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Post by dobereichsapollo on Jan 25, 2012 19:53:36 GMT -5
Am thinking of getting a Maremma Sheepdog for my 86 acre farm because the coyotes are bold as brass out there and I'm afraid for Apollo. (Coyotes come right up to the house now and try to call the ex's Golden Retriever out.) One coyote will approach Bailey (the Golden) while 5 or 6 other coyotes can been seen waiting in the field.
My BF has gotten within 10 feet of these coyotes in an effort to get his Golden to return to the house as it was being coaxed away by a coyote. These coyotes show no aggression but also no fear. No fear towards man is a dangerous situation. They have even followed him around while he was on the riding lawn tractor last year.
No, I WILL NOT shoot them.
I want a livestock protection dog that will keep coyotes away and only kill them if necessary. I don't want to hurt them but I won't have my pets hurt by them either.
Coyotes killed my friends adult Dog De Bordeaux dog a couple of years ago at his farm and I don't want anything to happen to Apollo, plus I have the two lil chihuahuas.
I plan on having ducks, chickens, pygmy goats and a few peacocks. A hobby farm. No "real" livestock.
Does anyone have any experience with Maremma Sheepdogs?
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Post by Lisa on Jan 25, 2012 22:41:24 GMT -5
Gino's dam was killed by coyotes when she run away from the farm... that's horrible.
Maybe you can set up a run for your dogs?
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Post by hooligan on Jan 26, 2012 19:25:43 GMT -5
Sorry, I know nothing about Maremma sheepdogs. In fact, I'm so ignorant that I had to Google the breed — and the Wikipedia writeup suggested that they work most effectively in packs. Were you thinking of several? LOL.
Coyotes are another story, though. They are a regular feature in the bush area where we hike Jack every day, so if he's off-lead, he wears an e-collar. We are convinced that this has saved his bacon more than once, when he has taken off in pursuit of coyotes, etc. And yes, the coyotes are definitely as bold as brass. One day, we encountered a huge one (more wolf than coyote, really) as he trotted over the brow of the hill we were walking up. He paused and stared hard at us, then changed course slightly to walk around us and continue on his way, completely unfazed by our presence. Fortunately, Jack was on lead at the time and, surprisingly, he didn't go berserk. I think we, Jack and the coyote were equally surprised.
I guess it depends what you want to do with the "livestock." I know people who keep chickens in a large run that is completely enclosed with wire fencing, including the roof (because of course, coyotes aren't the only worry where chickens are concerned.)
And this past summer, a peacock visited my sister's farm and ended up staying for the duration (his owners didn't want him back). Peaky was outside for the whole summer and survived quite nicely. Whenever he felt threatened (e.g., when Jack visited), he would just fly up and perch on the roof, which was also where he spent his nights. When the cold weather came, my sister corralled him and carted him off to a winter (and permanent) home with someone who has several peacocks and, fortunately, had room for one more.
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Post by hooligan on Jan 29, 2012 10:09:03 GMT -5
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Post by Dobereich on Jan 31, 2012 8:50:28 GMT -5
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Post by ladydon on Feb 4, 2012 15:28:22 GMT -5
There's actually tons of coyote sightings now in Toronto. Even in the most urban populated areas. I'm sometimes careful now where I take him. I still take him to forest-type areas (conservation parks) but I really keep my eyes peeled. Knowing Diesel, he'll stand his ground.
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Post by hooligan on Feb 5, 2012 20:02:59 GMT -5
There's actually tons of coyote sightings now in Toronto. Even in the most urban populated areas. I'm sometimes careful now where I take him. I still take him to forest-type areas (conservation parks) but I really keep my eyes peeled. Knowing Diesel, he'll stand his ground. Same with us. After only hearing about coyote sightings for years, we've had at least a half-dozen close encounters over the past two winters. So Jack is on-lead much more frequently now, especially at dusk. The thing is, if your dog gets into a serious tangle with any wild animal, vets are, I believe, required to report the injuries. And local health officials will quarantine your dog, even if rabies shots are up-to-date. This means several weeks in a kennel (at your expense). This actually happened to my sister when her dog cornered -- and was bitten by -- a racoon. Family members were allowed to visit, but they could only talk to the dog from a distance. No touching. It was quite traumatic for the poor dog, who was not allowed out of the pen and therefore got no exercise and very little human contact during the entire quarantine period.
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Post by dobereichsapollo on Feb 6, 2012 16:40:30 GMT -5
Thank you for your responses. I think I found a solution that is kind to the coyotes and will keep my big boy, his little sisters and the ducks and geese safe on the farm. I bought 2 Slovensky Cuvak puppies. Male brothers. They are like fat little marshmallows now but will grow to about 100lbs and are extremely good livestock guardians and are people friendly. These dogs will try to warn a predator off, then try herd it away and will only as a last resort, attack. I don't want to kill coyotes but I don't want them killing my pets either. They will stay with their parents who presently guard swans, until the end of April, hopefully the parents will "teach them the ropes"....not that I will leave these babies out alone until they are much, much bigger. The picture shown, is of dad. Attachments:
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Post by dobereichsapollo on Feb 6, 2012 16:47:54 GMT -5
Slovensky Cuvak puppy at 6 weeks...fat marshmallow Attachments:
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Post by dobereichsapollo on Mar 2, 2012 11:28:07 GMT -5
It is a sad day... "Bailey" the adult golden retriever that lives at the farm where my Slovensky Cuvak puppies will be living was found dead this morning with his collar torn off and large bite wounds and missing chunks of flesh. Jason and I bought his "ex" out of the farm and are just waiting for her to move so that we can take it over. I was beginning to think that my imagination was "running wild" and that I was being a paranoid woman worrying about my big doberman being attacked. Now I'm happy that I spent the money on those Slovensky Cuvak pups to protect my doberman and chihuahuas. Poor Bailey, he didn't return home last night, never strays and was found 100 meters away from the house behind the barn. Jason is on his way to bury him now. A wolf was seen on the farm a month ago and a pair were seen yesterday heading into the forest on the property.
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Post by hooligan on Mar 2, 2012 14:26:40 GMT -5
It is a sad day... "Bailey" the adult golden retriever that lives at the farm where my Slovensky Cuvak puppies will be living was found dead this morning . . . Oh, my goodness. That's horrible -- and sooo sad. Poor Bailey. You were right to be worried about coyotes (and wolves). Thanks for letting us know. We spend a lot of time at my sister's place in the country, where there is a lot of wildlife, including coyotes. This is a good reminder not to let Jack out unsupervised after dark.
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Post by dobermoms on Mar 3, 2012 23:08:14 GMT -5
Michelle--Jason....we are so sad to read of Bailey's passing. Poor thing ... we are so sorry for your lose... I know you have the puppies to protect you both, and the animals, but please be very careful when you move out there.
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Post by dobereichsapollo on Mar 8, 2012 20:30:39 GMT -5
Had the Slovensky Cuvac pups at the vet, they weigh 25 1/2lbs and 23 lbs. and are now 9 1/2 weeks. Now I get to walk the doberman, the 2 chihuahuas and then head out to Jasons brothers farm to walk the fat marshmallow pups. WHEW!...I need to go back to work so that Jason can do all this doggy playtime, instead of me. ROFL Thank you for the kind words about Bailey. Attachments:
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Post by dobermoms on Mar 9, 2012 6:34:24 GMT -5
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Post by hooligan on Mar 9, 2012 10:04:50 GMT -5
Oh, wow. They are sooooo cute. How do you tell them apart? Do they have distinct personalities? (And . . . seeing your black top in the picture made me think of this . . . how much do they shed?)
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