Farmhouse Dogs

Our opinion is that every farm needs a good farm dog. There are lots of breeds that lend themselves well to life on a farm, many of whom can serve important purposes on the farm as well.

Our two farm dogs so far have been Catahoulas. This lesser-known breed is great with livestock, is an alarm system as a guard dog, is good with children as a family dog, and makes a great hunting dog too. We have found them to be the most intelligent dogs we have worked with and our first Catahoula was a Search and Rescue dog, and later in life, a fire-ant detection dog.

We have also had our Samoyed Tashie for the past 11 years and believe this breed to be the absolute best family dog. Samoyeds are so kind and gentle but are also playful and so, so happy. Tashie started out in life as a show dog with her breeder, and after a turn of events, she came to live with us.

We knew we would eventually want a livestock guardian dog to help run off our local predators and help keep our rabbits, kids, and poultry safe. With Tashie aging, we decided in late June to add a Great Pyrenees puppy to our farm in hopes that Tashie could pass the torch of sweet and fluffy gentle dog to a new member of the farm.

Fridwulfa, the giantess, is a very laid-back puppy. She was born on a working farm in the town north of us, and both of her parents work as livestock guarding dogs, running off primarily coyotes and keeping sheep, cattle, and chickens safe. "Frida" is starting out life as a house dog so she can learn proper manners for hanging out with the family, traveling, and camping with us. The whole family is smitten and we are in awe of how quickly these big dogs grow. She is doubling her weight every few weeks and should top out around 100 pounds. Even with her as a puppy, she is easy for the boys to walk. Her gentle nature is going to be so well suited for visitors on the farm.