Goats and dogs

bgraham · #1 06/20/06, 09:18 AM

Hi all.

This weekend I got a doe and her twins, a doeling and a buckling. They are nubians and the kids were born on April 10. I am planning to milk her but so far she has not been very cooperative.

Anyway, I'm concerned about my dog. She is a mutt but very gentle. She thinks she is one of the cats. The momma goat does not like her at all. I imagine it has something to do with the fact that the dog barked and chased the doeling all around the yard when we first unloaded her. Molly (the dog) was just playing, but momma was not happy!

Since then, every time the dog comes near them, the doe acts like she is going to butt her. Molly backs away and starts barking and the doe goes at her but has not yet actually butted her. But that's probably only because I've been there to separate them. I know that she's only trying to protect her babies but I was hoping the dog would be a protector for them. If wild dogs showed up do you think Molly would protect the goats?

And any suggestions on getting started milking? When I touch her teats she kicks her leg and shrugs me off.

Thanks!!

Beth

okgoatgal2 · #2 06/20/06, 09:59 AM

concerning the milking, she'll kick until you teach her not to. get in there with no hesitation, tell her NO everytime she kicks and keep on milking. You may well get covered with milk and not get any to keep for a while, but if you keep at it, she'll quit the kicking and submit. twice a day, until you are ready to dry her off.

concerning the dog, put her on a leash, don't let her chase or bark at the goats. the goat will butt the dog to let the dog know she's not to be chased. if your dog barks now at other critters, she'll bark for the goats, too-whether she'll protect them or not against varmits is up in the air-hopefully you'll never need her to.

cmharris6002 · #3 06/20/06, 09:59 AM

It is unlikely that Molly will protect your new goats. Even guard dogs should be raised with goats in order to bond with the herd and activate the urge to protect what is theirs. Your dog will most likely never feel that the goats are part of her, but hopefully she will bark if predators come on your property which she might already be inclined to defend as her territory.

A dog can easily run a young goat to death even if they don’t attack. Never let a dog chase goats. I would scold the dog for chasing goats and put her in a ‘down/stay’ if she ever attempts it again. It might seem harmless while you are watching but if you are gone there is no way to tell if the dog is becoming a threat.

You can train your goat to milk by ONLY offering grain on the milk stand. While she eats stroke her udder and speak to her in a calm voice. After a few days of doing this you should have an easier time of milking her.

~Christy

bgraham · #4 06/20/06, 10:13 AM

I did scold Molly and can usually keep her from barking a lot... she will start and I will scold her and tell her no and she will stop.

She has pretty much stayed away from them as far as I can tell. The kids are home during the day and so far there has been no problem. The only time she seems to go down there is when I go. The kids can go down and the dog stays at the house. But when I go she will dig under the fence to get in and follow me down there, running to catch up with me and barking.

She's very close to me and rarely leaves my side. She can't stand it if I am outside and not with her. When I work in the garden, she brings a bone and lays next to the garden while I work. When I feed the chickens she "herds them for me" and stays in the coop until I come out. She has never hurt a chicken. If a chicken trys to get out of the chicken yard, however, she will chase it and catch it, holding it on the ground until I come get it. But she doesn't hurt it.

I think maybe she is just jealous that I am giving attention to someone other than her and she is upset that I am not paying attention to HER while I am with the goats. And she has not chased the goats since that first day. Hopefully they will learn to live together peacefully.

cmharris6002 · #5 06/20/06, 10:20 AM

[QUOTE=bgraham]
She's very close to me and rarely leaves my side. She can't stand it if I am outside and not with her. When I work in the garden, she brings a bone and lays next to the garden while I work. When I feed the chickens she "herds them for me" and stays in the coop until I come out. She has never hurt a chicken. If a chicken trys to get out of the chicken yard, however, she will chase it and catch it, holding it on the ground until I come get it. But she doesn't hurt it.QUOTE]

She sounds like a great dog. With a sweet temperment like that everyone should be getting along soon