Dawn Browns Livestock dogs at Tail Feathers Farms
Photo Of Milly and Molly (Serinity Puppies )work together at The Browns Farm at Tail Feathers Farms.
The Browns were good to start their Great Pyrenees early, look at Milly trying to take inventory.
There are several choices when it comes to finding something to guard your flock.
There are the less intelligent choices llamas, which will make a loud noise to let you know that there is a threat in the pasture. There is the donkey, that will make an even louder noise.
Then there is a dog. An animal that was genetically bred to protect and defend it's family, flock and farm.
There are several choices in this area. There are Anatolians , there are English Shepherds, Kuvas,Cattle Dogs and then the grand masters among guards, the Komondor and the Great Pyrenees, and the Newfkom.
Why are the Komondor, Newfkom and the Great Pyrenees superior to all of the others you ask? It is because of their ability to be compassionate and caring and bond with what they are guarding. It is
also their tested ability to defend to the end .
In trying to choose which breed is best for you you only need to do a minimal amount of research to find out that the Great Pyrenees is the most popular choice. This is not because it is the better
guard ( of the Komondor aand the Great Pyrenees ) but because it is easily found. Great Pyrenees breeders are everywhere. There are many farms breeding Great Pyrenees to offset losses on the family farm.
These are not always the best places to find a new Great pyrenees for your family. More often than not these are farms that have not treated their dogs very well, and have
did little to no research on the health of their breeding stock. What does that say about the breed? It says that the breed is in trouble. People need to stop and think before buying a dog based
on price alone. It takes not only a good breeder but a definate commintment to the Great Pyrenees to keep them wormed, up to date on shots, and healthy hips and elbows. They must have regular vet care and
a good food regimine.
The Komondor on the other hand is much harder to nearly impossible to find. The folks breeding the Komondor know that they/we have something special and we aim to keep it that way.
No sloppy breeding practices. This is a very rare breed intended for farms that are serious about protecting their flocks, and raising good guard dogs at the same time.
The Komondor will give his or her life to protect what it loves. Komondors require extensive socialization both with people and with the livestock they are guarding. These are VERY LARGE dogs.
They may look sweet and cuddly but just try to sneek up and snatch one of their lambs, or calves. They are the fastest livestock guardian dogs bred, PERIOD!
One other important note about Koms. they do not need a running start to jump a fence. If they want out of a five foot fence - they can simply jump it. Having said that you can hardly pry a Komondor away from it's flock.
Both of these dogs the Komondor and the Great Pyrenees make excellent house pets but they were genetically bred to be livestock guardian dogs, and excel at the challenge. They both require littel to no training, they need only
bond with the flock.
We now offer the Newfkom which is an excellent alternative to the Komondor. They are a bit smaller but heavier, still caring like a komondor. They are bred with a Newfoundland and a Komondor so of course they enjoy a
dash to the lake then back to work again. Newfkoms are every bit as interested in defending it's flock and are always on duty and are every bit as fast as the Komondor.
As I have written numerous times - if you purchase a dog for the purpose of guarding your livestock, they cannot come in the house. If you want one to live in the house you will need two.
Once the puppy arrives it is very important that he or she have a special area near the livestock in the barn. I have made that mistake and have never been able to correct it.
Unlike some old time farmers might say; you can and should love your livestock guardian dog. It is important that your dog knows you and your family. They ( like my husband ) love praise.
Tell them they are doing a great job and tell them often.
I recently visited a farm where the dogs were barking at my daughter and I , we were stangers so it just made since. They lady yelled " SHUT UP " loudly at the dogs. I whispered to my daughter that was mean. The dog is doing it's job.
When visiting our farm you will hear a lot of barking and after a brief introduction they will stop barking. They are doing what I have asked them to do. Once I walk to them with a visitor and introduce the visitor to them they sit down and relax and
ofcourse expect to receive praise.
Let me say this yet one more time- I do not have a preditor issue, I do not have a roaming issue. My dogs are treated like family members and it has not made them any less a guard dog.
You can be nice to your dogs and love them and play with them and they will do, in my opinion, an even better job taking care of you and your livestock, your family and your farm.
Remember this.... as I have stated so many times on this site..... sucess is about routine! These are very intelligent dogs, if you do not show up to feed dont be surprised if they do not come looking for you!
I feed the at same time everyday and follow the same routine of play EVERYDAY! No dog gets left out even if I feel terrible. I might not sing to them if I feel like I am sick, but I still sit with them and love them up.
Oh... the singing thing, I cannot sing, but my dogs think I am a star! I have a song for about every dog, and some about my chores. They love the songs :)
We have a song about bad boys, a song about the greatest dog on the farm, we even have a poop song and even a frozen poop song. Feeding time is the funnest time of day! ( oh yeah, I have a song about that too )
There have been a few times I have been unable to do the feeding ( but only a handful ) my father or Katie covers for me, and they sing too!
