LGD Q&A Session 22

Video answers producer posted questions to Facebook in December of 2023.

[@BettyBrennan]

Thank you for mentioning that FB Page. I've been on it and confused. I don't have a dog yet as I'm just getting started with sheep. The coyotes are intense so will need to soon after better fencing. Do you put an 8 week old pup right out with the sheep?

[@abbyu209]

Could you explain the bonding pen?

[@tamulivestockguarddog]

Sure! Our pups go into a bonding pen that is 60' x 60' in size at 8 weeks of age. At 12 weeks they move to a 1 acre pen. At 6 months of age they should move into approximately a 25-acre pasture and at 10 months of age move into a 300-600 acre pasture with other dogs and livestock. I recommend hot wire in your pens and invisible fencing in your bonding pastures. The bonding pen's purpose is to ensure the dog is in close contact with livestock during the critical bonding window of 5-14 weeks of age. That's why it's important to buy a working pup exposed to livestock from birth.