Livestock guardian moving a lamb

Hi! I'm new to livestock and we just had several lambs born. The livestock guardian dog took one of the babies, carried it out and left it in a field by my UTV. When I went to get in the UTV, I saw the baby and he was crying. His mom was also. The mom had 2 other lambs as well, born that morning. I picked the baby up and brought him back to the mom. She licked it and it got milk. So she wasn't ignoring him. What would be the reason for the dog doing this?
He's frolicking and looks healthy...

Megan Igo wrote:Hi! I'm new to livestock and we just had several lambs born. The livestock guardian dog took one of the babies, carried it out and left it in a field by my UTV. When I went to get in the UTV, I saw the baby and he was crying. His mom was also. The mom had 2 other lambs as well, born that morning. I picked the baby up and brought him back to the mom. She licked it and it got milk. So she wasn't ignoring him. What would be the reason for the dog doing this?
He's frolicking and looks healthy...

Pretty common for a LGD to watch out for lambs and kids.


Mine saved many lambs by barking viciously during the night to wake me up. Then she would snarl and bark at the other sheep driving them back so the lambs and ewe could bond.

She saved many lambs

RIP Dutchess; no lambs were lost on your watch!

I can understand a LGD watching out for lambs and kids though I have no idea why the LGD would carry one out into a field to be left by itself.

You are fortunate that you found the baby.

Anne Miller wrote:I can understand a LGD watching out for lambs and kids though I have no idea why the LGD would carry one out into a field to be left by itself.

You are fortunate that you found the baby.

Yes that is what I thought! I was worried that maybe the lamb was sick so he was separating them, but it really seems just as healthy as the others. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't endangering the rest of the herd by bringing it back. Thanks!

It's alright for the dog to spend time with the lambs, and be somewhat protective, but I'd correct him if he ever takes a lamb somewhere. You have to be careful with guard dogs and baby animals, since they can get over protective and decide to take the lamb from the ewe. If you notice behavior like the dog intentionally sitting between the mama and the lambs, getting aggressive towards the mama if she interacts with the lamb, snapping at her if she butts him, or becoming possessive of the lamb in any way, you need to correct him. It's totally fine for the dog to call you over if she's lambing, or if there's an issue, but don't let him take over and steal the lamb. I will say, most ewes are very protective of their lambs, so the dog stealing their lamb is fairly easy to manage, but you may have to correct him for snapping back at her if he gets butted. I'm not the one interacting with your dog though, and all dogs are different, so trust your instincts. Here's a post I did on correcting a dog, if you do end up having to correct him (this is for killing chickens, but the principle is the same no matter what you're dealing with) "Post link." I don't know your setup, but when we're lambing we separate the ewe and her lambs in a jug to bond with each-other for a couple days. Put her in when she goes into labor, and don't let her out again until the lambs are sturdy on their legs, bonded with her, and know how to nurse really well. Don't let any other ewes or lambs in with them, and don't let the guard god in. They can sniff through the fence, but don't let them in. As a general rule you shouldn't have issues, but always be aware of their interactions, and don't let the dog take the lambs anywhere (since that's what they do for their own puppies). Good luck!

Steve Zoma wrote:

Megan Igo wrote:Hi! I'm new to livestock and we just had several lambs born. The livestock guardian dog took one of the babies, carried it out and left it in a field by my UTV. When I went to get in the UTV, I saw the baby and he was crying. His mom was also. The mom had 2 other lambs as well, born that morning. I picked the baby up and brought him back to the mom. She licked it and it got milk. So she wasn't ignoring him. What would be the reason for the dog doing this?
He's frolicking and looks healthy...

Pretty common for a LGD to watch out for lambs and kids.


Mine saved many lambs by barking viciously during the night to wake me up. Then she would snarl and bark at the other sheep driving them back so the lambs and ewe could bond.

She saved many lambs

RIP Dutchess; no lambs were lost on your watch!

Thank you Steve!

Since you're new to livestock, is the LGD also new to lambing? Could have been some wires getting crossed in terms of wanting to protect the lamb, but not quite knowing how. You'll want to keep a close eye on the dog around the lambs for a bit to make sure it doesn't become a habit. It's possible the dog will figure things out and never try it again, as he gets used to the lambs being with their moms. But ideally you're around for a while to watch and catch him in the act, and interrupt him, and let him see that you want the lambs with their ewes.

Elena Sparks wrote:It's alright for the dog to spend time with the lambs, and be somewhat protective, but I'd correct him if he ever takes a lamb somewhere. You have to be careful with guard dogs and baby animals, since they can get over protective and decide to take the lamb from the ewe. If you notice behavior like the dog intentionally sitting between the mama and the lambs, getting aggressive towards the mama if she interacts with the lamb, snapping at her if she butts him, or becoming possessive of the lamb in any way, you need to correct him. It's totally fine for the dog to call you over if she's lambing, or if there's an issue, but don't let him take over and steal the lamb. I will say, most ewes are very protective of their lambs, so the dog stealing their lamb is fairly easy to manage, but you may have to correct him for snapping back at her if he gets butted. I'm not the one interacting with your dog though, and all dogs are different, so trust your instincts. Here's a post I did on correcting a dog, if you do end up having to correct him (this is for killing chickens, but the principle is the same no matter what you're dealing with) "Post link." I don't know your setup, but when we're lambing we separate the ewe and her lambs in a jug to bond with each-other for a couple days. Put her in when she goes into labor, and don't let her out again until the lambs are sturdy on their legs, bonded with her, and know how to nurse really well. Don't let any other ewes or lambs in with them, and don't let the guard god in. They can sniff through the fence, but don't let them in. As a general rule you shouldn't have issues, but always be aware of their interactions, and don't let the dog take the lambs anywhere (since that's what they do for their own puppies). Good luck!

Oh that is so helpful, thank you so so much! He is a great guardian but I can see how he could get overprotective and take the lambs away. That is exactly what he did!

Ok, I'll check your link. Thanks again!!

Juniper Zen wrote:Since you're new to livestock, is the LGD also new to lambing? Could have been some wires getting crossed in terms of wanting to protect the lamb, but not quite knowing how. You'll want to keep a close eye on the dog around the lambs for a bit to make sure it doesn't become a habit. It's possible the dog will figure things out and never try it again, as he gets used to the lambs being with their moms. But ideally you're around for a while to watch and catch him in the act, and interrupt him, and let him see that you want the lambs with their ewes.

Thank you, yes I will keep a close eye on him. That is great advice, I appreciate you.