I have once again been asked to host seminars on the effective use of Livestock Guardian Dogs and will be at the following events with some of our dogs.
The 2013 National Goat Expo in Bloomington, Illinois September 26th - 29th
The 2 hour seminar will be held on the 26th and I will be available thru the entire weekend to answer any questions or just to chat about LGD's and goats.
The National Goat Expo will include seminars and workshops on everything goat and
goat related including health, nutrition, reproduction, pasture
management, product marketability and more as well as showcasing all breeds of goats including Dairy, Fiber and Meat.
http://www.nationalgoatexpo.org/index.php
The Minnesota Dairy Goat Association Fall Conference,
November 2, 2013, University of
Minnesota St. Paul Campus
I will be covering the following topics and much more at the seminars...
-A brief history of the LGD and how it's been used
-How the LGD functions and it's capabilities
-The value of an LGD to a farm operation
-Assessing your needs
-Realistic expectations &
common misconceptions
-An overview of the most common breeds
-Choosing the right breed for your needs and experience level
-Choosing a breeder
-Starting the pup
-Training tips
-Socialization
-Resources and groups
We have once again been asked to attend the Badger Kennel Club Dog Fair on November 3rd as the Spanish Mastiff breed representatives and will be happy to spend the day talking about one of my absolute favorite subjects!
The dog fair is an informational event that gives people an opportunity to educate themselves about all the breeds of dogs and meet them face to face. There will be seminars covering health, nutrition, training and more! This event is attended yearly by thousands of people from all over the Midwest. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the familiar faces and meeting thousands of new people too.
Lois Jordan
http://www.fallcreekfarm.net
Friday, September 20, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Our upcoming Spanish Mastiff litter
Our F litter of Spanish Mastiff's is due any day now and I am extremely excited to finally see these lovely pups from our beautiful Zoe (Agora del Viejo Paramo) and Ivan (Iker de Picu Xiana)! I adore both of these dogs for their temperaments, personalities and working ability and am impressed by them daily (as are the thousands of people who have met them). I think that they will produce some spectacular pups!
This litter is so important for not only the genetic diversity that they will provide here in the US, since they'll be completely unrelated to all but one other dog, but for their temperaments, health and soundness as well.
Neither Zoe or Ivan have ever had any health issues whatsoever and are structurally sound with excellent movement and agility. Both are exceptional working dogs (tho Ivan still has occasional issues with the birds) and are extremely intelligent. Their temperaments are near perfect and these two are my easiest dogs to take along to all the educational and fun events we attend yearly around the Midwest. They always take the excitement of these events in stride regardless of being surrounded by hundreds to thousands of people at each one.
above photo from November '12
We gave Zoe a bath today and brought her inside in preparation of her whelping. The bath was necessary since she had had a run in with a skunk a few weeks ago! Since the weather is still unpredictable, and I like to stay close by the first two weeks in particular (I actually sleep within 15 feet of the pups), she'll have her pups in our walk in pantry which makes it easier for me to keep an eye (and ears) on things.
Zoe is not used to being inside and each time I took her outside, she has
headed straight back to the barn and pasture. She's missing her goats
and work buddies...
Ivan was very happy to see Zoe!
I'll be posting lots of pictures once the pups are born!
Lois Jordan http://www.fallcreekfarm.net
Sunday, March 31, 2013
2013 Annual Easter Petting Zoo
Once again our Spanish Mastiffs Zoe and Ivan, along with our Nigerian Dwarf goats brought much joy to hundreds and hundreds of children and parents today at the annual Easter event in Janesville, Wisconsin!
The baby goats were a huge hit with children and grown ups alike, and everyone got such a kick out of watching the interaction between the dogs and goats and seeing how comfortable they are with each other. It's nice to have the opportunity to teach people about how these dogs function with livestock on a daily basis and showing how changing their environment by taking them off the farm does not change the bond they form with each other.
We have been fortunate to be able to provide the petting zoo for this community event for many years now and enjoy it immensely. I love seeing people come back year after year and watching the children grow!
Surrounded by smiling, happy children, good people, dogs and goats... you couldn't ask for a better way to spend the day!
15 month old Ivan soaked up the attention from the children all day long :-) He was just a pup at last years event and since he is now over 160 lbs, there were many comments about his development!
One tired goat (Fall Creek Ariel) taking advantage of a vacated chair.
Happy Easter everyone!
Lois Jordan http://www.fallcreekfarm.net
The baby goats were a huge hit with children and grown ups alike, and everyone got such a kick out of watching the interaction between the dogs and goats and seeing how comfortable they are with each other. It's nice to have the opportunity to teach people about how these dogs function with livestock on a daily basis and showing how changing their environment by taking them off the farm does not change the bond they form with each other.
We have been fortunate to be able to provide the petting zoo for this community event for many years now and enjoy it immensely. I love seeing people come back year after year and watching the children grow!
Surrounded by smiling, happy children, good people, dogs and goats... you couldn't ask for a better way to spend the day!
Happy Easter everyone!
Lois Jordan http://www.fallcreekfarm.net
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