My Livestock Guardian Dog Protected Her Territory

Every morning we get up, get dressed and get out to walk.

Most mornings Kiah will circle the pond, check the woods, and get a good overall sense of the conditions by sniffing here and there. Generally, it’s pretty mundane.

Because we have been following this routine for several months, she usually goes ahead of me, running down to the building, and I follow at a more leisurely pace. Then I sit on the porch and wait for her to finish her ritual and come collect me, then we walk back up to the house together.

Intruder Alert

This morning I was just nicely starting down the drive when I hear dog barking I don’t recognize.

Two black dogs come out from the woods heading across the dam and Kiah is running to intercept them. What the hell.

I’m too far away to be much help physically and there is no way I can catch up to her in time.

Visions of vet visits dance through my head.

My mind is racing at this point, two against one is unfair odds and even though I trust my Livestock Guardian Dog totally, we’ve never faced something like this before and I’m not sure what her exact reaction will be.

Perfect Instincts

The only thing I can do is yell at the intruding dogs to try to scare them off. I lower my pitch and increase my volume and start yelling. I’m moving around the end of the building and have yet to get a good view of what’s going on. I take comfort in the fact that at least I don’t hear an all-out dogfight.

By the time I round the corner of the building, Kiah has the two dogs moving toward the corner of the property while she stays at the foot of the dam. (Good girl!)

As she sees me coming up on the porch, she moves forward to drive them farther along.

There is a slight dip in the landscape and from where I’m watching it looks like the two dogs are holding their ground just over the lip of this hollow.

I whistle for Kiah to return to me and as she turns away from the dogs, they start running toward her! Again I yell for them to “get outta here”. Kiah turns back toward the dogs as she hears me yell and again moves them toward the edge of the property.

This happens about three times before the dogs give up and leave, exiting through the woods at the far corner from where they entered.

The Beauty of A Livestock Guardian Dog’s Instincts

This was amazing to watch.

Kiah never engaged with the dogs, only barked them off the property. Not a single drop of blood was shed.

I don’t think she would have been happy had I tried to approach the intruding dogs. It was suggested that I carry a large stick with me during our morning walks but I don’t believe that Kiah would let me get close enough to effectively swing a stick in defense. Every time I have moved toward her when she was “guarding” she has moved further away.

Thinking that through it makes perfect sense. She is supposed to be protecting me so having me running into the thick of things just makes it more difficult for her to do her job.

Kiah is smart enough to know that when I began yelling again, she should check her flank. Each time I yelled, she spun around and faced the oncoming dog who then turned around and started to leave again. Three times this happened and three times she turned. She had already located me and knew where I was. I wonder if she knew I had the high-ground advantage and it was safe for her to turn her back to get to where I was.

She didn’t come right back to where I was either. After she was sure they had left, and yes, she watched them go without giving further chase, she checked the dam and the woods where they had entered, giving it a good sniff to make sure everything was okay.

Once satisfied, she came over to collect me and we walked back up to the house as usual.

A Possible Payback To The Dogs And Their Potential Owners

I didn’t mention that as I approached the building there was a definite odor of skunk in the air. Hopefully, one or both of the dogs got sprayed and they will be taking that back home with them. Normally I wouldn’t wish skunk on someone, but really people, keep your dogs on your own property.

What’s Going Through My Worried Thoughts Now

Before I had Kiah in a one-acre fenced yard and anything that wished to challenge her had to climb a fence to get to her. At least it offered some protection.

With an open field like we have now, I wonder how in the world I would challenge an actual predator. The neighbors have cattle and have lost a calf here and there to coyotes.

We don’t keep prey animals so, fingers crossed, coyotes won’t be a problem. The good news is her behavior indicates that she won’t give chase. That’s the biggest risk factor as coyotes will lure a single dog away and toward their pack. The results can be devastating.

Kiah is an indoor, semi-non-working Livestock Guardian Dog and I don’t want to put her at risk. She has been by my side for over 5 years and as each year passes she impresses me more and more.

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