german shepherds & cows

[coppertop]

I think almost any dog needs to be socialized. I leave my dog at the kennel where I purchased her whenever I am away over night. She is learning to get along with other dogs, little kidsetc., plus the breeder teaches obedience classes so she does a lot of work with my dog when she has the time.

My collie is very obedient around the cattle, she does not go near the barnyard area unless I call ask her to come with me and she hasn't tried to HERD donkeys in their paddock near the house yard. She loves to torment the cats but gets a swat every so often that keeps her from being overly agressive.

I am amazed at how fast she learns, and I realize how important it is to be consistent in commands and ensure that she obeys each time.

[coppertop]

cowpics, I think it is very important to do a lot of research on the breeder where that you are considering buying a dog from. Fortunately for me, I knew the breeder where I bought my dog, and also knew about other dogs that are full siblings that are owned by various cattle operations, and as family pets etc., so I had a lot of background on the parents of my dog before I went to look at the pups.

Actually, my dog picked me. There were two 8 week old pups left out of the litter, and when I went to look at them one was tearing around like she was crazy, the other one kept coming and sitting beside me giving me the LOOK. It was an easy decision. A friend bought the other pup and she is turning into an excellent dog but is still extremely hyper.

[canuck]

One breed you should consider is the R-calf border guard collie.They are they are mostly an old short-sighted breed.No teeth but quite agressive and very tempermental.Their natural instinct is to protect the herd but their low intelligence prohibits them from recognizing true danger.
If you do decide on one of these please have it neutered.The local vet will have difficulty finding the testes.Help him out by telling him to look directly in front of the brain.An abundance of these critters may be found in Montana.

[coppertop]

canuck, thanks for the chuckle of the day !! However, I must take exception to the insult to four legged Border Collies who are extremely intelligent !!!!

[canuck]

Your welcome and no insult to Border Collies intended.The breed I was referring to has half the legs but way less than half the brains.

[coppertop]

I knew that, just joking about the insult to the great border collie !!!

Montana is such a beautiful state, too bad there are a few sidewinders down there that give the rest of the good people a bad name !!!

[kato]

Chesapeakes are really nice dogs, but we have to remember that they are hunting dogs. Some of the more unrepentant skunk and porucupine tanglers I've seen have been Chesapeakes. If you've got a lot of stinky or prickly critters in the neighbourhood, you may not want a Chesapeake. LOL

[coppertop]

kato, they are a beautiful dog. A fellow brought one in to the vet the last time I had my dog in for her shots, the dog was just gorgeous.