Unfortunately, or maybe it is fortunate from his point of view, this fellow has become a farm dog rather than a guardian dog. Over two years of time and effort toward making him a guardian dog and I have to concede that he won’t be the flock dog we need. He is active at night, and I hear his barking way off in the distance, most often in the direction the sheep are located. I trust he’s serving some purpose in that regard, even if he’s not sitting with the sheep at all times. On some mornings he is out with the flock but on most mornings he’s waiting for the Kelpies and I and he joins us on our daily walks now.
The alpha pair of livestock guardian dogs have taken it upon themselves to carry the work load so I know part of this youngsters failing to stay with the flock is due to not being allowed to be with them. Another part of his failing is due to his nature and his lack of bonding with the sheep when he was a wee pup. Sometimes dogs can also slip through the cracks and not get what they need when they need it. Since selling dogs seems to be a permanent hardship for me, he’ll likely stay around for awhile which will be both an ease and a frustration.
