In this informal farm vlog, Victor Justin Rhodes and his family welcome a new Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog (named Winnie/Maggie) to their homestead. The video follows the entire first‑day experience: picking up the dog from a breeder, deciding where she rides in the truck, feeding her a raw bone‑based diet, handling her nervousness and occasional vomiting, and gradually introducing her to the family, the kids, and the herd of sheep. Family members (Hunter, Lily, Josiah, Rebecca, Beck, and others) discuss logistics, safety, and the dog’s role as a protector. The narrator references mentorship from renowned guard‑dog trainer Greg Judy, emphasizing the importance of respecting the dog’s working nature and avoiding over‑coddling. The family sets up a temporary pen, lets the dog explore, watches her instinctively bark at a passing biker, and plans to keep her with the sheep for several days before full paddock integration. The video also shows a quick truck‑clean‑up after the dog vomits, a tribute to the narrator’s late father, and a hopeful outlook for the dog’s future on the farm.
Chapters
We're about to get the dog. Which one is she? Right there. Right there. It's this one. Yeah, right here. It's all 4 of them. Hello. There she is. Now to figure out how to get her home. You guys got everything you need? Yeah. Okay. Is the dog gonna sit in the front or the back? Uh, I think, I don't know, if the dog's super nice, it can sit up here with you guys. In the back. Back with you guys or in the front seat with me. If not, we could put it in the kennel in the back of the truck. We've arrived. You get down to the, uh, bottom wet part. Yeah, just kick it 4-wheel. Okay, let's roll. All right, apparently it's wet down there. We made it, no problem. First up, we're going to get the heifers. All right, that's dinner in a couple of months. Is the dog gonna need to ride in the crate, or can he ride in the truck with them? Oh, he can ride in the truck. She— he— which one is it? Yeah, she— it's a she. Yeah. Okay, she's friendly enough to sit back there with the kids. Yeah. He said he can ride with y'all. Yay! Well, is it a girl or a boy? You can share your meat stick with him, he'll like it. Oh, it's a sheep. So it's the first time owning a guard dog. What do we need to know? She needs love just like us, um, but if you keep her with the sheep, um, she will guard them as their own. What do you think, Lily? They're cool. They are. One's black and one's brown. Is that her? Ours? That's Maggie. Winnie is over to the left. The one on the left is ours. Yeah, got them temporarily with the Coonie Coonies. They look like four-legged Ewoks. I'd say you love these guys, huh? Say they love you. Oh, it's a hard moment for you, Hunter. Yeah, it is. Part of the family, man. That's Miss Winnie. What kind of dog is she? She's a purebred Great Pyrenees. Oh, okay, she is a Great Pyrenees. Yeah. So what do you feed her? I feed her a raw diet. I feed her any type of raw pork bones, any type of beef bones, chicken bones. I got that kind of dead chicken carcasses as bonus. And then you feed her your stock dog food? Yep. Okay, she don't want to go. Sad. Yeah. She's behind the stairs. Well, I can let you have— I'll let you have a moment. Just bring her whenever you're ready. The doggy is so sweet. I know. Try this. Well, here. Should they set it on the cut on this, or can they do it too by hand? Slow, slow. She's probably gonna be too nervous to eat, huh? She might, she might. She's nervous. Set it down and see what happens. Now don't go grabbing it. Let her have it. There you go. She's gonna take some time for her to trust you. How's she doing back there? Good. All right. Hunter was telling us, you know, it's not like we want to cuddle her all day. We want it— we want this special blend of nice and kind to us, but also her home is with the sheep. She comfortable? Yeah, she's super nice. Yes, yes. Even though she's nervous, I don't think she had a hint of aggression. Well, hey there. What are you doing? You getting to know everybody? You know, I'm being very careful around this guard dog. I respect them as working animals. I spoke earlier about not wanting to coddle them too much so that they don't do their job as a sheepdog, so that they stay attached to the sheep. I've learned a lot of this from Greg Judy, great guy, coach, mentor of mine, friend. Some people thought The dog that we showed where Rebecca— where it bit at Rebecca was his. That was actually not his. Greg Judy, in all his years and hundreds of guard dogs, has never had one bite at a human. So as much as he doesn't like coddle them, and he pets them, much as he doesn't coddle them, they also aren't aggressive to humans. So I did want to share that. I don't want to— I don't want anybody to be confused and For that matter, the one that we did approach, you know, it's just Rebecca and I. There was some signs going into that we should have observed and respected, and we didn't, and she got snapped at. I think if the dog wanted to bite her, it would have. If you're wondering why I'm just being so careful, it's probably that. I mean, I just want to be really careful, respectful of this dog and her job and her situation, you know, being nervous, just being respectful of that. Welcome, you coming up here? Help. Make yourself at home. She's gonna throw up. We're gonna pull over. I almost puked, didn't it? Maybe that's it. It'd probably help if you'd sit straight forward. It's too late. We're only 2 miles from home. Now she's getting her tail in it. She likes her head out the window. That's helping. I raised it up so she won't jump out. I don't know how she'll react with Teddy. Oh, don't let Teddy out! No, she doesn't seem like she's gonna kill him. We need Teddy on a leash. We need the dog on a leash. How'd they do? They did good. Did they throw up? No. Nope. Yeah, good girl. What do you think, Mr. Henry? You won't know nothing but this dog. Hot. Now Josiah is going to be buddies with this dog, I think. Oh look, she's piling up with you, Josiah. That's how it goes, isn't it, Beck? Everybody likes Josiah. We're going to introduce her to the sheep. Let's see her reaction to little dude. I think she's going to feel more at home when she gets the sheep. Yes, she will, because that's what she's used to. Like, she's pulling. We're heading there. Yeah, we're heading there. You hear them? Does that seem familiar? She's not a family dog, so she's not going to be used to a leash. I just don't want her to get gone. She does not know this is home yet, so she would be gone. Come, come, come. We did get her in here, just taking her time. Good girl. Come on, come on. Good girl, good girl. She's very thirsty. I think it's good that she's gotten water. She knows there's water here. It's kind of becoming a home base. We are gonna unleash her. Definitely gonna keep her in here with the sheep at least for 3 days before we even let them out into the paddock. She matched— she blends right in. She does. That predator's not gonna know what's coming, is it? I'm hoping that. I'm a little concerned because she was, uh, you know, removed from her Yeah, littermate. And she was with all four, so she may be whiny tonight. She's gonna be looking for stuff. Sad. I'm sad about that. Are you sad about that because our bedroom's right there, or are you sad about that for her? Both. I sleep with white noise, so it won't bother me really. I hope— I wish she'd eat that. I have some raw dog food. I think anything we can do to like Yes, if we can get her to eating it. She's obviously getting water, so she's associating this with home. I mean, you know, when your car's sick— oh, you're terrible. All this is new. If a dog feels half of what we feel— look who's already out! Well, she came to the porch. Well, I'm gonna give her one just so she knows this is home. I just laid out some raw dog feed. Okay, well, shoot. Come on, Winnie. Come on, come on, come on, Winnie. Probably not the best thing to give her a hot dog on the porch, like reward her for going to the porch, but I'm glad she didn't run away. Winnie, Winnie, come on, come on, come on. Good girl. Can you guys post out here and be with her for an hour? We kind of just gotta break her in. Just for a little while until she gets used to it. Yeah. Okay, will you mind sitting out here with her for an hour? I guess I can. Lily, will you make a pack of hot dogs? Josiah came up and she got up. Oh hey, still in the paddock. This is good, he's barking at the biker, so he's doing his job already. So she got out of the dog pen but not the fence. I'm liking you already. She's already barking at the bikers. I like it. Yeah, when she gets out, we'll know if somebody comes up too. I think we can leave it like this, Josiah, and see if she stays in here for right now. Yes, I like it! Woo! Woo! I like it. Now that we have the troughs in place, we'll put hay in it in a second. Let's get all the sheep and the calf in here. Okay, Winnie, you and the sheep have a shelter. Sheep are gonna have feed. You've got water. Let's see if this— she'll stay in this. Josiah, actually, let's go get her some raw dog food. You thought I forgot the heifers, didn't you? No, I didn't forget the heifers. Let's do this now. I'm super happy about today. Fulfilling day on the farm. Let's hope for the best for that dog tonight. Still, we've got this problem. I've got a hyperbaric appointment this afternoon. Hey, you guys remember our farm sitter? Yeah, Luke also happens to be a detailer. I said, you available for a last minute deal? I had a dog throw up in a car. He's up for it. Since my brother was so generous to let me borrow this, let's just get the whole truck cleaned up. That's before and after. You guys got to see this. Look at this. Oh my word. I wish you guys could smell it. Smells so fresh in here. Look. Absolutely no throw-up. None. Oh my gosh. This is like a new truck. And how appropriate. You know, Pop's late truck. Pop, if you're watching this, this is for you, buddy. Hope you like it. Hope it looks good for you.
