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For some reason I can't get the pic's to show up here.. I am hoping these two will be good with teh chickens, They have been ok with the Rabbits, and they are great at keeping all of the Preadtors off of my main yard.

I have a Catahoula Hound mix, a Rot, Pit, Springer mix, a Jack R, kydog mix and a lab mix whos been living in the woods for 6 months (now tamed, fixed and living with us and the other dogs)  And luckily NONE of our dogs bother the free range poultry at all.  Little or no training.  Just LUCK I guess!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlienChick 

We currently have free-range chickens and will be getting sheep.

Our LGD's spend most of their time with the chickens around the pole barn.

Any LGD you get will have to be "trained" around whatever livestock it will be guarding.

I have Great Pyrs (because they bark) and Kangals (because they will kill).

Greay Pyrs are pretty easy to come by and I can PM you some Kangal breeders.

There are also lots of other LGD breeds (e.g. Maremmas, Akbash, Anatolian Shepherds, . . . etc.)

My property has some fencing (just barbed wire) that the dogs can squeeze under; however, I am surrounded by fallow fields, so there is nowhere for the dogs to wander off to.

They pretty much stay close.

Good luck in your search!

 

 

 

Kangals are terrific dogs who make great pets!  Did you know 100s of these dogs were shipped from their native Turkey to Africa and given to ranchers to protect their herds from Cheetahs?  This was done to discourage the ranchers from shooting the cheetahs and apparently has improved the situation for ranchers as well as the cheetahs!  

Yes!  The Kangals are absolutely AWESOME!

I remember reading about the Cheetah situation in Africa and how they used the Kangals for protection.

They're just amazing guardians.  What can I say?

Do you have Kangals?

Actually, when we read history of each LGD breed - it looks like almost all of them were imported.

  After doing a lot of research on LGDs we settled on Komondors. The main reason was because we have had other breeds and had to put up with barking at night. Komondors are silent when they patrol and have an outstanding loyality to their "pack" which is every critter and family member on the property. Another breed trait that I like is that they do not wander. In my opinion there is nothing more worthless then a dog that wanders off after a Coyote or Fox that is near and leaves the place ungaurded.

 Another breed trait is that they don't jump up on you. Ours will stand up on the fence and greet you until you go through the gate then it's paws off.

 It is said of the Komondor that once you are a member of the pack that will always stand true. We got a pup and when we drove up to the breeder's place there were a couple of big males that raised their heads and gave a single "woof" and laid their heads back down. The wife looked at me funny and I told her "you have just been put on notice to be at your best behavior". As we walked around the males would move so that we could be seen just in case that they needed to intervene.

 Well we got our pup and then decided to go back down the next weekend and pick up another pup and when we drove up all of the dogs came to greet us like we were long-lost kin. Every trait that I have read about has rang true with these dogs.

 They are not quick on the draw to bite humans either. The old Hungarian breeders say that chances are a Komondor will allow an intruder to come onto your place, but they will not be allowed to leave. They have been known to knock an intruder down and then stand guard until they are found, be it tomorrow or in a day or two.

We run ours with goats, chickens and horses. Ours have had little training but do come from working parents. All that I have trained them on is basic obedience.

 My back took me out of comission for nearly a year and I was not around the dogs very much. One day the wife comes in and informs me that we are going to clip the boys because of the mats and such. I'm thinking "yea, right" We got the boys on a lead and I proceded to use the big Sunbeam clippers on them. I figured that I was going to be in for a fight since they hadn't been messed with much but they just calmly stood there, even when I trimmed around their eyes and face.

 I can't say enough good about the Komondors, if you can find them they are pricey but well worth it.