New Roommates

The puppies have a couple of new roommates....

They're already dressing alike and sharing each others clothes....

(Elva is paranoid about collars, but we want to be able to tell them apart so they got crayons instead)

The puppies are happy about the new additions. 

Generally, they are just plain happy.

And tired.  Tired puppies are good puppies.

In addition to their new Guard Dog duties, which they take terribly seriously, they have also been going on hikes with Elva several times each day and attempting to keep the Border Collies in line.

They love playing in the pond and a few of them have learned that, when they fall in, they can swim.

All this hard work is tiring.

It's just not easy being an alert guard dog.

Good thing they all have a lot of help.

 Including a couple new additions to the pack. 

Puppy Overdose

I told Elva today that I was going to have to start carrying around some of that Narcan stuff in case she completely overdoses on puppies.

It could happen.

The puppies have moved out into the garage/woodshed and they are enjoying their new space....

...and practicing to be big, serious guard dogs.

They are terribly ferocious.

 Practicing their attack skills....

...while mom shows them how to protect every, little thing.  Including puppy toys that need to be rescued, handled gently and guarded from marauders.

I've seen a lot of posts recently about how Livestock Guardian Dogs should not be handled by people and that they have to be locked in and isolated with their charges so that they will bond with them. 

Total hogwash.

Yes, the puppies need to be around livestock and, by the time these pups leave, they will know all about sheep, lambs, chickens, cattle, cats, other dogs, etc.  Each of these puppies is spoken for and they are all going to small farms where they will have a variety of livestock and people to look after.  They are fully capable of doing all that may be asked of them whether it is looking after a flock a milk goats, hiking with their people or guarding the sheep while they watch Border Collies learn how to do their jobs.

These dogs are intelligent, intuitive and have been born with the aptitude and skill to do all of the above while also riding happily in a car to the vet's office or distinguishing a real threat from stray child wandering in to visit the lambs.  I know most people don't want stray children wandering around in their fields, but it happens all the time and even fewer of us want the dogs to devour the small children.  I personally don't know why anyone would want a big, powerful dog that can't be handled - or a small, toothless dog for that matter.

I find it to be a baffling disservice to these dogs to expect them to live alone amongst a flock of sheep, making all the tough decisions, protecting them from all threats while simultaneously believing them to be too stupid to do anything else.  I've met a few dogs raised like that and, as much as I love dogs, I'd never want one of them around.

Fortunately for these pups, they are all going to homes where they will be able to live up to their true abilities and be loved and appreciated for all of them.

Now all we have to do is figure out how to keep Elva from going into massive puppy withdrawal at the end of May when they finally move on to their new farms.  Does Narcan work on puppy overdose?

In the Land of Giants

Connor usually seems like a good sized dog, weighing in at about 45 pounds of hard muscle.  He always seems to shrink though in the company of all these Maremmas.

It's a good thing he's fast.

This is Rinatta  (sp?), the mother of all the pups, pretending to be all statuesque.  She has her moments though.  She and Maggie (one of the pups), live with RB.

That's Maggie trying to squash the un-squashable Connor, and Rinatta guarding her bone.  A good summation of their personalities. 

And a good view of the size difference.

Then there is the Bess and Connor show....

All day, every day.

Cuteness Overload

Farm Buddy and I went to see some Maremma puppies yesterday.  These are livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) and she thinks that she wants one.  People have very different ideas about how LGDs should be raised and utilized and, like most everything, each person thinks their way is the best. Depending on the individual needs of each farm, they may all be right.

These pups come from parents who have had a lot of human contact and are VERY friendly towards people.  They stay outside and guard the whole farm rather than just living with the sheep and this is what FB needs.  For farms with large flocks of sheep, it makes more sense for the dog to bond with and live with the sheep.  For a small, very diverse farm like FB's, it makes more sense to have a dog who will look after the whole place rather than just one aspect of it. 

After the experience we had with Buster, which did not go so well (click here and here for that story), I was very turned off by the LGD concept.  I am still very turned off by the idea of puppies who are never handled and are a danger to people.  I have to admit that after meeting these dogs yesterday, I can see how it could work out.  I am still rather skeptical, but these dogs went a long way to winning me over.  Not that it's my decision to make.

The dogs on this farm were certainly very effective watch dogs and have proven themselves to be good predator dogs, but around people, they were as sweet as could be - much sweeter than my own little shark!

This is the mother of the puppies...

She certainly won us over with those big brown eyes...

and calm sweetness.  Not too many moms with two weeks old pups would be this relaxed and cuddly with total strangers.

And then there are the puppies....

Their eyes are just starting to open.

Six girls and five boys, that's a LOT of cuteness!

Farm Buddy put a deposit down on one. 

There are plenty more available if anyone is interested in a really nice purebred Maremma LGD.  They come from imported stock and seem very sound and healthy to me.  The owner has a 12 year dog who is still in great shape and doing her job.  He has these puppies and one six month old male who is already an experienced guardian who is also available.  He has been around goats, sheep, poultry, donkeys, etc and gets along well with all of them....

Just remember, these are Livestock Guardian Dogs, NOT house dogs.  Don't be fooled by their sheer adorableness, these dogs will not be happy as house pets.

If anyone is interested, get in touch with me and and I will get you the contact info for the owner.  My email address is aerissana at gmail dot com.