doberkids Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 It's been a long while since I've visited - but now is a great time to ask some dolers for advice. I have a 12 year old dobe, 8 yo rescue amstaff and 2 yo rescue English staffy. My partner and I are about to embark on a sea /farm change - moving to the Byron hinterland on 100 acres from suburban Sydney. The farm has alpacas, goats,sheep, ponies, donkeys and some guinea fowl as residents. The dogs have never seen anything like this - any advice on bringing them in? Settling them into a new place? Also advice on ticks/ snakes etc as we don't have those here either. Obviously fencing is going to be one of our first priorities... Any experiences/ advice etc would be really helpful.... And I can't wait!!!! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Definitely fencing to contain the dogs will be a must... if they roam and harass any animals they will be shot... no warnings. Tick prevention will also be necessary pretty much all year round. Keep grassed areas short and make sure water bowls are elevated to deter snakes coming in to find water when it gets hot. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 (edited) Excellent post T Snakes & ticks would be your biggest worry plus good dog proof fencing... Just like to add that I'm extremely jealous :laugh: My dream would be on a farm by the sea somewhere warm :D I'm not greedy though, just one acre would will do :laugh: Edited November 17, 2014 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Definitely fencing to contain the dogs will be a must... if they roam and harass any animals they will be shot... no warnings. Tick prevention will also be necessary pretty much all year round. Keep grassed areas short and make sure water bowls are elevated to deter snakes coming in to find water when it gets hot. T. This. Definitely don't skimp on fencing. You are better over engineering it from the get go than try and make fixes later. Too many people (not saying you - just seen it too many times in these parts) move 'to the country', bring their dogs and think the dogs will stay put or will stay in the farm fencing. Really doesn't work a lot of the time. As a new neighbour to one side of us found when their white GSD killed two of their goats, and as the new neighbour just down the road found out when their border collie would chase every car going down the road... Around here farmers foxbait too so dogs are doubly at risk. When it comes to getting dogs used to other animals again fences are your friend (if not supervised, separate them). Discourage fence running though, and take the dog on lead to 'see new stuff and to learn to be around things quietly. Praise and reward for quietly ignoring stock/other animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Agree with the others about ticks and snakes, I have friends that live in the area and both are a real problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I spent some of my teen years up in that area - our dog was smart and steered clear of snakes, and he was pretty much immune to ticks... but he was born and raised a country dog. City raised dogs don't tend to have the same innate "smarts" when it comes to the strange things they encounter in the country. I must say though, when Mum would get on the mower, the dog would follow her around to get eat the remains of the Death Adders she'd intentionally run over. He never ate the head part though... smart dog that! Us kids would have to go up to the orchard and collect any snake heads so that other wildlife weren't tempted to eat them. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 (edited) I wonder given the ages if a very well fenced home paddock area should be considered? Let them have a special area to 'groove'. Also ensure the rest of the property has good fencing. Ticks and snakes are going to be part of your life as the others have said. Get in the habit of checking all dogs daily for ticks. Find out, in advance, what to do about removing a tick. Sadly there are old wives' tales that may be harmful to your dogs. Study up on First Aid before making the move. And please post photos later after the move. :) Edited November 18, 2014 by VizslaMomma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doberkids Posted November 17, 2014 Author Share Posted November 17, 2014 Thanks all for the suggestions.. Any recommendations on fencing type? Any recommendations on tick treatments? Should we start well before we leave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallomph Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 If you have to spend money on fencing, perhaps consider spending a bit more and putting snake proof mesh around the bottom part of the fence, rather than regular fencing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 (edited) Definitely fencing to contain the dogs will be a must... if they roam and harass any animals they will be shot... no warnings. Tick prevention will also be necessary pretty much all year round. Keep grassed areas short and make sure water bowls are elevated to deter snakes coming in to find water when it gets hot. T. adding to the above.. it is a really good idea to have well ventilated, shady pens with own water tanks and troughs to confine dogs when you are away... then there is not chance of them escaping and there is not doubt that they are at home when you are not there. I had the experience of someone insisting that one of my dogs ( not a maremma ) was roaming in the paddock where their pregnant mares were kept... but Morris was chained in the shed when we were away.. he was smart but not smart enough to slip his chain, roam then return and put the chain back on. A bit later when finances were avail we had three large dogs pens constructed inthe shed and two on the far side of the house.. They are large and none of my dogs has any problem at all spending some time there. H and yes ticks etc are a problem..but if your dogs are good with feathered creatures a good sized flock of guinea fowl can help keep the tick population down. http://www.guineafowlforsale.com.au/about_guinea_fowl_and_keets.php Edited November 17, 2014 by dogbesotted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemmy Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I wonder given the ages if a very well fenced home paddock area should be considered? Let them have a special area to 'groove'. I grew up on a farm and the very well fenced house yard certainly saved a lot of headaches, so I second this idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozzie Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Be aware... Alpacas can do nasty damage to a dog. Donkeys will kill dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podengo Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I grew up on a small farm, we had a house paddock fenced for the dogs which is fenced in deer fencing. Not good for tiny breeds but great for the Dobermans we had :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivory & Beau Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 So very exciting for you! Can't wait to see photos :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I wonder given the ages if a very well fenced home paddock area should be considered? Let them have a special area to 'groove'. I grew up on a farm and the very well fenced house yard certainly saved a lot of headaches, so I second this idea. We had that on my grandparents' properties. In fact I also thought of this thread for the OP to consider. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/259806-my-new-enrichment-garden/page__p__6578527__hl__%2Benrichment+%2Bgarden__fromsearch__1#entry6578527 Like english.ivy said, photos will be graciously received later. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doberkids Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 Thanks all. This is really helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 (edited) No advice, because I would be asking myself if moving. Just wanted to say that I hope you have a wonderful time and it all works out and is totally the dream come true. So many of us dream, so few actually take the plunge. Exciting. Edited November 18, 2014 by Dame Danny's Darling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Lots of great advice already. I second or 5th????? A well fenced house paddock and also dog runs, dig proof floor and fully enclosed with snake mesh ( I have shared photos before and will again if you looking ideas) I have had Dobermanns, Staffords and now Whippets and Border Collies on the farm with no issues with livestock. My dog yard has a 2 metre high chain mesh yard attached to the dog runs. We do have good fences around the house but the house yard isn't fully enclosed so my dogs are never outside the house or their yard if I am not there. We do however have "city" neighbours now who believe their dog amuses itself sufficiently on their land and they don't need to have dog proof fences or actually put any time or effort into the dog. Not so long ago their young dog was found in our paddock consuming a freshly killed lamb. That is not fair on anyone or any animal. As for the ticks I have no idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PossumCorner Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 You won't regret it Doberkids, we moved to small acreage (surrounded by massive acreages) three years ago. The dogs have loved it, absolutely and totally. We lost Piper our rotti. to bone cancer six months ago, but still she had so much joy from room to run and play compared to suburban life, it was worth the move just seeing her enjoy life to the full while she was able. Have to agree about well-planned fences being a must - although our three had always been "inside dogs" and nothing changed there: when outside they were supervised and they were never left home alone outside of the house. Frodo and Rheneas adore their daily walks around the paddocks, plenty of rabbits to get excited about, they are too slow to catch any these days but live in hope. Frodo has pretty much lost sight and hearing with age, but has a much better enjoyment of life with plenty of room to run about without injury risk than in suburbia - this is something you can plan space for because you have space - another plus. However a minus is distance from a vet (depending how isolated you are). Livestock has never been a problem, the ponies told the dogs who was boss from Day One. So did the goats, chooks and guinea fowl. The three dogs deferred to all of the animals but again they were never turned loose without supervision until they were solid and reliable around them. Setting up for failure is not good. Important to protect the dogs from injury as well as the livestock from being terrorised, especially sheep. A friend's dog "got out" and killed three of neighbour's sheep nearby recently. The farmer was generous enough to not take action further than saying "no third chance": if it is seen straying again that will be the end. Fair enough. And not the dog's fault, inadequate fencing is again setting up for failure, most farmers would have shot the dog without hesitation. Hope it works out as well for you and yours, definitely a best move from my viewpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksandra 157 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Agree with all that has been said re.fencing etc.Ours are inside dogs but when we had Jesse we made a large enclosure so he was contained if we went out .Our neighbors dog was recently shot for mauling sheep.I wish you well with your move...I'm sure it will be wonderful for you and the dogs....Good Luck! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now