Meet Chloe and Balloo - the new LGD's

Since losing our 1/2 Pyrenese 1/2 sneaky neighbor dog male guard dog recently, I've been worried about simply raising lambs for coyote bait. In praying about what to do and not wanting to spend money on a guard dog that could potentially experience the same fate, I began looking at craigslist postings for potential replacement guard dogs instead of ONE guard dog.

In just a few days time, these were available and free. So far we've lost two chickens to the larger male 1yo's curiosity and I may have to pen my chickens back in the garden coop to keep them safe. So far so good though as the female isn't interested in the chickens at all and is routinely patrolling the exterior fenceline. While I would like for the dogs to stay with the sheep, they're unrelated and young, so I should be able to get some good pups that will be raised with our sheep and chickens. These dogs have such a wonderful peaceful presence and have settled in with our bordercollie/aussie and tiny Cricket already nicely. Cricket is daunted by their size, and tucks her tail and stays out of their way for the most part.

Chloe is too thin, looking like she recently had pups (the man we got her from said she'd been with his sheep and they'd let her raise on litter of pups which they sold), so I picked up some drumsticks and am transitioning them to a raw diet. Balloo basically inhaled his first 2 drumsticks without chewing, Chloe acted like she'd never had a raw meal and was quite cautious at first, but then was happy for seconds. Balloo came covered in cockleburs to the point I'm going to have to give him a haircut to clean him up and keep him from skin issues. I tried picking some of them out, but they're too numerous and matted in spots. Balloo wants to herd the sheep back into the barn, so for now the dogs are fenced OUT of the sheep's pasture. Chloe is a houdini and will climb, dig under, or simply go through any openings in a gate or fence. Balloo's head is too big and not as bright, but learning quickly from her. We attempted penning them at night in a cattle panel area in the barn till they knew this was their new home, it was merely a suggestion to her. She's out there watching everything, laying where she can eye my daughter working in the garden, and the sheep in the pasture and beyond. Every so often she gets up and they both go round the property line again. Cool dogs, thank you Lord!