Blue is a purebred Anatolian Shepherd who was surrendered to us as a 13 week old puppy. He had been purchased from a farm-based breeder who raises Nigerian Dwarf goats, but the family who purchased him soon realized they weren't cut out for managing a giant puppy who needed more obedience training than they were equipped to provide. We're grateful that they recognized the pup needed a different environment. We put him in the pasture with Rennie to supervise, and he did really well. Our Nigerian Dwarf goats probably made him feel right at home.
Blue was adopted while he was still a puppy and spent a couple years living with sheep plus two other LGDs. He was an excellent perimeter guardian, but when in the smaller pen where the sheep spent most of their overnights, Blue would sometimes chew on the ears of the sheep. He had plenty of bones and toys, so it's hard to say why he developed this bad habit. It was disappointing that the other LGDs didn't intervene to tell him to STOP, and it didn't typically happen when the humans were home and could intervene. After trying everything they could think of to resolve the issue, they finally decided he needed to come back to us.
We kept Blue in one of our barn kennels (each of which has a 32' long dog run attached) for about a month to let him adapt to this change. Our place was familiar, but it had been a long time since he was here. From the barn kennel/dog run, he could see, hear, and smell our goats and the other LGDs. He could get used to our routine. Then I started letting him out into a small "corral" type area for an hour or so. From there he graduated to being allowed time in the pasture, where once again, Rennie could mentor him and intervene any time he might be inclined to misbehave. But we haven't seen any bad behavior. He likes to check the perimeter and greet the other LGDs. He has tried engaging them in play, but none of the dogs currently working in Rennie's pasture are interested. Blue isn't a pest -- he will walk away if a dog doesn't want to play. He will occasionally try to get close enough to the goats to sniff them, but he seems to view the goats as just part of the landscape, not particularly interesting.
During a recent Meet & Greet, Blue met some visitors and showed very good manners. I wouldn't suggest trying to turn him into a couch potato, but I do think he could be content as a combination pet/property guardian. I also think that in the right situation, he could be a good guardian for goats. The "right situation" would include a pasture that's at least one acre and securely fenced, plus one or more LGDs sharing the pasture with him.
If Blue sounds like a good fit for your family, please submit your application here.
