The wolf is back. Dozens of sheep have already become victims on the Strabrechtse Heide near Heeze. Shepherd Riaan Strijdom has already tried various solutions, but the wolf is unpredictable. Since mid-May there are now four special dogs with the herds to protect the sheep.
Strijdom wants the wolf to stop hunting his sheep and called in help. “We wanted to participate in a project with protection dogs. Recently there are now two guard dogs with two herds.”
First, the options are investigated: “Then the dogs come and then it is important that the sheep, dogs, but also the shepherds can get used to the new situation.”
Ray Dorgelo has a lot of experience at home and abroad with herd protection dogs. “It takes a long time for everyone to get used to each other. We train every day. Volunteers walk up to the herds. If the dogs engage, then they are rewarded. They then responded to threats.”
The basic premise is that the attack is not violent. “The dogs are busy absorbing threats all the time. They bark and spread feces. The smell keeps the enemy at bay.”
The dogs are not from the Netherlands. Ray Dorgelo got the dogs from Italy, but he often gets them from Romania too. “The dogs have to come from countries where the wolf has been around for a long time. They must recognize the wolf of course. Many wolves live in Romania and they have been protecting the animals in this way for much longer.”
Strijdom and Dorgelo are satisfied with the four guards. “It has been successful so far. The dogs have been there for about a month now and we can see that there is already a bond with the herd and that the shepherds are getting used to the dogs. That’s good to see.”