LGD breed discussion.

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Odd how round those figures are.

Oh, wait, that's right...you just made them up out of thin air.

See, the only USDA study I've ever seen that discussed LGDs biting people said 7% of 763 dogs in the survey had bitten people, and advised that people keep them contained.

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See, here's the thing...just the fact that there's a big write-up from USDA on the keeping of LGDs -- what to look for, things to consider, information about different breeds, etc -- tells me that it's something the USDA at least wants people to consider looking into.

I dunno about you, but it sure sounds like USDA considers it an agricultural activity..

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I don't even know for sure that he'd hurt someone.. In fact, if you'd like, you can come test him and then test your legal theories in court. If you win, hey, maybe my insurance company pays you some money! If not...well...at least you'll know you were wrong.

Just let me know.

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We have only had two Anatolians, several pyrs, and a couple of St. Bernards. All of them are fine with your own family, children and are. But the Anatolians were not safe with anyone who didn't live here, even the vet. The St. Bernards are very, very people friendly, but not as loving and protective of livestock as the LGDs.

The folks we bought our first buck goat from had Anatolians.. They met us at the car when we arrived, and they were somewhat aloof...for about 5min. Then they were looking for scratchin and pettin.

Haha - I use to have a little Maltese and she was quite the chicken guardian. She had that "little dog syndrome" where she thought she was the biggest, toughest beast on the planet. She would lay near our chickens who were let out to free range, chase them back if they wondered too far, and herd them back into the coop on command. She was also a master frog hunter and rabbit chaser. As a great watch dog and alerter, she was also the protector of the family and would go after hawks, deer, foxes, and hunters who trespassed through our field (although sometimes she would need protecting from us, even though she was certain she could take them on).


Anyways, I am a huge German Shepherd fan - as was already mentioned they are very versatile and can adjust well to being both "guard dog/herder" and "family pet." They are very smart and tend to pick up on the keen details as to what's expected of them. A GSD is my next breed to get... plus I think they absolutely gorgeous and noble looking.


I currently own a Carolina Dog - being more of a primitive/feral breed her prey drive is off the charts. She is surprisingly wonderful with our chickens and smalls animals; however, anything that was not brought to her attention as being a pet, does not stand a chance.... she's extremely smart and is also very alert, but can be a bit unpredictable around strangers (she can be extremely aggressive, especially if we weren't there to "welcome" them first - if we're ok with them, she is, but otherwise she has a "bite first, ask questions later" kind of motto). As an LGD, I still wouldn't recommend this breed for that purpose. She doesn't have herding instincts, and even though she is a wonderful protector and great with our animals, her hunting desire is strong and she actually tends to wonder away in search of game [wild animals] if not under our supervision....



Did anyone hear of/own a Catahoula Leopard Dog? My barn owner's son just got one and let me tell you, that is one hell of a dog! They are bred to be herders, but are [also] extremely versatile. He actually uses her for hunting, but supposedly the breeder used her parents for everything! - sled pulling, hunting, herding, agility, search, obedience, dock diving/retrieving, and conformation/show ring type of stuff. I bet this breed would make an excellent LGD. They are a nice size and pretty cool looking too!
(Downfalls: They are single coated, so there's not much to keep them warm in colder climates, and they also like/desire attention and interaction from their owners, so keeping them outside and 'alone' for too long isn't really recommended for this breed.)





[edited to add the Catahoula idea/info]

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We have only had two Anatolians, several pyrs, and a couple of St. Bernards. All of them are fine with your own family, children and are. But the Anatolians were not safe with anyone who didn't live here, even the vet. The St. Bernards are very, very people friendly, but not as loving and protective of livestock as the LGDs.

The folks we bought our first buck goat from had Anatolians.. They met us at the car when we arrived, and they were somewhat aloof...for about 5min. Then they were looking for scratchin and pettin.

I imagine as with any breed and individual socialization and training is the key. Growing up, our GSDs were always protective over us, but there was a beautiful balance there to be recognised. The dogs would display and be aggressive and would stop folks at the gate with a big toothy grin, but the moment we would come out of the house and walk to the gate ourselves and 'let' the people into the yard the dogs would immediately calm and become inquisitive.

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Wow...and no cougar or coyote has packed it off, yet? Around here a corgi would be cougar-bait! Our neighbors lost two labs to a cougar last fall when their horse was attacked by one...and my MIL lost an Aussie (35lb one) to a coyote in the early 90s.

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Here is the table:

http://www.sonic.net/~cdlcruz/lgd-l/usda588.htm

That's an interesting table...but it's almost 25 years old??

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We are very secluded and I'm home alone, a lot...I couldn't afford a pure Anatolian so I found a 1/2 in the Little Nickel. He's great and once he knows you're "okay" he's fine...but he's kind of scary if you don't know him. We've trained him to attack on command (so far we haven't had to do that, luckily) but it's nice to know I have that option. His downfall is guns...he HATES them and he's terrified of them...Brodee, the Borzoi could care less...LOL

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We have only had two Anatolians, several pyrs, and a couple of St. Bernards. All of them are fine with your own family, children and are. But the Anatolians were not safe with anyone who didn't live here, even the vet. The St. Bernards are very, very people friendly, but not as loving and protective of livestock as the LGDs.

Our 1/2 Anatolian---we socialized and trained...sure, he's got a lot of instincts like any dog....but he obeys and listens to commands. If I tell him to "leave it" or "it's okay." He switches to being just fine. There has only been one occasion when I had to go & put him up and that was when my stud colt was being gelded...Cash was convinced the vet was HURTING the horse!

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Odd how round those figures are.

Oh, wait, that's right...you just made them up out of thin air.

See, the only USDA study I've ever seen that discussed LGDs biting people said 7% of 763 dogs in the survey had bitten people, and advised that people keep them contained.

Don't EVER call me a liar!!! Obviosly you haven't read the thread.

Again, http://www.sonic.net/~cdlcruz/lgd-l/usda588.htm