i wonder if we will see an increase in stock guarding breeds in the uk,after hunting is stopped in feb.
will farmers import breeds to guard their sheep & chickens from foxes?????????

I would not have thought so because of the public liability problems of leaving unsupervised dogs that may react badly to strangers passing by.  No I'm afraid it will be more trapping, gassing and shooting.

i quite like the idea of some anatolians or mamerras <sp?> around the uk!!!!

According to someone we both know the sheep in your neck of the woods are pretty feisty.

Nearly peed myself when she told me how Quest had wandered into a tocked field and was hoovering droppings totally ignoring the sheep.  she hurried after him and proceeded to drag him through the strands of wire (not barbed) and silly dog had put his feet through the next strand,and had sheep butting him in the backside!!!

A few years ago Brodie got chased by the next door shepp when he nipped into their field and couldn't find tyhe gap to get back onto his side!!!

I think both dogs would think very hard about worrying shepp the great wusses!  Well their not Elk (Moose) are they :D :D :D

dotted around the countryside in random fields!!!with the sheep!!!! lol!

Attacking you and your dog as you walk the footpaths ...

attacking Ramblers as they tresspass only to knock on the farmers door to ask to use the loo or to have a cream tea!!!!!

Aha! No trespass now there's the Right to Roam! ;)

in that case having pinics in the garden!!!! get them all around here!!!!!

Hi guys,

I saw a telly program recently about some farmers who are using Llamas as sheep guardians.  They are friendly towards people but don't like their wooly pals being threatened! What a great idea! Imagine fields of sheep and llamas around the countryside. Only drawback is that they're pretty expensive so someone would probably nick them!
Nice thought though!

Ali :)

Livestock guardians with correct temperament should NOT attack walkers and the like who do not approach the flock.
In Italy you will see Maremmas lying around with their sheep - they don't so much as get up if you leave them and their charges alone. For instance I have been to a sheep fair over there where there were literally dozens of Maremmas with different flocks all coming and going from their mountain grazing areas watched by hundreds of members of the public. Many were loose with no fences - they just mind their own business if people ignore them. Of course if people (or their dogs) are stupid enough to threaten the flock in any way that would be another matter (though again - attacking is a last resort - and it would be a brave person who would continue when a livestock guardian got into full defence warning mode!)

The real problem with livestock guardians here is that our sheep tend to be ranging rather than flocking. A livestock guardian would be driven mad by hill sheep as they wouldn't be able to keep an eye on them all - they like to take up a position where they can see everything. They would be OK with pastured sheep or cattle or chickens. Personally I would love to see more working livestock guardians here.

Janet

Absolutely right becketts but as you know 'proper' livestock guardians are not just a 'breed' but the correct breed being raised with livestock as puppies.  Given these conditions they will automatically protect their charges from threat but have no aggressive instincts against ramblers and walkers just minding their own business. 

Yes good point Susieque - I wouldn't like anyone to think they can just turn their Maremma/Pyrenean/Anatolian/Estrela loose with a bunch of sheep and expect it to guard them! As you say they guard what they are bonded to as puppies (ideally - though they can also form these bonds as older dogs with a little patience).

What they won't do of course is attack innocent walkers without (serious) provocation! Livestock guardians are not (or certainly should not be) aggressive.

Janet