[uprabbitry]

I have had my LGD for about a month now an have not had any problem till last week. 2 nights in a row he tore the boards off the wall in our barn and got out. Then The last 2 nights he has been digging under the fence and getting out. He lives with my 2 goats and before i got him he had lived with sheep. Is is just over a year old and is NOT fixed. Could getting him fixed solve the issue? I don't live on the property where he and my goats are kept so i am worried about him being out of the fence at night when im not there.

What could i do to help solve this issue

 

[Chief50]

I have had my LGD for about a month now an have not had any problem till last week. 2 nights in a row he tore the boards off the wall in our barn and got out. Then The last 2 nights he has been digging under the fence and getting out. He lives with my 2 goats and before i got him he had lived with sheep. Is is just over a year old and is NOT fixed. Could getting him fixed solve the issue? I don't live on the property where he and my goats are kept so i am worried about him being out of the fence at night when im not there.

What could i do to help solve this issue

There are easier and cheaper ways to protect two goats.

 

[uprabbitry]

There are easier and cheaper ways to protect two goats.

What do you recommend?

 

[muleskinner2]

Is he getting out of the goat pen, or getting out of a kennel? He may be responding to what he perceives as a threat. If he hears or smells coyotes, or stray dogs he may be trying to chase them away. If he was my dog, and I wanted him to stay in the pen at night, I would tie him inside the pen. He could still bark at predators, but he couldn't get out. I have done this, to prevent a LGD from getting out and chasing coyotes. Tying dogs can be dangerous, you need to be at least as smart as a chain.

 

[uprabbitry]

Is he getting out of the goat pen, or getting out of a kennel? He may be responding to what he perceives as a threat. If he hears or smells coyotes, or stray dogs he may be trying to chase them away. If he was my dog, and I wanted him to stay in the pen at night, I would tie him inside the pen. He could still bark at predators, but he couldn't get out. I have done this, to prevent a LGD from getting out and chasing coyotes. Tying dogs can be dangerous, you need to be at least as smart as a chain.

He is getting out of the pen not a kennel. If I tie him up do I untie him during the day or keep him tied all day? Do i keep him tied forever?

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

Do not chain any animal on property if you are an absentee owner.

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

He perceives his job is to protect your animals from something outside.

 

[uprabbitry]

He perceives his job is to protect your animals from something outside.

OK. In the next couple of weeks we are going to be building them a new pen that will be 3 times the size they are in now. Is there anything i can do other then bury the fence in the ground to help prevent the digging?

 

[altair]

Hotwire.

 

[muleskinner2]

If I tie him up do I untie him during the day or keep him tied all day? Do i keep him tied forever?

He is your dog, you choose. Is it safer to let him run loose, than to tie him up? If you don't tie him in a safe fashion, he might hang himself. If you let him run loose, he might get hit by a car, or shot by a neighbor.

 

[uprabbitry]

He is your dog, you choose. Is it safer to let him run loose, than to tie him up? If you don't tie him in a safe fashion, he might hang himself. If you let him run loose, he might get hit by a car, or shot by a neighbor.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Chief50]

The best thing you could do is get rid of the dog and the two goats.

 

[frogmammy]

If he digs under the fence, toss a 12x6 paver in, or a concrete block when you fill the hole. When you pick up his poop, place it along the fenceline. Put a (short) inside fence about 2 foot away from your outside fence. Lay fence on the ground UNDER your fence. If he jumps or finds another way over the fence, put "coyote rollers" on your fence,

Lotta more things to try.

Mon

 

[Pony]

We all make mistakes when we start out with animals, most often because we don't sit down and think through the natural ways of those animals. When we work in opposition to the animals' natural inclinations (the very reason we use them), we frustrate the animals and ourselves.

In this situation, it seems to me that the dog is suffering from two things: 1.) you are preventing him from doing his job, and 2.) he is bored. One LGD and two goats? Not much for him to do, especially since you keep the poor beasts locked up.

I agree with @Chief50 . The best thing to do is to rehome those animals, and don't acquire any more until you are able to provide the care they need.

 

[uprabbitry]

We all make mistakes when we start out with animals, most often because we don't sit down and think through the natural ways of those animals. When we work in opposition to the animals' natural inclinations (the very reason we use them), we frustrate the animals and ourselves.

In this situation, it seems to me that the dog is suffering from two things: 1.) you are preventing him from doing his job, and 2.) he is bored. One LGD and two goats? Not much for him to do, especially since you keep the poor beasts locked up.

I agree with @Chief50 . The best thing to do is to rehome those animals, and don't acquire any more until you are able to provide the care they need.

Thank you for the advice!
But i never said anybody was locked up he has free range of the pasture where the goats are but they all have a attached Barn that is on the outside of the fence and the fence meets up to the barn and he goes in the Barn at night and gets out in there. I also have had these goats for 5 years they are worked with for hours everyday. These are show goats and I spend more time with them being on a separate property then other people I know that have them at the house. I also have a 70 plus animals on our own property and they are all perfectly fine so I don't think its a matter of me not knowing how to properly care for animals. The goats home may not be where i will keep them forever. My 3 uncles, my aunt, and my dad all recently passed away so the family farm is going up for sale so i had to what i had to in the short amount of time i had to get them off of the property.

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

Ah. We all were communicating based on our personal experience and the history of newbies coming to the board with awkward situations created because of the learning curve.

We didn’t know your experience level. It’s good to hear.

Sorry for your loss of family members and the farm. Huggs.

 

[uprabbitry]

Ah. We all were communicating based on our personal experience and the history of newbies coming to the board with awkward situations created because of the learning curve.

We didn’t know your experience level. It’s good to hear.

Sorry for your loss of family members and the farm. Huggs.

Thank you!

 

[altair]

If your goats are secure at night, do you need a dog to protect them?

 

[uprabbitry]

If your goats are secure at night, do you need a dog to protect them?

They are just loose in the pasture. They have a barn that they go in at night but i never lock it. Do i not need to worry about predators during the day?

 

[altair]

It definitely depends on your area. Some people only have to deal with minor things like skunks or hawks and others have wolves, bear, or cougars. We have goats and free-range chickens and have been fortunate to not lose a thing. But we also don't have wolves, bears, or large cats and are rural enough and with a leash law not to have loose domestic dogs. But everyone's situation is different, which is why I asked.