Retirement and incorrect puppy homing
The long and short of it is that some working dogs are retired, and some unscrupulous breeders sell these working animals into pet homes that aren't prepared for them.
A dog that is working well won't be retired unless there is a health issue. Our Pego is an example of this. He was an exceptional working dog but had to be retired due to the stresses exerted on his "iffy" leg (see picture to the left). His farmer elected to retire him before the issues with his leg brought about issues with his hips or any other part of his body taking strain.
Some dogs, despite corrective training, can be too playful with their charges. This results in the flock being wary of the dog.
In most instances, though, perfectly good working dogs have their careers ended because people feed or engage with them. Once a dog has learnt that nice food comes from human hands, it will change sides, and come for food before looking after its flock. This link (page 35 and 36 of the PDF document) tells the beginning of the story as to why our Maluty was retired.
There are people breeding these dogs all over the country. Not all are considered working dogs, and some get sold to pet homes as puppies. Inevitably, this doesn't have a happy ending, as people are not prepared for what these dogs are about. Click here to go to our FAQ page and see if one of these dog breeds is the breed for you.
If you are looking for a working livestock guardian dog, please contact Green Dogs Conservation, or Deon Cilliers from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (deonc at ewt dot org dot za)
A dog that is working well won't be retired unless there is a health issue. Our Pego is an example of this. He was an exceptional working dog but had to be retired due to the stresses exerted on his "iffy" leg (see picture to the left). His farmer elected to retire him before the issues with his leg brought about issues with his hips or any other part of his body taking strain.
Some dogs, despite corrective training, can be too playful with their charges. This results in the flock being wary of the dog.
In most instances, though, perfectly good working dogs have their careers ended because people feed or engage with them. Once a dog has learnt that nice food comes from human hands, it will change sides, and come for food before looking after its flock. This link (page 35 and 36 of the PDF document) tells the beginning of the story as to why our Maluty was retired.
There are people breeding these dogs all over the country. Not all are considered working dogs, and some get sold to pet homes as puppies. Inevitably, this doesn't have a happy ending, as people are not prepared for what these dogs are about. Click here to go to our FAQ page and see if one of these dog breeds is the breed for you.
If you are looking for a working livestock guardian dog, please contact Green Dogs Conservation, or Deon Cilliers from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (deonc at ewt dot org dot za)