New LGD

[triplethorsefarm]

This weekend in the middle of our ice storm, our newest member of the family arrived.She already weighs in over 30 lbs and is only 9 weeks old. Annabelle is our new Great Pyrenees pup. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips on preparing her to guard? We were told by the breeder to raise her with the livestock, so she has a warm and comfy bed in the barn and is getting to know the herd. Are there any specific training techniques I can do to reinforce their natural instincts? I will try and post pics soon. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

 

[Katiean]

My dog is a GP mix. She lives in the house. But goes in and out. We are installing a dog door as soon as the weather warms up long enough th take the door off for a bit. She was 6 weeks old when we got her. So she has grown up here. She turns 1 yr on May 13th. This dog feels she owns every living thing on this place. Including us, the cats, the guinea pigs, the chickens, the rabbits and yes the horses. She has stopped a relitive that she didn't know from just walking in the front door. She keeps the chickens out of the back yard because they do not belong. She allows them around the horses and knows where their pen is and will put them there. She allows people to come with me to see the horses but, there were some kids petting the horses through the back fence. OH MAN! It was a good thing there was a fence there. I told the kids the dog would bite if they didn't step away. The thing is, she will stop barking and come sit by me if I tell her to. As for training, other than setting boundrier of what she can chew and where she potties we haven't really trained her. I wouldn't trade her for anything.

 

[Katiean]

I also wanted to say Brandy plays fetch with the kids. She will play tug with the kids just like any other dog. I have kept her from chewing stuff by giving her a BIG knuckle bone every couple of months. This Dog knows what belongs to her and what doesn't. For a bit she was taking what didn't belong to her when we went someplace. I think we have worked through that issue though.

 

[vickie gee]

You are wise to seek help because you are going to need it.

LGD protects instinctively but you will need to know how to teach praise and train when behavior is unacceptable. For instance what to do when pup is chasing a goat just for the fun of it. Or to let you go through the gate first. Or just to stay. Simple stuff that keeps you, or the dog, or livestock from getting hurt and of course lets the animal know you are the one in charge and they are the worker.

One suggestion: Get a 55 gal drum and stand it upright in the working area. When the dog does something unacceptable grab a steel pipe and hit that drum so that it makes a loud bang! That gets the dog's attention. Then yell NO! Also beating a couple of pieces of pipe together to make a loud noise. When the dog is being real stubborn my husband will actually bodyslam it and pin it to the ground while yelling. Seems ridiculous and cruel, but it works.

Expert Vicki Hughes of Possum Hollow Farms has written a training book. Written about training anatolian shepherds but would be handy for any of the LGD breeds. We started out with it as training material. It is $35 and available on CD. Their website is www.possumhollowfarms.com

Good luck and stick to the training. Your pup will likely turn out to be a real asset to the farm.

 

[Katiean]

While yes these dogs can get stubborn, I would never body slam any animal. The very first time Brandy didn't listen, I got out the lunge whip and slapped the ground with it. The lunge whip is now a very scary thing and though she has never been hit with it. The whip is a tool of discipline. Think about it, when you were a kid wasn't it really scary when your dad said "DO I have to get the belt?". And which would you rather have? A threat of being spanked? or being slammed to the ground being yelled at? I think the key to a good LGD is consistency. It can not be OK one time and not OK the next.

 

[Manyspots]

My vet also suggested that we socialize the dog. (We had Pyr also) You don't want it to bite anyone that may come to visit and walk through your pastures to see your horses. also if the dog would need medical attention you want it to be familiar with your vet. Our dog slept in the barn with the horses, during the day either was with the horses or with us. They do love to roam a lot so have good fences. Everything they see they think is their property to guard, including the neighbors. Pyr's are wonderful dogs, I wish you good luck with yours. I would highly recommend socializing with other people. Enjoy him. Lavonne

 

[vickie gee]

hummmmmmmmmm. Bodyslam or threat of belt? Well, let me think about it. Only bodyslams were a very mean ex-husband. Dad never threatened me with a belt. He just did it. Twice. Once when I was five. That one still hurts when I think about it. Still remember those ugly stripes on my backside and mom rocking me while I cried all night. The other when I was fourteen. That one hurt real bad but not near as bad as it hurt my pride. It is almost a toss up. Ok, I will go with threat of a belt. Keyword threat. Also will stick to dog training methods that work for us and as far as works for others say "to each his own." The bodyslamming suggestion did come from someone who sells their highly trained dogs at top price and it works for my husband and he ONLY had to use it a couple ot times. Sorry if it sounds cruel to anyone.