me up for the occasion. The cria was staring at her from the adjacent paddock, seeming to wonder what the "big deal" was.
I recently had to rehome all my critters and find that I physically miss the GPs the most.
As I walked thru the paddocks, my GPs were constantly at my side as I walked. The male kept his neck against my upper leg. They were always good for hugs anytime. We know that the alpacas are not that generous as a rule......
Maybe one day.............
Nancy Miller
Crooked Pine Hollow Alpacas
PO Box 182
5869 Hyway 72 East
Carlton, Ga. 30627
706-255-7914--cell
706-797-3393--home
-----Original Message-----
From: traviselkhornalpacas <traviselkhornalpacas@yahoo.com>
To: AlpacaTalk <AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sat, Sep 8, 2012 11:23 am
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] Upright Alpacas
Laura good advice 2+ is always best.We have 4 on 17 acres.2 younger 2 older the male here seems to decide who goes to what pasture each evening.He plants himself some where in the middle,if one of the females barks he goes to help her.My male Pyr even breaks up fights between the male alpacas.They are a huge asset to any farm! Tina in Missouri at Elkhorn Alpacas
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2012 11:09:33 -0400
Subject: RE: [AlpacaTalk] Upright Alpacas
An LGD is a Livestock Guardian Dog. (I belive Dede said LDG) The dogs back up the secure fencing.
We have one llama, but he is no deterrent if there are two predators! Also, they can only do so much. He is primarily the Uncle to wayward boys. When they fight, he gets in the middle of it and plays referee.
Ideally, two dogs are guarding. For several reasons……..each other for play time and company is important, but most importantly two can handle a predator better than one! One will approach the predator and one will stay with the alpacas…….or at least this is how our pair work. If there are two predators (two stray dogs, two coyotes, etc) it is damn near impossible for one LGD to protect the livestock if they are fighting off one predator and the other slips around to the livestock.
One issue we had with our Anatolians is the "Play factor". With only one dog in the pasture, our female had a tendancy to run up and jump on the alpacas to play. We only had her with our big boys and nobody was hurt, but it can be a serious issue with moms and crias. One of our herdsires actually instigated play with her while she was curled up in a ball sleeping. He can over to her and start sniffing and when that didn't get a rise, he start biting at her. It was comical to see them play together. I wasn't worried after witnessing that, along with the fact that he was a 180 pound male. When he didn't want to play anymore, he would spit at her and she would quit. I don't think any of my training had as big an impact as that spit!
Laura
Laura Roberts
R Half Pint Farm
Spotsylvania, VA
Message posts are the opinion of individuals posting and are not necessarily endorsed or approved by Yahoo! or the moderator of this group. The purpose of this discussion group is to ensure that all points of view can be aired. It is the responsibility of all individuals who post to treat others with respect and civility.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home