Featured Animal

Nyssa
Anatolian Shepherd / Akbash / Mixed (medium coat)

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Jack was originally adopted from a local shelter, who had labeled him as a Great Pyrenees mix. Once we saw him, we were pretty sure that Jack is an Akbash, not a Great Pyrenees. Maybe an Akbash/Pyrenees mix, but definitely enough Akbash to influence his behavior.

Jack started showing some mild aggression with his family that didn’t make much sense because it was directed only at one member of the family. (The aggression was limited to growling and baring his teeth; there was no lunging or biting.) They consulted with trainers, but didn’t find real solutions. At one point, they were told they should just put Jack down. They didn’t think Jack’s behavior warranted euthanasia, so they kept trying to find help and answers. Thankfully, they reached out to us. At our invitation, Jack’s family brought him to Windsong Ranch so we could evaluate him in person. He was very relaxed in our pasture and had appropriate behavior around the livestock. We didn’t have space for Jack that day, so he went back home, then returned a few weeks later to stay.  We started our work with him slowly, as we always do, putting him first in a paddock adjacent to livestock but not WITH livestock. Then we allowed him in the pasture with our bucks, and once he proved himself there, we moved him into the pasture with our does and kids. He has never shown any aggression here – not to the livestock or the humans -- and he seems very comfortable living in the pasture 24/7.

So far, Jack has proven to be reliable around goats/kids, longhorns, and chickens. But keep in mind, our chickens have their own fenced yard, so our LGDs live in close proximity to the chickens, but the chickens don't free-range in our pasture. We have taken Jack into the chicken yard many times over the last few months, and he's much more interested in playing in their water than he is in the chickens. Jack gets along well with other dogs, but he does seem to be a bit suspicious when I bring a new dog into the pasture. That's an acceptable response for us, because we don't want him to allow just any strange dog around the livestock. If you're interested in meeting Jack, please complete our online application.