We are retired, in our early 70's. We are building our own home on 15 acres in a very rural area. When we are moved in I want two puppies. Our neighbor has cattle, horses, sheep and chickens. My concern is in adopting two dogs who might have a chasing habit. Am I wrong to assume a Lab puppy could be trained not to chase critters? I need to be a good neighbor as there is no way to dog proof miles of cattle fencing. And a young dog could jump it easily. I had thought that a Lab/Rottie would be wonderful, but in reading Pippa's information on them it won't work for us, we won't have a lot of visitors, just out of state family in the summers. So socializing a dog daily won't be possible. Because our property is in the high desert, we need a dog that requires little grooming. All our dogs have been family members and lived long happy lives. We are looking for affectionate family member companions. Any experience, thoughts or ideas appreciated.
As no-one else has replied, I'll give you my experience, which is yes, it's perfectly possible to train a Labrador to be sensible around livestock. When I owned my last dog (a show-line chocolate Lab) I also owned a horse which I kept at DIY livery. My dog was off lead around the yard and fields and never barked at or chased the horses, or the free-range chickens which milled about. Years ago I had a cocker spaniel who I trained not to chase my pet rabbits ( she could safely be with them while they were loose on the grass.) I trained using non-aversive methods, gently introducing the dog to livestock in a controlled way. I do however think you would find it very demanding to train two puppies simultaneously. My advice would be to get one and then the second after 18 months -2 years.
I agree with joy, I can't imagine training 2 dogs simultaneously, I think it would be very hard work, but people do manage to do it. My lab X collie is ok with livestock, but I've put a huge amount of work into training recall and encouraging calm behaviour around my chickens and my neighbour's sheep. He has never shown any interest in jumping fences. I'm in my mid 40s and much as I love my lab I think my next dog will probably be something smaller and hopefully less boisterous. I've already hurt my back lifting this dog over a stile ( he's 30 kg so not even that big for a lab). A good friend of mine who still runs her farm in her 80s was recently hospitalised when one of her dogs knocked her over by accident. It is something to have in mind.
Very grateful to you Ruth and Joy. Your responses are very enlightening. I thought two dogs would help lessen the heartbreak I suffered when I lost my Sheltie last year. While we are building our home, it is not practical to have a dog(s) in the RV that is our temporary home. You both feel it will be OK with the first fur kid, when we bring a second home later? I know you introduce them away from home. But I don't want any possessive behavior, or such when the second one comes home. Is there any guidance on their gender? That's why I thought litter mates would be most compatible. Being that our new home is in the high desert in southern Idaho, there are rattlesnakes and ?? in the wilds around our property. I need dogs that will not want to run in the wilds. And a short coat is a must. My dear Charles was only on sidewalks where we lived previously. Many thanks!!
Littermates are generally a very bad idea. They tend to bond with each other too much, so they are harder to bond to you. Normally, at least in my experience there is no problem bringing another lab pup into a family that already has a Lab. I'm sure there are exceptions, but Labs are bred to get along with other dogs, so they have a predisposition to get along. I agree that trying to train two at the same time would be very challenging.
