THE KOMONDOR
(Page 2 of 4)
A CASE HISTORY
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Canadians Tom and Joan Red-path are representative of the
modern shepherds who have happily "employed" Komondors as
protection for their flocks. The couple's 300-acre farm,
located at the edge of the bush country about 50 miles
northwest of Ottawa, has been a full-time sheep-raising
concern for over three years. From their very first week of
operation, the Redpaths were faced with the problem of
stock being killed by packs of wild dogs and wolves.
Well, after hearing from other sheep farmers-folks who were
already satisfied guard dog owners—the Red-paths
acquired Pandy, a female Komondor. Once Pandy was put to
work, her owners were amazed—and delighted—to
find that the sheep slaughter immediately stopped . . . and
they haven't lost a single member of their flock to
predators since the dog's arrival.
How does the couple account for this "miraculous" turn of
events? It's quite simple, Joan Redpath explains: "A
Komondor has a very strong protective instinct. It'll
defend whatever livestock it's with, as long as the animals
are inside its territory. In fact, the guard dogs have been
known to look after goats, horses, and even chickens."
THE TRAINING PROGRAM
However, the dogs' instinct alone isn't enough to make them
good guardians . . . in fact, turning a puppy loose with
sheep and expecting it to guard them right away is inviting
disaster. An untrained (or improperly trained) Komondor
can—as a result of its size and speed—be a
danger to the flock, and even to its human masters. The
dogs have an acute sense of territory, you see, and a
strong urge to attack all intruders. If the puppy isn't
allowed to become accustom—edquite early—to
living with its charges, it could view the sheep as
invaders.
Obviously, a thorough training program is crucial to the
development of an efficient guard dog. When the Redpaths
received their three-month-old pup, they immediately took
her to the barn to "introduce" her to the sheep . . . and
she was left there to eat and sleep with the flock. (Since
this bond between dog and sheep is so critical, some
breeders even encourage young pups to suckle nursing ewes.)
The next stage in a Komondor's education is to develop and
refine the animal's inherent territorial instinct . . . and
this is done by familiarizing the dog with the pasture
where it will work. Twice daily, for a number of weeks,
Joan walked Pandy around the boundary of the field.
Occasionally, Pandy was instructed to remain out in the
pasture while Joan returned to the house . . . and, in that
way, the animal gradually learned that her task was to stay
in the field with the sheep.
