Very good question. Did you already find your dog and if so what breed did you get? We have a Border Collie (for many years already) but she will herd and react on everything that moves, including our chickens. Although she is the perfect farm dog, her behavior is very stressful to our chickens so we only keep her inside the house. In the past we also had a Pyr and we loved her and miss her a lot as a guardian and pet. I agree with a comment that they eat less than you would expect. Also, their size, does deter predators. Our Pyr was very laid back, gentle with our animals (large and small) but very alert and protective. The only problem we had with her was that she loved to roam and abandon our property and livestock for many hours and even days (even though she was fixed). We got her when she was already 6 mo old and they need to be with live stock from a very young age. So, if we are getting a Pyr again we are going to make sure the pup is still very young so that he/she bonds with the livestock. We are also considering a Maremma for our free range chickens. Good luck and keep us posted!
