Great ranch dog

[RAdmin]

I need some opinions! We all have a trusty canine companion, but I want to settle a debate with a friend. Which is the superior ranch dog breed, and why?

My friendly neighbor swears by his Border Collie. He says they're the smartest, most dedicated dogs on the planet. Our family loves our Australian Shepherd. I think their energy and loyalty are unmatched.

What do you guys think? Are you a Border Collie, Aussie, or even a Great Pyrenees person? or you have other dogs in mind?

 

[Puzzled]

The Border Collies and Aussies are two very different dogs, bred up to work differently.
I swear by the Border Collie, that is what I have always used. Had one Border Collie/Huntaway
that was more than a good working dog, he was happy do whatever I was doing, and would work
himself till he would collapse.

If your going into the back country to gather snot blowing cattle, some Border Collies can handle it, some won't. But most Aussies that I was around could take the argument right out of the snot blowers.

Either make good family dogs and protect whatever they view as theirs.

But I will warn you, you have to be as smart as a Border Collie to train them. People that read books on training, need to let the Border Collie read the same book. And if you pay really close attention, the Border Collie will teach you more than you will ever teach them.

So I guess I favor the Border Collie a bit :)

 

[webfoot]

My dog is a Border Collie / Idaho Shag cross. She is a pretty good hound but sometimes has a mind of her own. Pretty much all the neighbors have Border Collies. Except one young man who has several Idaho Shags. I haven't even seen a working Aussie in years. A lot of them had the working dog bred out of them making them into pets.

 

[Faster horses]

We have had Blue Heeler or Blue Heeler cross working dogs for years...except...our best dog was known as a
Birrer's dogs. A family named Birrer raised them and they had a great reputation in SW Montana.
They were amazing dogs. We called ours "Zip". She was short haired, with very coarse hair, yellow or tan with a natural bob-tail and white ring around her neck, and white feet. She was tough, she was smart and she was fiercely loyal.
She was a great partner. Mr. FH and Zip could do just about anything with a cow or cows. The cows respected
her because she had earned their respect.

She wasn't great when company showed up...I cut a cartoon out
of a local newspaper that read, "you might be a redneck if your dog has a criminal record." Yep. Zip had a criminal record.
We had a trucker deliver a semi-load of mineral who only had one hand. The other hand had a hook; his name was Lefty. He drives in, gets out of his semi to look around and Zip went right over barking and was not happy at
all that this guy drove in. She went pretty close to him, wanting to take a bite; and he stuck his hook in her mouth. That stopped her. We have laughed about that for many years.
We miss Zip to this day.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

We are polluted with Border Collies around here,
2 here all the time
5 here when my daughter shows up
6 when the grandkids show up
7 when my son is around.
My dog Tippy and Britt's dog Maggie had pups, that accounts for 6 of them only Lane's dog isn't related

 

[jodywy]

We finally replaced Belle , whom we had to put down late last fall. got a male and female from same litter, Female(she named Muff, for anybody that watches Bluey with your grand kids) and Nap he a lot bigger and more laid back. they take turns getting ewes in at night, Muff show the I got a job attitude for that. New BC are white no collars few big black spots and a bunch of small black ones.

 

[Faster horses]

We are polluted with Border Collies around here,
2 here all the time
5 here when my daughter shows up
6 when the grandkids show up
7 when my son is around.
My dog Tippy and Britt's dog Maggie had pups, that accounts for 6 of them only Lane's dog isn't related

You had a neat young dog when we were there. I was going to ask how he turned out, but heck, that was 16 years ago!!!! Time really does fly!

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

That neat young dog never was as good as I had hoped.
I have a pretty good BC now, he does frustrate me some days but when he helps me in the sorting alley Britt swears he's reading ear tags. He will push the animals down to the gate and if Britt has to sort one off at the gate he just Downs and holds them until she has her sort then pushes and then hustles back to me at the top of the alley ready for more.
I'm not sure if his son that I kept will be as good. Hopefully this winter we can get moving some calves around and things will click for him.

 

[jodywy]

few decades ago The first registered BC we owned. We went to the bank with a Crown Royle bag of coins and counted out a$100 to go pay for him. He was pretty much all white with a couple big black patches on his head. He was double bred Wiston Cap, the only dog to win the

The "big sheepdog trial" in Great Britain is the International Sheepdog Trials, which culminates in the Supreme Championship. Twice!
She had been breed by Arther Allen, Whom Trial, and also worked with Disney with Sheep dogs in a couple movies.
I took him to a Jack Knotts clinic. After his turn in the pen, I have to take him to the truck till his next turn. A few years late neighbor gave us a BC it was well trained for cattle but was too hard on lambs, We ended up trading it for a female, Pelar, we breed her and when we asked for her papers, the cowboy that trades us did not own her. Well, few phone calls and later We was being sent the papers, Candy Kenndy owned her said she make it right. Pelar mother had won the Perina Nursery Trials in Sheridan Wyoming a couple years earlier. I had to great stock dogs. That day in age I sold unpaper pups for $50, papers $100. Sold one pup at the monthly sheep sale in Idaho Falls to a gal working the alleys. A few months later She ran out and asked, if I knew of a video she could use for training. I asked what the young dog could do, and she said a she could stand and the barn and have the dog cut out a lambing ewe and bring them to the barn. I looked and asked what else do you need to train him to do?

 

[jodywy]

We had one BC we bought on the way home from Riverton after selling lambs. It was at a small place off the road outside the Rez, before Duboise. He was a good ranch dog waked both sheep and cattle well, and when I park outside the coffee shop he watch to see where I set, and he watch me most the time till I got back. Oh, only BC to have the big I on his papers. He came over from Scotland inside his mother, as he got older, he got bad eyes and bad hips. think we bred lot of great Britain's problem out of BC here.

 

[Older Whiskey]

If I was ranching these days in an area with coyotes and wolves, I would have a Komondor. Lots of great working dog breeds these days, but when it comes to predator control, the Komondor would be my choice. I am still unhappy that the idiot folks controlling the west, reintroduced wolves.

Komondors will take on wolves and bears. I was surprised that many don't know, if you give a Komondor a buzz cut, they look like a Greyhound. Those dogs can run! I have seen them take down a coyote with a 50 yard head start.

 

[Puzzled]

If I was ranching these days in an area with coyotes and wolves, I would have a Komondor. Lots of great working dog breeds these days, but when it comes to predator control, the Komondor would be my choice. I am still unhappy that the idiot folks controlling the west, reintroduced wolves.

Komondors will take on wolves and bears. I was surprised that many don't know, if you give a Komondor a buzz cut, they look like a Greyhound. Those dogs can run! I have seen them take down a coyote with a 50 yard head start.

That is interesting. Looking at a Komondor, I would not have thought they could run like that. All I ever saw was potential for a big mud ball here on the coast.

 

[webfoot]

If I was ranching these days in an area with coyotes and wolves, I would have a Komondor. Lots of great working dog breeds these days, but when it comes to predator control, the Komondor would be my choice. I am still unhappy that the idiot folks controlling the west, reintroduced wolves.

Komondors will take on wolves and bears. I was surprised that many don't know, if you give a Komondor a buzz cut, they look like a Greyhound. Those dogs can run! I have seen them take down a coyote with a 50 yard head start.

We use a different method for predator control.

 

[jodywy]

W

If I was ranching these days in an area with coyotes and wolves, I would have a Komondor. Lots of great working dog breeds these days, but when it comes to predator control, the Komondor would be my choice. I am still unhappy that the idiot folks controlling the west, reintroduced wolves.

Komondors will take on wolves and bears. I was surprised that many don't know, if you give a Komondor a buzz cut, they look like a Greyhound. Those dogs can run! I have seen them take down a coyote with a 50 yard head start.

we have Akbash x Great Pyrenees for years. 1st one was the best, others so-so. the male we got now has killed a few coyotes, he works better if we got a dog to work with him.

 

[webfoot]

I have seen the neighbor with a ton pallet load of dog food on the back of his truck. He says dog food is a lot cheaper that way. But he has 12 dogs. I think 6 or 7 of them are Border Collies. An Idaho Shag who is the mother of my dog. A Border Collie/Shag cross who is a litter mate of my dog. A Corgi. A couple of hounds. And there might be others. Tough to keep up with the dogs there.

 

[jodywy]

I have seen the neighbor with a ton pallet load of dog food on the back of his truck. He says dog food is a lot cheaper that way. But he has 12 dogs. I think 6 or 7 of them are Border Collies. An Idaho Shag who is the mother of my dog. A Border Collie/Shag cross who is a litter mate of my dog. A Corgi. A couple of hounds. And there might be others. Tough to keep up with the dogs there.

Sheep outfit western Wyoming, around 17,000 ewe, and a side of 400 cows to eat the grass the sheep don't, think they get barley cake made by Walton feed in Montpelier Idaho. They get cake made too certain specks for all the guard and herd dogs.

 

[Older Whiskey]

If I was young, I would start a Special Forces Canine program. Places were the insane wolf reintro is out of control, would be brought to justice by a carefully selected team of dogs, gentle around children and livestock , but vicious as a polar bear when hunting wolves.

I would also start a program that allowed a select group from the Indian tribes and Nations, to live in the National Forest, as they once did, and control the wolf insanity. Nothing more beautiful than a wolf head coat.

Nothing like a fur side out coat with a hoodie!

 

[jodywy]

spiked collars on your Livestock guard, they will learn how to use them. easiest is long strap of leather, big headed short nails 1-2 inches, sharpened. Put thru the leather then double back, sew or rivet and a buckle. they learn to let their neck be attacked.

Cat Urbigkit had an article about spiked collars used around the world on LGD. was going to google but got to go get a flu shot.​

 

[Puzzled]

I would be skeptical that a guard dog or dogs will come out of a fight as winners, if it involves multiple wolves.
Both coyotes and wolves will readily chew up the hindquarters.

 

[jodywy]

I would be skeptical that a guard dog or dogs will come out of a fight as winners, if it involves multiple wolves.
Both coyotes and wolves will readily chew up the hindquarters.

usually 3-4LGD with a band of sheep. they work together. when mine takes out a coyote it lone one that just too close.