I would not recommend a Border Collie. They have a pretty specific
purpose, and although they may alarm at something new, they are just
as likely to say.."Not a sheep....not my job" and go hide behind you.
My good dog, my good working dog...one night we went out on the porch
and my neighbours heifers were in the front garden. I said to her,
"Well, what do you think?" She said..."Dude, COWS? I don't THINK
so"...and went back in the house.
My ex-husband and I had an Anatolian Shepherd. I'd have another one of
those in a heartbeat. Everything that was ours was his and by god,
he'd protect it or die trying, but he was gentle enough to let my kid
play dress up with him and he developed a weird habit of carrying a
guinea pig around in his mouth, from where it would emerge, wet and
blinking, but completely unharmed. On the other hand, when I finally
got fed up of my neighbours Heeler trying to chase foals, I went in
the house and shut the door instead of calling him off and chasing the
dog myself, and you know, that Heeler was never seen again, it was an
odd thing.
He was so smart he would actually escalate his warnings...first
standing stock still and staring, then ruff, then maybe teeth, ...if
you didn't pay attention by the time he growled, you WOULD find
yourself flat on your back being held down. NOT hurt, mind you, but
held down.
But Gene is right when he says their is a certain amount of liability
in a dog like that. I absorbed it because we really needed not to let
client's foals die. My insurance company at the time (Farm Bureau)
warned me not to put up "Beware of Dog" signs because it was a tacit
admission I had a mean dog. They said to put up a sign that said "Dogs
on Premises".
He was hard headed, though. I was fine with him but I had real
trouble with him with my ex. The dog assumed he was next in the
pecking order to me, the boss, and he and my ex occasionally had to
restore their own order, and I worried about it.
The BEST DOG I ever had for the job you describe was a mutt I picked
up off the side of the road. She was mine, I was hers, and by god she
let people know about it. She was monstrous loud alarm, with just
enough of being a fear-biter that I knew if someone grabbed me or my
kid, she'd nail them, but not so much that I ever worried about her
actually harming someone permanently unless they deserved it.
A good mutt is worth his weight in gold, I think.
If all you want is a front porch squeaker, I have a corgi that fits
the bill, she's three and would be happier as an only dog. Wouldn't
bite her own fleas, though. ; )
Re: [Homestead] Homestead Dogs,
Roy Morgan, 10/05/2008