LGD???

[Meshale]

I just got done a bit ago reading Laura's post about her LGD attacking one of her geldings!....i thought i was doing a good thing by buying a Pryenees as a guard dog/family dog.......i have Nigerian Dwarf goats as well and have my 6 week old pup in a pen right now with my goats..so he can bond with them the chickens and everything else (he won't meet the horses till the end of May).......now both his parents are guardian dogs for goats.........so i need advice from people with the guard dog.....i only plan on having the one guard dog with my livestock!.....and i have lost goats in the past to pack hunts...that is part of the reason i wanted a Pryenees!...so what do i need to do with the horses/goats.....do i need to keep the Pryenees away from the horses..or can i bring him up with them like i planned???

: ...Thanks Michelle

 

[Annetta]

If it were me, I'd continue as planned. One dog is quite different from 4-5 dogs. Certainly a single dog may still attack a Mini--or a goat, or a sheep--not every dog of the LGD breeds works out as a guardian--but I would watch him carefully & see how he does. If he shows any signs of aggression (toward any of the animals, be it the horses or the goats) I'd get rid of him, but as long as he's good with them I'd let him guard everyone. Some dogs are perfectly safe to have around horses--I have one that is. She adores the little horses & they return her affection. She is a protective dog, but totally non-aggressive. Not only that but she is quite lazy & wouldn't have the energy or the speed to chase a horse! I do suggest that a LGD should have some place where he can get away from the horses he is protecting--something he can take cover in or under if there's a horse trying to stomp him. If you raise foals, do be extra cautious when introducing your dog to them. I've tried a couple of dogs that were fine with the mature horses, but found it too much temptation to resist when a couple of foals got ripping around--they're extra little, they run around fast, and are just that much more tempting to chase!!

I won't keep a dog that shows any inclination to chase horses. That is just asking for trouble, and if you have more than 1 dog that is willing to chase, it is worse than foolish to leave the dogs loose. I have a friend that has (had) 5 dogs that are always loose & usually unsupervised. They are a mixed variety of breeds, border collie to husky to hound to heeler & I'm not sure what else. These dogs go hunting in the fields & bush around my friend's place; she just refuses to see that while today they may be hunting rabbits and squirrels, tomorrow they may move on to the neighbor's calves or someone's foals. One of the dogs disappeared awhile back; this lady can't figure out what happened to it. I rather expect one of the neighbors shot it; I'm actually a little surprised that only 1 disappeared!

But no, I don't believe having one LGD is a bad idea, just so long as you monitor the dog closely until you are sure that he is good around the animals he is meant to protect. Having one dog guarding your animals is quite different than having a pack of dogs roaming unsupervised.

 

[Meshale]

Thank You!....that is kinda the same thoughts i had too........and at this point in the game i would be more worried about the minis stomping the pup!!!LOL.....

 

[Dona]

I think your choice of a Great Pyrenees is excellent!

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When we got Panda (Our Pyr) he was only 5 weeks old. We kept him in the house with us until he was 2 months old (contrary to breeders who told us he would need to be kept with the animals he was expected to guard from day one) We also wanted him to bond with "us" and be a family pet as well as a LGD for our Minis.

We couldn't have asked for a better dog. We put him in the barn to live with our Minis & cats at two months old & from the start....he instinctively took on his responsibility as protector for all animals on "his" property.

: He routinely walks the perimeter of our pasture (which is fenced) making sure everything is OK, and no intruders have entered. Then he'll plop down on the ground right in the middle of the grazing herd to keep watch over them. After a couple hours....he'll walk the entire perimetor of the fenceline again. It's amazing to watch these dogs in action. Panda is SO gentle with the Minis & our cats....yet, if he sees as much as a stray cat step one paw through our fence, he takes out after them to chase them out!

Panda is a constant presence around the Minis & keeps track of them all. He is right there with me when a new foal is born & he even helps the Mama to dry them off by licking. It's amazing that the mares' allow him to do this. I think it's a wonderful testimony as to the bond Panda has with them all.

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Panda would never think of chasing the Minis for no reason. But, if I am in the barn cleaning stalls, and one of the Minis decides to run back in....I'll shout "OUT!" and as soon as Panda hears me shout "OUT" he'll chase the Mini back out of the barn. He stops as soon as they are outside again....never offers to nip at them. Just makes sure they run back out to the pasture where they belong.

He is also a wonderful family dog.

: From the time our grandaughter "Anna" was a toddler, Panda would stand right in front of her everywhere she went. She would get so frustrated, as she would want to go somewhere she wasn't supposed to, and Panda would stand sideways in front of her, blocking her path. She would double her little fists & just pound on the poor dog's face saying over & over "Panna move! Panna move!" Panda would just stand there with a big smile on his face, wagging his tail

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Our neighbors have Rottweilers....which I often see Panda "talking to" through the fence, no problem. But if [SIZE=14pt]"I" [/SIZE] happen to be on that side of the field & go over close to the fence where those dogs are....Panda growls very menacingly at them & will put himself between them & me.

I just love this big ole gentle giant of a dog!!!!!

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[Meshale]

That is really good to hear!!!!.....i want him to be both a family and livestock dog*S*....now how did you intro him to the minis...if i just let him out with them my boys would kill him!!!....right now my goats want him dead too!!LOL...i have him in a pen with them but where they can't get to him....and then he comes inside with us too.....i am gonna start introing one of my little new does with him in his pen..(she can't hurt him)*S*)....but the mini men i have are a diff story!