A while ago I wrote about running the sheep and goats together in one field, and the question of putting together two pairs of livestock guardian dogs. (One thing I wanted to point out was that at this leased property, the owner's goal is weed management, NOT pasture improvement, which is why we haven't implemented a rotational grazing plan with small paddocks and long rest periods.) I said I'd follow up on the dogs, because we weren't sure how they'd react to sharing territory with another pair of dogs, or another herd.
...Aaaand there's not much to report! They get along, as far as we can tell, aside from the occasional squabble over kibble. The goats and sheep are sometimes nearer, sometimes further from each other. When we need to bring them in to the handling area, or bring mineral, they move as separate herds (which was expected.) The dogs seem to work what I think of as shifts--some mornings Bette, Bert and Beau will be anxiously awaiting kibble, with Barks on duty. Then Beau will stick with the herds and Bette, Bert and Barks will be waiting to eat, etc. As for their pairings, they seem to work together interchangeably, although I'd say more often than not they maintain the partnerships they had before. I haven't seen any of them at night though, so I don't really know for sure what's happening. The sheep and goats are well, and the dogs are happy, so I'd call it successful. It's certainly much less work from the human end!
In this video, Lucy and Carla brought the sheep and goats in (the push), and Danny is leading by being in front, to keep them in a tighter, more manageable group.
(I don't want to leave out the other two Pyrenees, Belle and Athena, so here are a few recent ones of them as well.)
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