Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-06-02
Dogs that Keep Sheep.

Dogs that Keep Sheep.
Thousands OF sheep are annually killed
In the United States by dogs. This not
only results in = great pec1niary loss,
but is also the cause of much suffering
and cruelty to the poor animals. Sheep
are very timid creatures, and the mo-
ment dog begins chasing them they
are thrown into paroxysm of fear, the
thrOes of which are more dreadful than
the pangs of death. With proper train
ing dogs may be made the best friends
and protectors of sheep, instead of their
worst foes and destroyers. This is done
not only in foreign lands, but has also
been practiced for many years in our
own country, more particularly in Texas
and New Mexico. Itwasnecessary here
in the the first place to employ large,
fierce dogs to guard the sheep from
wolves. AS the latter were exterminated
the dogs Of advancing Settlers tor those.
vast Western plains, where sheep were
kept in large FfIocks, began to be more,
destructive than the wolves had been,
thus making it necessary for the shep-
herds to even increase the number of
these guards of their hocks. The way
to train a dog to become a perfect pro-
tector to sheep is to rear him in such
manner that he shall become familiar
with no other animal, and especially
with any of his own species, except the
one or more necessary to associate with
him in guarding the flock. As soon as
the pnp is born, or, at least, as its eyes
are opened, he must be taken to eve
to nurse, depriving her at the same time
OF her lamb for this purpose. This of
course should be done as soon as the
mild weather of spring is settled, so that
the pup can live safely out of doors, I'M
less the shepherd has . camp or hut
near his flock to shelter the pup and eve
inside when the nights are cold or the
weather is stormy. The eve soon takes
to the pup, and becomes as fond of it as
1T her own lamb. As the pup grows up
and requires other food than the milk of
the eve, it is given him alongside of the
flock. Thus he. knows nothing else than
the sheep, the dogs who are his compan-
ions, and his master.
Dogs thus brought up become very
alert both by night and by day, and if
sound asleep the least unusual noise or
movement rouses them up, they in
stantly fly to the spot whence it comes
to see what it is. If strange dog or
wolf, and it waits a moment and does
mot escape at once by superior swiftness
of foot, they seize it by the throat and
quickly put an end to its life. When
large, fierce wolves abound, as in the
mountains of Spain, large dogs are
kept, two Of which are said to be more
than match for single wolf. On the
Western plains the wolves are generally
small, mere coyotes, and are more easily
handled. The best breed of dogs for
guarding sheep in Texas and Mexico
already abound there. In q more set
tied country the largest class of Scotch
colleys would answer, unless mastiffs or
Russian or Siberian bloodhounds ran
loose in the neighborhood, and for such
they would not be match. But dog,
however fierce or powerful he may be
on ordinary occasions, when he takes to
sheep-killing seems to be conscious that
he is in q detestable, mean business,
and becomes SO great q coward on the
occasion as to generally take to fight
even when assaulted by dog OF much
less size and power. A Newfoundland
or st. Bernard and some other breeds,
perhaps even the mastiff or formidable
Russian or Siberian bloodhound, might
be trained for the protection of sheep,
if nursed from puppyhood by a eve.
These would be formidable enough to
scare away a small bear, to say nothing
of a coyote or one of their own race.
have seen focks Of sheep follow their
dogs and the shepherd wherever he de-
sired to lead them, over broad hills and
plains, along the public highways, and
even in the streets of crowded towns
and cities, and nothing could stop or
turn them either to the right hand or
the left.-A. B. Alle,a, IN ". Z. Tribune.