The fact that Toby's breeders are going to give their female dog more time to mature before they mate her shows they're good breeders. That's really good to hear.
anyone who states that you should've gotten two pups at once has no idea how working dogs should be trained. you _absolutely_ did the right thing training Toby first! it's the same with hunting dogs. a lot of training for pups is made _so_ much easier if you have a trained and skilled dog for them to learn from, and it also strengthens their bond while creating a healthy pack dynamic. raising two pups at once can have them bond with each other more than you (like littermate syndrome), and can detract from how well they are able to perform their duties.
My grandpa had a 40 acre farm with cattle and horses and only 1 dog( an Australian shephard) and that dog was extremely happy. There is no need to rush and get a puppy if Toby can handle that small roving ground by himself.
Doesn’t he have bears in his area? Not really sure what the size of the live stock has to do with how many dogs are needed. Coyotes usually run in packs
3rd generation reputable dog breeder of GSD here. I would ask Toby's breeders who they'd recommend so they can point you in the direction of reputable breeders they've worked with and trust. They will understand why you don't want to wait and they will have years of experience vetting fellow dog breeders. Plus, they will be able to give you advice on finding a good match for Toby. Genetic screening is extremely important but so is understanding structure and matching dogs that have complimenting structure. Two dogs with great hips can have puppies with bad hips if structure is not judged and taken into consideration properly. I'd just urge you to have his breeders be actively involved in the process. You should also reach out to the Maremma breed club in your state and speak to someone there to get their input on what you should do. I'd also dig into and research his pedigree and find any issues that could possibly arise. If his grandfather had a minor heart issue for example, you don't want to be breeding him to a female who has a similar issue in her pedigree. Remember also that you should breed for the betterment of the breed. Really think about what traits, behavioural and structural, that he brings to the breed. Best of luck :)
1000% agree! I've also bred collies for over 32 years. I often go 3 to 7 years between litters because I can't get just the right match for the dogs I want to breed. Between genetics testing, health and structural evaluations and temperament it is so important to get just the right match when breeding. Toby is an excellent example of a Maremma. These dogs can absolutely handle the size farm you have by himself. It's also great to have a few years between dogs and honestly, I would let Toby get to 5 years old, test him for all the genetic and health screenings you can, then get a female that would be suitable to breed to him when he's 7 and she's 2.5-3 years old and then keep a male puppy to replace Toby at 9-10 years old, when Toby goes to be a retired house dog. Spay the momma, let the boy develop and then do it again 10-15 years later. That way you keep that temperament that Toby has in his son or daughter and you continue to produce a dog true to the work they were intended to do. Breeding is an art as well as a science and it's best to work with Toby's breeder to get a recommendation for a bitch they would want to consider to use for their breeding program too...that way you have genetic diversity to work with which will also help conception rates and allows you to keep a minimum number of dogs without having more than you need. Be VERY VERY selective about who you allow to bred to Toby and make sure those puppies go to RIGHT homes. Also make sure to test for brucellosis before allowing a someone to bred a female to him. Soak up all the information you can and get involved with your local Maremma Breed club. It's a LOT of work and it's also rather expensive to bred dogs responsibility, but soo rewarding when they go to the right homes. Good luck Morgan. You have a lot of research and work cut out for you with this new project..
@@LegendHold1 hey so for you and the other, do any of you guys know any reputable breeders in Ohio, Virginia, or West Virginia? I've been looking for an OES because it my chosen dog to have around my chickens. I found 1 breeder I really love, but they aren't sure how well their dogs will do with my birds. I want to find multiple breeders to choose from with good experience. I may end up going down the road of that breeder, and train the puppy(s) to protect chickens. But I would like other breeder recommendations too! I need a new dog to protect my birds that will live on my second property when I buy it. I
Great advice, breeder and exhibitor of English Setters since 1975. Both parents shoukd have all the health clearances as recommended by the National breed club but know you can breed OFA EX to OFA EX and still come up with hip dysplasia. Breeding can be a crap shot.
@@anabelletalstein2479 I am from Ireland so I can't be much help unfortunately with specific breeders. I would recommend you call and speak to someone at your states OES Club. They will be able to point you in the right direction. If you research dog shows in your state (if they're still going on due to Covid) for that breed, you can go as a spectator and talk to breeders there. They'll absolutely be able to help you find the perfect breeder. If the breeder you like currently says that she's worried about her line of dogs around your birds. I'd heed their advice. They know their dogs and they wouldn't say that if they thought it was only a small chance of issues. I am no expert on OES by any means, but they are herders not Livestock Guardians like Maremmas. They want to herd which could be stressful for your birds. If you want a dog that acts like Toby around your birds. Lives with them full time, calm but protective. An LGD might be a better idea.
Consider breeding Toby and then neutering him and take one of his daughters as your second dog, dogs work well in family structures! The problem with breeding dogs on your farm is that you really shouldn't breed a female more than once a year and during her heat cycles her and Toby will have to be kept apart which can be quite upsetting for bonded pairs, especially when they work together!
Yes very true. A female dog in heat will need to be kept separate when not breading her. Not only will Toby not be himself (her pheromones will drive him crazy) so will other dogs come to the farm. We have breed and sold dogs. It’s not as easy as it sounds.
I'm not sure about Toby's breed but some of the LGD dog breeds only have one season a year. This is due to hundreds of years of breeding outside, pups wouldn't survive the cold. Tibetan Mastiffs (real ones not the Chinese version) only have puppies in summer. Don't know if all LGD breeds are the same or if breeding indoors for pets has diluted this trait
Actually it’s common practice with LGDs especially to allow them to breed starting at 2 with back to back litters. It’s easier on their body to stay in baby making mode then go in and out over and over. Then they get retired earlier. So at most he would maybe have to keep her out for 3 cycles.
If you do want to breed Toby, you should do OFA for the hips and elbows-- you should do it for any dog of that size. His hips and elbow can be certified when he is 24 months old.
This! Although you don't mention if this was part of the other testing you were talking about, the fact that you ARE looking to test makes me feel like you would do at least ok for breeding Toby
Hey! Dog professional here. Before breeding Toby I'd reccomend waiting At least another year, since he won't mature until around three. At 24 months you can get the final health tests done (PENN hip, OFA elbows, hips, and other screenings) but he won't be physically matured until around three years old. At that point you can physically tell if he is good breeding stock. I'd also reccomend getting him titled to prove he's good stock instinct wise. Keep in mind breeding is incredibly unprofitable when done responsibly, and you'll be making a few hundred max per pup once all the health tests and registering and equipment is bought. If you're willing to put thousands in, prove him as good stock physically and mentally, and put in an incredible amount of work it's definitely an option. But keep in mind it's not going to be an easy thing. If you'd like to be in contact and discuss the ups and downs of breeding him, let me know! I haven't produced any litters (dobermans and border collies) yet but very soon plan to start :)
Backseat farmers. RU-vid comments are full of them. Telling a farmer how to do his job. You carry on doing what is best for your farm - and we appreciate these videos where you explain why things are done the way they are. That said, I think even those of us who agree that Toby is fine on his own just want to see a puppy because, well, a puppy. 🐶
Caveat: I've never bred dogs, but I have bred horses. My take is that getting a puppy to become a future breeder is not the best idea because puppies are relative unknowns. Finding an adult bitch with proven livestock guardian abilities gives you a better chance of producing what you want, and makes the puppies more valuable to potential buyers. I'd also have a Maremma breeder or judge give you feedback about Toby's conformation.
I'm so happy you're being responsible, and really researching, and thinking about breeding him. There are far too many backyard breeders that have no idea what they're doing, and still breeding their dogs.
Please make sure when you stud Toby out you do lots of research on the female or breeders so you don’t lose Toby. Also make sure that the female has also had her health screenings. All of the best luck GSF.
Breeding Toby will absolutely be a sound business decision. It offsets his costs and brings in more income. Yes learn all you can about the breeding side of it. ALSO in a few years you can have a Toby genetic replacement for when he will have to retire.
The replacement aspect is no joke, if you have a great dog that's fixed it's a genetic dead end, once your dog dies it's over. Your favorite dog won't live forever, but if you keep his lineage alive you can forever have proximates.
Breeding puppies is expensive I wouldn’t say it would offset his costs, it would cover the costs of a litter sure but health insurance, shots, puppy food etc is really expensive + pedigree stuff for dogs all costs. My friend breeds golden retrievers in the U.K. and it only covers the cost of the litters and insurance for the bitches certainly doesn’t break even especially if there are any health issues with the pups or you lose the mum.
Puppy breeding is very expensive each parent should be Heath tested by a vet, all the puppies need their vaccinations, you need a license to breed and sell legally in most states. People should only do it when they have lots of experience with dogs and have researched ethical breeding extensively.
Toby is a remarkably wonderful specimen of a dog. When I first started watching your videos I did not know very much about His Breed, so I researched it online. Then I discussed it with my sister who is a breeder of Bernice Mountain dog‘s. She was very familiar with Toby’s breed, & Had a Lotta good things to say about his qualities since it’s very similar to a Bernese Mountain dog….. many other traits are very similar in terms of family oriented, temperament, good guard dog size etc. Anyway, I stopped video and called her up and we talked about how she built her breed because she’s been a breeder for 20+ years and I shared with her the idea of you breeding Toby to build up your farmstead and getting a female puppy. She said that was a great idea because you would get the pick of the litter having Toby as the stud dog. In fact you could do this more than once in exchange for being paid !! She went on to say there are many ways to work out those types of deals but it’s a great way to Build up your farm and breed especially if you decide you want a second female so that you can make money in selling Toby’s offspring… Not only for money, but she has lost a number of dogs over the years and very unexpected and even bizarre situation. It’s devastating when you lose a dog and it’s always nice to have that second one or third one to come for you rather than to lose one and not have any to come for you. That’s what she wanted me to tell you just think about… It might be nice to get your first female and then maybe a year later or two years later a year and a half whatever you decide works for you get another female. You can do your own breeding and selling but it’s just something to think about should you want to go that route but also protect Toby‘s complete bloodline.. That being said I want to commend you Morgan and Allison, for how much thought goes into your farm LONG BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY DECISIONS❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️You both are such a wonderful team and I’m very proud of you for everything you do. I just think you should be very proud of yourselves and I want to encourage you that when you begin to read a negative comment just erase it immediately. Don’t finish reading everything they have to say because Negativity becomes so toxic in our minds and eat at our body in our soul. So none of those kind of comments EVER HAVE ANY PURPOSE EXCEPT TO DESTROY AND WEAKEN YOU…I don’t want to be religious here but years ago I remember reading a verse that talks about putting on the “Breastplate of armor” to Protect ourselves in Battle”…. And I remember the teacher saying that this helped us from harm others. I think well RU-vid is a wonderful thing and the Internet is a wonderful thing, there’s a lot of people who are envious and jealous and they also think they’re funny and witty but you have to do your part to protect you and Allison as well… You guys are educated and intelligent and you do great research and you talk to people who understand and know what you’re trying to do and these People on the Internet many of them have never even attempted to lift a bucket of feed or a bucket of water to help an animal. So as my grandfather used to say and my father used to say, “take it with a grain of salt” others advice & Opinion..::But as a mother of three and a grandmother of 11, the Internet is wicked and mean and cruel and I want you guys not to read the ones that start to feel ugly and just hit delete and don’t respond because you can’t talk to people like that. My sister (A different sister who passed away from cancer), used to say, “A Man Convinced Against His Will, Is Of the Same Opinions Still ❣️❣️” Another words, you’re not Going to change peoples minds NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY~ NO MATTER WHAT TRUTH YOU SPEAK OR HOW RIGHT YOU ARE!!!! …. HIT DELETE & Save yourselves a heartache. Just let those of us who love you give you joy. There’s so many of us that are praying for you and love you and want to pass on good and kind words and believe in you and I’m so grateful for the GOLDSHAW FARM, & EVERYTHING YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️♥️♥️
I have actually talked at length with trainers and breeders over the years about when it is best to get new dogs or how many to buy at a time when we did want more than one in the long haul. The one thing they all agreed on was, if you want your dogs to be loyal more to you than each other then you need to space them by at least six months between acquiring each one. So ignore those people who pushed you to have two right off the bat, you did the right thing by you and your dog. I also totally would love to see Toby as a proud papa. :)
Breeding (stud) Toby would be a very good idea, as long as, you have every test done possible for genetic issues. For Toby and ANY female you decide to stud him with. Too many breeders, breed for money not QUALITY.
That's actually far from enough to breed for quality, but I'd say it's a nice start? ^^ I agree wholerheartedly with you, I just wanted to add my own two cents, as a professional breeder :3
@@marleneclough3173 as did the gosling... Those birds of prey are smart, they know Morgan has a nice larder for them by now and will pick the ducklings one by one.
That's how the young ones die-- they get separated from mom and picked off. Please do seal up the hole. A solid pack of straw or hay will do it, as long as you check on it.
Yeah the time it took to chase those ducklings back in twice is probably already equal to the time it would take to just grab something random to reinforce that board.
Years ago, we had some great dogs that we considered breeding, but found out it was a lot of work and it was often difficult to ensure that the puppies all went to good homes. That's why we decided not to breed our dogs and to get them fixed. Just some info for you in case it's helpful. Good luck!
Morgan, I've owned purebred dogs for the past 40 years. Take it from me, some breeders can be anal. You have every asset to prove that you are quite capable to breed and raise from Toby Dog. You have raised a dog for the purpose he is required and you've raised him with love and respect and he's paid that bcak twofold. You have a thirst for knowledge which is a high requirement, you are prepared to make mistakes and learn from them and your number one quality is you have love and respect for your animals. That is is most important requirement. Your decision is a very sensible one I feel. Good luck with your decision.
Im gonna have to commend you SO MUCH for doing the necessary testing and health examinations, waiting to neuter, getting him properly checked out BEFORE choosing to breed him. LOVE LOVE LOVE that you took your time and waiting for him to prove his worth before just breeding him to anything.
Breeding puppies is not as easy as it looks. The birthing can be pretty dangerous if you dont know what you are doing. So I recommend getting the stud fees and get help from them how you do it.
I so appreciate all of the filming and editing. All the POV shots and the occasional water droplet on the lens makes me feel like I’m right there on the farm! I can’t believe you manage to do it all yourself!
@@patrickradcliffe3837 Great for general health, but sometimes individuals need just a bit more. If they are the smallest, they are bottom of the pecking order in terms of getting to food and water, so may not be getting enough when they need the most.
I don't recommend getting a female to breed toby with. Toby is your first dog and you got lucky with an easy one. I highly recommend having a couple dogs before you consider breeding. Litters are an insane amount of work when done properly. You don't make money off of them when you put in time effort and health checks recommended. Training is a daily thing with puppies to introduce them to the world to insure they are confident and not fearful of anything around them. Fear especially with LSG dogs can be a dogs death in the long run. Fearful dogs are the ones that bite and people tend to drop off at shelters your job as a breeder is to insure that puppy has the confidence for that to not happen before they go home. Its an insane amount of work. Look into the dog breeding rule of seven. Its a good place to start. Discuss with your breeder that your thinking about breeding with toby see what they recommend. Talk to your Vet about it see what they recommend. Check with the national breeding club see what health tests they recommend for breeding its usually listed on their website. Find a mentor, there are so many things that can go wrong breeding dogs you want someone who's willing to be there when you call at 4 in the morning to come help you know what to do when a puppy is not breathing, or when things are taking to long. Someone to calm you when you're precious girl dog screams the first time she goes into labor cause she doesn't know whats going on. Someone who can tell you how to keep Toby from impregnating your 6 month old girl puppy the first time she goes into heat and why Toby stops eating and becomes a skeleton cause he only has one thing on his mind. My recommendation is don't jump into this your still a new dog owner.
Much as I love the idea of Toby Dog begetting an illustrious line of Toby Dogs, I think raising puppies will be a huge time and energy commitment. I think the larger dogs tend to have large litters: imagine trying to run the farm AND raise 10+ puppies. Particularly if you time it so the puppies arrive during the milder weather months, when everyone else is also having babies. Unless you keep the puppies/Mom in their own enclosure, untrained puppies + baby birds doesn't seem like a safe combination.
Studding is slightly different than raising a litter - can see Toby siring his own adorable pack, but for him it's one and done, the lady does all the work...
I agree, until Morgan learns more about all involved with breeding, this would be the best alternative, as long as Toby’s genetic tests (kudos to Morgan for planning on doing all Tests that they can,) all come back to be good. It is a lot of work supporting the bitch during the pregnancy, birth and then looking after the recovering bitch and raising the pups. Using Toby as a stud, Morgan could have first pick of the litter, but have little involvement in the intricacies of the pregnancy. My parents adopted a lab-cross soon after moving to a new country. She had gotten pregnant by the boxer down the road before the owners left the country, so my parents took her in. A short time later, she gave birth to six pups, they ended up feeding them in four different rooms, every meal! Just because Mama needed peace and quiet to eat and put weight back on, the two smallest pups needed to get their fair share, so that the middle three got their fair share and so that the biggest pup did not steal food from any of his littermates (which he did, often, unless watched like a hawk!) It is a lot of work, even with n just the 12 weeks before they went to new homes. Most people may want to take them earlier, but they are learning important behavioural training from their Mum in these extra weeks and they will be much better prepared for life away from the canine family if these extra weeks are given to them, to stay with the litter and Mother. This is doubly as important for breeds belonging the the livestock guardian group. They need to have exposure to seeing their parents in action and mimic that behaviour, before they are removed and brought to their forever home and workplace.
What a beautiful sight to see a field full of Toby dogs. I think Toby is one of the sweetest most beautiful dogs I have ever seen. The Mama Duck and her babies are looking great. I am so glad you put them in that little area to keep them all safe and happy. They are adorable little guys. Great job Morgan
Breeding Toby sounds great. He has a lot going for him,dedication to the farm, great behavior and he is gorgeous. Traits that are desirable and true to the breed. Good luck finding the right female to begin his journey. I am looking forward to good news
Seems like a reasonable plan, though you might have some trouble keeping a female puppy and toby apart until she's older and ready to become a mother - left to themselves they could potentially breed very early in her development and while sometimes that works out just fine, the risks to her health are higher.
Thank you for spreading the message about letting dogs mature before neutering!!! It’s so important and neutering early can lead to behavioral and health problems, keeping you dog intact for at least two years or just not neutering them at all (if you’re responsible enough) can be so amazing for your dogs!!! Also you were talking about breeding Toby and I really think it could be a good idea. But you really need to get him OFA (Orthopedic Foundation of America). You said you were already doing some testing which is amazing but OFAs are very important too. You seem to really do your research and I’m pretty confident with enough of it, you could successfully stud out Toby and/or even breed him yourself. He is a working line as far as I know and not a showline so even if he a had visible faults, as long as they weren’t health or behavior, that wouldn’t be a problem. I would definitely suggest talking to your breeding friends and seeing what think about this, which I’m sure you already have lol, it does seem like it’s a good idea. One rule of thumb I have is to make sure your breeder isn’t solely breeding for income and should be barely making money at all, breeding a dog should be to better the breed as a whole. Anyways I never comment but dog stuff is my things so have a really good day!
There is a demand for live stock guardian dogs and Toby definitely looks like he had very desired traits and would sire great puppers 💙 do you provide any Niacin for your ducklings ? That could be why the one small duckling is struggling.
The first thing I want to say about Toby and your farm is how remarkably Wonderful ALL THE ANIMALS & TOBY ARE BEING CARED FOR- I LOVE TJE BUILDING DESIGNS FOR EACH TYPE OF ANIMAL…But I ESPECIALLY LOVE HOW YOU TALK TO THEM & ABOUT THEM😊❣️❣️ Oh I also enjoyed watching Toby on your farm since, this is the first time I’ve ever seen one of your videos. He is such a beautiful dog and I want to say that I’m not familiar with your breed because I thought he was something other than what you said.… I’m going to check with my sister who knows everything about all animals and she’s probably going to tell me they are related. That being said, HE’s JUST GORGEOUS & SO GENTLE W/ THE POULTRY & ESPECIALLY, I NOTICED, WITH THE BABY ANIMALS… this speaks highly of how well he’s been trained❣️❣️ I like your voice or I should say I like your enthusiasm and how well you can walk and speak and keep a intelligent conversation going on. I found it very interesting to listen to your video and I just want to say that, having grown up on a farm and, also, watching my sister raise a variety of animals including horses, Bernese Mountain dogs, Various sizes of goats, like you… Various types of chickens, peacocks… And other breeds of dogs but she now breeds Bernie’s Mountain dogs and has been doing that successfully for over 20+ years and Has Acquired a Very Good Reputation as a Breeder …Anyway I am going to send your video to her because I know she could give you excellent advice on how to break in to selecting the right “partner” for Toby, as well as How to go about selecting who you want to partner up with four breeding purposes and so forth. She is very very selective in who she does business with and who she sells her puppies to and she has a very strict contract and so forth so she has good advice and her name is Cheryl H. Living west of Des Moines, in Iowa United States. If she wishes to contact you she will give you the rest of her information. But I feel certain she will contact you after seeing your video because she will be impressed as I was not only with your dog and what you have to say about Toby but how you care for your animals. She is a huge animal lover and trainer and came very close to becoming a Vet … I look forward to more of your videos and good luck with your decisions. Be very careful with who you listen to and try to filter out anything that’s negative or not in your best interest. I think you’re doing a wonderful job❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
I support your plan completely. I have all the faith in the world in you. An you will always do what's best for your farm and animals and I love that. You are an an amazing guy!! An a incredible farmer. Watching you figure it all out has been amazing and true treat.
I want to first say, thank you for your channel, I have learnt a lot, and enjoy your farm. I just started raising chickens, ducks and geese for my family as meat and mostly eggs, with the intent to donate to those in need at the various local churches or food bank. I see what you have done, and how you have shared the good and bad...it helps me learn as well. I think its interesting how many people are misinformed when it comes to dogs, backyard breeding, and so forth. @IsThatEtchas said it best. Personally, I have had both rescued mixes and purebreds, and always with a GSD at my side. He isn't your Toby, but I swear when we go and check on things, he counts "his babies" Its not on topic for helping you to find a breeder, but the way you love and raised Toby, and how gentle you are with all the animals, is something special. Thank you for sharing your life, farm, Toby, and kitties with us all.
Yes please go for it! Homesteaders will always need good LGDs and you are well-informed and do the research. Best wishes and can’t wait to see Toby puppies ❤️❤️❤️🥰
The head tilt makes me think there may be a neurological issue with the little runner (maybe Listeria or something?). Or it could have just been checking out the camera oddly.
Sounds like a great plan overall, just not sure how much of a committment breeding your own puppies would be. Sounds like a lot of extra time to raise and train them.
@@underthetrees4780 you have to raise the puppies before you can sell them. It’s a surprising amount of work to properly raise and prepare puppies for whatever lives they’re intended for - farm, family, etc
Something you may want to ask your breeder is if using Toby to stud will in any way change his personality and his ability to work your farm. I know in smaller breeds who are also pets it can make them exhibit annoying habits such as marking your brand new couch, humping visitors, and bolting out the door each time it opens. Otherwise, I think it’s a great idea.
Toby is a livestock guardian, he has to stay with the flock and patrol at night - he doesn't go in the house much if at all. If he does, it's probably for really bad weather and well, they made him shelter already
Are those ducklings too big for the cat and any other predator? I don't understand why you can't just close up that little hole to prevent them from getting out.
Sadly sometimes a house/farm cat will go after a baby chick even when they should know not to... Learnt that the hard way... unfortunately. But I would be more concerned about Hawks and other predators that Toby may not able to chase off and the duckings getting cold if they can’t get back to mama easily.
Sounds like a great plan for Toby Dog and your farm. I think Toby would love to be a proud papa. I just love these farm videos you make. You are one hard working smart man and you are so lucky to have such a great partner. The care you exhibit for your animals, birds, wife and the future for the farm is inspiring. Thanks for sharing. Stay safe out there.
For the love of audio-visual editing, please start normalising your audio as a final end process in your production. I turn my speakers up to listen to the start of your videos, then the volume drops further, then emerges twice as loud as it started as. Apart from that, much love.
Hi Morgan...been following you for quite some time. As a new and learning city slicker turned country girl myself, your channel has been so educational and inspiring. I want to throw in a resounding YES to your breeding plans for Toby for all the reasons you already know. Your meticulous care to detail and efforts to educate yourself about this endeavor put you into the best category of "responsible breeder." In the event you have any negative input from anti breeding rescue groups im hoping that you can advocate for the fact that there is merit in breeding dogs for specific traits and abilities. Rescue dogs are always wild cards in terms of background and behavior. I have 4 rescue dogs so its not like i dont adopt. But i completely see the value in well bred dogs for specific jobs. Plus it would be way more profitable than butchering geese and ducks. I have to say that as one of the people who has to turn a blind eye to that side of your endeavors but its worth it for all the informative and entertaining content you provide.
if you decide to breed LBGs, you might want to consider getting 2-3 goats, so that any LBGs you raise will be familiar with goats as well as chickens, ducks and geese ?
I must admit that I can't understand why he hasn't bothered filling in the gaps if it's been 5 days already and they're escaping every day? It's not rocket science if he can be bothered!
yeah, seriously. I don't like to be "that one" youtube commenter that complains about stuff, but he already had a gosling picked off, and he could fix the problem with a couple shovelfuls of dirt, so I don't see why not fix it *quickly*.
Was recommended this channel by a collegue of mine since im about to buy a farm here in Sweden, very interesting information about dogs affect on a farm with the "bubble" that dogs creat. Good channel, I will look more into your videos. Thx!
Sorry Morgan but it’s stupid not blocking off that gap in the tractor. Takes only a minute to make sure the little guys are safe from predators or accidents. They deserve that.
It made my heart so happy to see you stopping Pablo from eating Toby's food! I had a kitten die from eating dry dog food when I was younger, so I'm very glad you're on top of this!
I know you're looking for maremmas specifically, but pyrenees are amazing livestock gaurdians. I have one myself and her instructs to protect and nurture are just so amazing and she wasn't taught any of it. She's done great with my chickens, I've introduced her to cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, and my parrots and she just absolutely adores them. She gets so happy to be with other animals. Keep those options open!
I adore Pyrenees. when I was growing up my local ~magick and crystals~ shop had two as shop dogs. they were both a little older and functioned as greeters and throw rugs-they would both be splayed out on the floor just inside the front door, and would raise their heads and wag their tails at any new entry.
Regarding breeding, I'd only suggest looking into any difficulties you might have getting certification on the pups if the female should come from a Canadian registration. Years back, my dad got his German Shepherd pup for a deep discount because the parents were registered one to the US kennel association and one to the Canadian. For reasons I never learned, the breeder could produce the paperwork on the parents but couldn't get the two countries' associations to recognize the pups because of the involvement of the other country's association. This may all be different these days, but just something to be aware of. Sounds like you have a good plan!
Love seeing the door open and the ducks and chickens come out. It brings to mind how it must have been when Noah opened the ark and all the animals came out. Lobe it! Hugs and love from Texas!
Love seeing and hearing about responsible breeding! my GDS/heeler/eskimo/shitzu (so many over-bred breeds) is fantastic but also the result of negligent breeders letting their "leftovers" go stray. Always exciting to see breeders acknowledge what makes their healthy happy working dogs, and take the time to give the same care to future litters.
I have had dogs in the past but my understanding is that outside the obvious reason to cut down unwanted populations is that neutering your male dog makes them less aggressive. Toby dog seems aggressive to predators but he seems gentle around your livestock and around you. I think studding out Toby Dog is an excellent idea. You may feel that lack of knowledge in that endeavor makes you uncomfortable but from what I have observed that hasn't stopped you yet. You are a very resourceful person and I have faith in you that you can do most things given enough time. Sons and Daughters of Toby Dog-Great!
How can you go to sleep knowing that the ducklings can escape? Got and patch the hole, they will not be able to go outside but predators can still get in
Toby is one of a kind. I don't see anywhere maremmas this beautiful. his proportions and head cap are captivating. even his face features are extraordinary. what about his gestures? lol you can tell he is wise. add to that his character and capabilities. really you found a treasure. you are a lucky guy!
Glad you aren't waiting around for another year! Toby is great, but if he gets overwhelmed then your farm has lost its best defense. Much better to provide him more support.
Yes thank you fucking thank you for being a responsible dog owner and making sure his health testing is all done before breeding. This is something we need in the public eye and everything, so many internet breeders are backyard breeders and puppy mills, and you're setting a great example.
Breeding Toby makes sense. You have the space, the training potential, and the caring attitude it takes to be a breeder. I hope you do it and best of luck with the breeding adventures!