Our New Dog is AWESOME!!!

[Nanno]

I wonder if the goats knew what Dasiy was doing or if they thought she had lost her mind and could never be trusted.

HA! The goats already think Daisy can't be trusted, so she can't possibly lose any reputation points there! However, I'm hoping that as she hangs out near them without chasing, nipping, playing rough, or intentionally startling them they'll stop fearing her. And as she continues to chase away coyotes and stray dogs, I'm hoping they'll come to actually see her for what she is--their protector.

She looked like a love muffin of a dog.

Yeah, she does. And she has been so quiet and so submissive toward the goats (running from Cuzco with her tail between her legs and rolling on her back when Lilly butts her) that I was afraid she would cower under the truck if she ever saw anything more vicious than her charges! Thank goodness that's not the case. Daisy's fear of the goats has lessened but she's still submissive when one comes after her, and I think it's her way of disarming them. The only goat I had that would attack a dog laying on its back was Nibbles. The others take her posture as a sign that she's given over the fight and they turn away.

Cuzco has recently taken the position that "if you leave me alone, I'll leave you alone and we'll all be happy." It seems to be working. Nubbin is still terrified of Daisy, but that's quite understandable. It was, after all, her mother that was killed by coyotes, and I'm sure she thinks I'm crazy enclosing her with anything of the canine species. She's stuck like glue to Cuzco (as if he would protect her!), and the funny thing is that Cuzco has sort of been letting Nubbin hang around. Although, last night I saw Nubbin reach up under Cuzco's flank as if to nurse and that did not go over well. I'm not sure Nubbin has made the wisest choice of "friend" and I worry a little that she's going to be injured if she's not careful. Cuzco is cranky but usually not dangerous. However, everyone's nerves have been on edge for the last week, and Cuzco sometimes uses more force than necessary to drive home his point when he's in a bad mood. Hopefully Nubbin won't do anything too stupid in the name of protecting herself from Daisy!

Last night I heard coyotes howling down at the bottom of our horse pasture again. All the dogs on all the properties for a mile around us were barking their heads off, but Daisy was quiet. I went out to check and make sure everything was ok. The goats were fine but I couldn't see Daisy. I walked around the pen with a flashlight and called her, but she didn't come. I finally found her crouching silently in the scrub oak at the highest spot in the pen near the back fence. It has a commanding view of the lower fence line, which is the side facing where the coyotes were howling. She was not barking, but she was alert and watching intently. She was too busy concentrating on that fence line to pay any attention to me and my flashlight, and she looked at me like I was interfering in her work. I'm happy to say that I think this dog really knows her stuff.