Playmates

Josh and the goats

Livestock guardian dogs may not be playmates to humans, but they are playmates to one another. Having two livestock guardian dogs is often recommended as it keeps them from trying to "play" with the animals they are intended to guard and protect. It is also helpful sometimes to have a "team" of dogs to work together.  Sofie and our newest guardian dog, Josh, are bonding as Josh grows larger. Josh has been penned up with the goats in order to learn about living with them and vice versa.  We put Sofie in with Josh and the goats daily in order for the two dogs to bond as well. They enjoy romping with one another and chasing each other in the pen. When Josh grows big enough & learns his job, he and Sofie will be able to work the pastures together.

Sofie and Josh romping

More romping

Snuggling

Relaxing after romping

New Staff Member!

Meet Josh, our newest staff member. Josh is an almost 4 month old Great Pyrenees/Maremma mix and is the 2nd of our livestock guardian dogs. He is currently living with the goats in their enclosure to help him adjust to a new home.  He and his litter mates shared a pen with kids--the baby goat kind.  Josh is bonding with the goats and they, in turn, are learning to trust him as an ally and not a threat.  As he grows & matures he'll have additional opportunities to work with the chickens under both our and Sofie's watchful eyes.  We expect Sofie and Josh to share the responsibility of protecting all of our animals from predators.

Sofie showing concern for Josh when she hears him crying from his encounter with the electric fence

Josh met the goats as well as the electric fence netting.  The goats were less painful.  Poor Josh, what a shock he received when his wet nose hit the fence.  Ever vigilant, Sofie came immediately to see what had happened! The goats stood on their house and watched Josh for a while from a safe distance.

A funny thing about Josh is that he has six toes on his back paws. Our vet assured us that this is not unusual for Great Pyrenees breeds, but it is still a sight to see! We imagine his paws will be quite large when he is fully grown!

Josh's back paw with six toes