I was blessed to have a beautiful 85 lb mixed breed dog a few years ago. He was my shadow & ever loyal companion. He was eager to please & would herd our goats when asked to or when they were where they weren't supposed to be, but otherwise left them alone. This is referred to as a good on/off switch. He was loyal & laid back, nurturing of our other animals & children yet had courageous guardian instincts against wild intruders. He took on coyotes, bear, and moose and kept them all off the property. He was also a good watchdog and formidable looking enough to make people hesitant to get out of their cars, without being nasty.
He learned intuitively (by just observing me once, he'd pick up on what I liked & didn't like in any given situation). When he was just 6 mos old, one of my goats freshened. I went to milk her for the first time near our house. All the other goats jumped the fence and followed me, milling around and knocking over the milk bucket. I got up and shooed them back toward their yard. Coal watched me do it. When I went to milk her that evening, the goats jumped the fence, and Coal, on his own, sent them back to their yard and kept them away, while not harassing the one I was milking. And that's how things went from then on... digging 'weeds' for me after watching me weed, clearing the goats out of the garden any time they ventured near it, etc.
He was very much a guardian- I'd introduce anything new by getting him to smell the hind end. He'd protect that baby from then on. Even my horse allowed him to lick & debride her nasty rope burns on her hind pasterns without issue. However, anything that didn't belong he'd chase off or eat. Rabbits were his favorite snack, and squirrels and muskrats were his nemesis.
He lived to obey and was a dream to work with. A disappointed glance from me would deject him and if I raised my voice at a more recalcitrant dog, I'd have to reassure him that he wasn't the object of my wrath, so VERY easy to correct... I could send him to my kids & he would instantly go, but would turn & sit perched on the edge of his seat just waiting to be released to come back to me. If I had to leave to go to town, I could send him to his yard from a distance & he would go in & wait for the gate to be closed, knowing full well that it meant that he was going to be contained for the next few hours- even so, he wouldn't run off, but would abide by my wishes. He was so honest- if there was a hole in the dog fence, he would still stay inside because he knew that's where I wanted him to be. He was top dog here among the dogs, but submissive to me & fantastic with my kids. He wasn't unnecessarily aggressive towards other dogs. I appreciate that he would protect himself if necessary- and very efficiently; he could put another dog at the vets within 30 seconds... However, he had nothing to prove, so it took a lot. He was my soul mate.
Long story... So why did I go on and on about a mixed breed dog? Because it explains why I got into English Shepherds. They- particularly certain lines of them- are renowned for intuitive learning, nurturing and guarding traits, an on/off switch, as well as herding and hunting abilities. Having had a dog with those abilities, I know it's possible. No dog is perfect- Coal wasn't, and neither are my ES, each of them has strengths and weaknesses that I will be aiming to build on or address with carefully planned breedings. But, Coal is my plumb line! To have a dog that is so versatile, containing all those traits in one package- that's the type of dog I will be striving to own & breed from now on.
I plan on breeding some from a bit tougher / higher energy lines for the cattle ranchers or agility aficionados, others with calmer / softer temperament suited for smaller livestock, use as therapy dogs, etc, but all with that lovely desire to please, on/off switch, and intuition...
And, while temperament and health are non-negotiable for me, I have also aimed for nice looking and hope to breed some to be bigger / stockier dogs, but there will likely be a variety of sizes to choose from.
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