Keeping And Feeding Herding Dogs

2023 Author: Molly Page | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 22:49

The many years of experience of the leading sheep breeders of our country, the sheep breeders of Australia, New Zealand convincingly testifies that shepherds' dog breeding plays a significant role in facilitating the hard work of herders and increasing their productivity. Therefore, a good shepherd appreciates and loves his dogs, sharing with him all the difficulties and hardships, selflessly helping him in his work. Shepherd dogs have always been and will be the subject of care of herders and their well-deserved pride.

The effective use of herding dogs is impossible without proper breeding, keeping and feeding

In an ordinary shepherd brigade for the protection and herding of sheep, it is recommended to keep three herding dogs. On farms where wolves do a lot of damage to sheep breeding, two dogs should be kept in the flock for protection and one for grazing sheep. Where there are no wolves, in the flock it is advisable to have two dogs for grazing and one for guarding sheep.

Guard dogs (Caucasian, Central Asian, South Russian Shepherd Dogs, German and East European Shepherd Dogs, etc.), working, as a rule, at night, should be provided with conditions for rest during the day. Dogs intended for herding sheep in the daytime (Hungarian, Scottish Shepherd, etc.) should rest at night. Housing for dogs can be booths made of bale straw or holes dug in the ground. They are warm in winter and cool in summer.

For feeding herding dogs, it is practiced to give each shepherd's brigade 30 kg of plain flour every month, and with the permission of a veterinarian, dogs can be fed boiled meat of fallen and forcedly slaughtered animals, as well as carcasses of gophers and marmots.

Puppy maintenance. Even before purchasing a puppy, you need to choose a place where he will live: in the base or in the kennel. A small puppy (usually shepherd puppies are acquired at one or two months of age), brought to a new place, can leave the kennel or, running after people walking around the kennel, get underfoot. For keeping in the base, it is necessary to equip a booth for the puppy from bale straw, large enough for an adult dog. For the first time, until the puppy is three or four months old, the booth should be surrounded by a low fence (made of the same bale straw) and the puppy should be released for him only under supervision, which will protect him from an accident. The puppy should be released as often as possible so that, running around the base or the kennel, he gets to know and gets used to the shepherds and animals living here. It is not recommended to tie a puppy to a chain before the age of six months,as this will restrict his movements and from such a puppy a narrow-breasted dog with an incorrect set of limbs will grow. In the warm season, there should always be clean fresh water near the booth.

If it is decided that the puppy will live in a kennel, then he needs to choose a place where he does not interfere with anyone. The best place for the puppy is some of the corners in the kennel, away from doors and heating devices. The puppy's bedding is straw, which needs to be changed periodically. An old sweatshirt stuffed with cotton is less comfortable as it collects a lot of dust. For the same reason, bedding made of felt or felt is not very convenient.

So, the place for the puppy is selected, equipped. But in order to teach a puppy to it, you need to show patience and perseverance. A small puppy cannot play for a long time: he gets tired quickly. And after eating or playing, he stretches and falls asleep. As soon as you see that the puppy lies down or is about to lie down, take him in your arms and, repeating the command "Place", "Place", carry him to the litter. If you only allow your puppy to sleep on his bed, he will quickly get used to it.

It is very easy to accustom a puppy to a place in the base. To do this, it is enough to feed him near the booth and, having played with him, refer to the booth, repeat the command "Place", "Place". In the area fenced around the booth, give the puppy a treat, and he will get used to sleeping in the booth himself.

To accustom the puppy to cleanliness, you must try to release him to the general bases in time. Usually the puppy recovers after sleeping or after eating, therefore, having noticed that your puppy has woken up or after eating, take it to the general base, repeating the command "Walk", and, after waiting until he recovers, stroke him and, saying the word "Okay", take it to the koshara in the area fenced around the booth. If from the very beginning and regularly monitor the puppy, he quickly gets used to defecate in the general base (on the street) and begins to beg himself. With regular supervision of a puppy by two and a half - three months, he learns to keep the kennel clean. The puppy should be allowed out for a walk four to five times a day.