german shepherds & cows

[cowpics]

We are looking for a new dog (had to put our golden retriever down due to cancer)
Thinking of a German Shepherd but would they bother cattle? We don't want them to chase our cows. what is a suggested breed that doesn't bother cows?

[cswilson]

A good cat lol. Just about any dod alive will bother cows if bored and left to his own resources. Our Great Pyreneees were pretty good at leaving them alone though.

[coppertop]

There are many breeds that work cattle, but they all need basic obedience training to ensure they don't just take matters into their own hands.

My choice for a good all around farm/family/stock dog is a Border Collie. They are usually awesome with kids, but will bark when someone strange is around. Instinctively they are an awesome stock dog but need to be trained about when and where they are expected to work and when they are expected to leave the livestock alone.

My old dog was a wonderful cattle dog, once she and I got our signals in order, she didn't need much direction, but as a pup she would head out to HERD calves without permission. Once we got that sorted out she was excellent.

I have an 8 month old border that is going to be an excellent stock dog, she is a very fast learner but a young border collie has a lot of energy so it takes patience to get through the pup stage. My dog does not go near the stock unless I invite her along with me, even though her basic instinct is to move critters !!

[grassfarmer]

If you are looking for a pet that won't bother cows I wouldn't buy a border collie - it would be kind of like buying a fox and hoping it wouldn't chase your chickens. The dog will be frustrated if it's not allowed to herd. I've always found with collies unless you are using them all the time and have them with stock every day they lose their power.

[coppertop]

grassfarmer I am sure you have seen many collies in action in Scotland. I can remember as a kid being totally amazed at watching the collies at the farm down the road when they went out every evening and brought in the herd of sheep by themselves.The neighbours had emigrated from Scotland and brought two collies with them, then raised many pups over the years. They are a wonderful sight to see when they are herding cattle, or sheep but as you say, they can tend to do things on their own if they aren't either kept busy or kenneled.

The breeder I bought my pup from has two females that are both superb cattle dogs, they work with her when she is around the cattle but neither of them bother the stock on their own. She has sold numerous pups from both females and they make wonderful stock dogs and pets. My pup is very obedient and a quick learner, so far, no problem with her bothering cattle, or donkeys, but I keep her with me when I am outside, and make sure she understands that the only time she goes near the stock is when I ask her to.

The worst thing anyone can do with a collie is to sick them on livestock and let them think that is what they do every time they see a critter. One prominent border collie trainer lives a short distance away, he usually has at least a dozen dogs in training at any one time, plus has a large herd of cattle and some sheep. His own dogs aren't kenneled with the exception of pups, but the dogs that come in for training are kept in dog runs when not working stock.

My two choices in dogs are a border collie and a lab, but I have a huge yard full of flowers and labs love to dig !!! My dad used to raise and train them for hunting dogs, and my mother was lucky to have one flower bed survive each year, but labs are wonderful pets and great kids dogs !!!

[countryguy]

You can't beat the Doberman for a loyal family pet.Awesome dogs.

[PureCountry]

We have Molly - 1/2 Irish Wolfhound, 1/2 Great Pyrenees. She's been one of the better dogs we've ever had. Keeps the coyotes away alot more than any retriever we ever had, and she's great with the kids. Only thing to keep in mind with a Wolfhound though, is that they are very attached to their family, and seem absolutely lost without attention. They need someone to bond to.

Oh, and she weighs 100lbs, and eats that much food in a month.

[coppertop]

When I add up the amount I spend on dog food, cat food, vet visits etc., farrier for the donkeys etc., I think I must be nuts.

My dog has started barking when anyone drives in the yard which is a bonus, she would lick any intruder to death I am sure but at least she lets me know when anyone is around here.

[kato]

I have a German Shepherd, and she's a super dog around cattle. She's got the perfect balance of a work ethic, and not caring that suits me fine. She will work cattle for us, but not with quite the enthusiasm of a border collie. We don't have to worry about any 'freelance' herding going on.

Where a Border Collie lives to move cattle, a German Shepherd's work ethic leans toward "everything in it's place, and it better stay there". LOL. They make great gate guarders because of their territorial natures. Their original herding style was to keep the group together and guard it, not necessarily to be moving it. My dog instinctively did this the first time I took her to the pasture. Strays are not allowed when she's around. My husband was disappointed when our dog wouldn't go to the gates for him if I wasn't home, but one day a couple of calves got out, and she appeared out of nowhere and whipped them back in the gate in about a minute. Then she just left and went back to the house! She was watching, but wasn't about to work any harder than she had too. He wasn't quite so disappointed after that.

A good German Shepherd will defend you if you get into a sc**** too! Mine has kicked into defense mode a couple of times, and it's actually quite scarey. She turns into a different dog.

If you get a Sheperd, I'd recommend obedience classes, even if it's just to socialize it. They are very one person dogs, and if they don't get out and about when they are young, can be a nightmare at the vet clinic. There's nothing spookier than a 90 pound unsocialized Shepherd. And nothing nicer than one who is socialized.

[cowpics]

how do you know if you are getting a dog, ie shepherd from a good line? what about chesapeake bay retrievers, a friend said they can be protective but are also good with kids and are not inclined to chase anything

[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.