Komondor

Meet Casha, the guardian of our goat flock. She helps us raise and protect our Australian cashmere goats. When Casha is not at work, she enjoys a good run over the rugged terrain on the slopes here. We live in Grose Valley, which is a rugged part of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. Her life here suits her and Casha is very happy. She is doing what she was bred to do, in a beautiful rural area of this gorgeous country.

One of our favorite cool-weather walks is a moderate-grade day hike covering approximately 10 kilometers. Casha is a very athletic dog and loves the challenges this trek offers. In the hot summer months the same walk is much more strenuous, so we take care to have her locks trimmed off so she won't overheat.

In my diary, I entered my notes about our first few days training Casha. We started her training at four months of age, and we found her responses delightful.

Training was essential so we could use Casha as a guardian over our Angora goats. One of the challenges for a guardian dog is that when an intruder threatens the flock, it is essential that the guardian stays with the flock and not chase after the intruder. It was quite entertaining watching her learn how not to chase after an intruder. Praise, praise, praise...and a goodie!