31. January 2024Our journey with our livestock guarding dog Peejay

Our journey with our livestock guarding dog Peejay

In August 2022, our Peejay, a guard dog from Romania, moved in with us at the age of six months. As it was my husband and I’s first dog and I was expecting to adopt a German shepherd mix, we were naturally unsure what to expect. It came as it had to – we were pretty quickly at the end of our tether. The biggest problem, however, was the reunification with Peejay and our four cats. They were allowed in the house, but not out, and the garden belonged to the dog anyway. My husband tended to give the dog away again because he was often knocked over on the walk and so many things in the house were destroyed. In fact, everything that wasn’t nailed down.

But I couldn’t accept this and got professional help, who told us that Peejay was a guard dog and showed us how to handle a guard dog. She also explained to us that a guard dog needs completely different tasks. Starting with peace and quiet in the house (not having a job) through to impulse control (sit & stay training to the point of vomiting) – via bond building with “loving consistency” and clear rules, we have actually managed to ensure that we now all live harmoniously under one roof. To be honest, I have to admit that I also shed a lot of tears during this time when three steps forwards were followed by two steps backwards. But our trainer always comforted me and said that this is totally normal in dog training. The dog training tasks themselves are not difficult, it’s just the consistent implementation that is hard work. I can only advise everyone, even if you almost lose hope, NOT TO GIVE UP – our Peejay has become a really great and loyal cuddly dog and we would go this way again at any time.

IT PAYS TO STAY TUNED !!!

Best regards Angie & Uwe

with Peejay

*Article on the visit of the dog professional published in the Hohenloher Tagblatt.