Raising and training a Livestock Guardian dog

[BadScorpio]

I raise Great Pyrenees and I have found that the Females are more territorial than the males. They are prone to wandering, it is an instinctive behavior for them. ( if they see it, it is theirs) Pyrs have some quirks unique to the breed. They will look at you when you call their name but can have trouble with the whole "heel on command" issue....lol . It can drive some people nuts. They will not fetch either. Mine used to annex the poor neibors yard till i got my invisible fence.

The breed is know for their independent thinking. They will do what they think is in your best interest, not always what you want. As a pyr breeder I will call them stubborn. they are not for everyone but with lots of love and patience you can have an outstanding dog.For protection of large property they work best in pairs or groups kinda like a wolf pack. I have an open door policy with mine. They are indoor/outdoor dogs.

They have 2 major sheds a year. Spring and fall (they will shed a small dog) just keep brushing them to prevent mats. DO NOT! shave them or they will sunburn. Pyrs do not have any oil in their coats so dirt does not stick to them once the fur dries. (it shakes or brushes right off) Fun fact... the white fur is nonreflective. Yes a large white dog will completely disappear in the dark.

One thing to remember is that they grow till they are 3 years old. You must keep them on puppy food till three or you will stunt their growth. My male is 2 years and putting on another growth spurt. DO NOT! keep them confined in crates or tiny areas for long periods of time. It will cause mental heath issues in the dog. It will make them fearful, destructive and unsocial.

Last year I sold 2 female pups to an ostrich farmer with a coyote problem. At six months old they were patroling his farm and he had not lost another bird.

 

[trailchick]

Thanks, tbitt for starting this thread .... There are a few others
on BYC but there is room for all of us with LGD's to post pics and info.
I will need to take some pics for mine, Vinnie. She is an 8 month
old GP x Komondor, who has just found her bark, yea. She was a 3 mo old
living with the chickens at a sheep ranch, so I knew she was already
exposed to birds. She is turning into a great dog.

Just want to let others know that there is a forum site, that I just found,

livestockguardiandogs.com

for everything lgd.

 

[BadScorpio]

Thank you. I will really enjoy that site. It is so hard to get people to understand that true LGD are not your typical dog(they don't think like one nor act like one)

 

[RugenerGooser]

Howdy...I have three Great Pyrenees girls that are six months old. Tzipporah, Magena and Patou. They are sisters. They bodyguard donkeys, ducks and geese. They are good girls. I raise my three girls with them knowing that I am the alpha dog, so to speak. They were standoffish with strangers and things that don't belong when we got them at 12 weeks old. If I introduce people to them, no problem, but you want that quality that is a Great Pyrenees. They are the only dogs we will ever have or breed. I will get back on tomorrow evening and tell you more about our girls. I am going to bed now, got fertile duck and goose eggs in the incubators and under the birds, babies of different ages and a shipment of ducklings shipping tomorrow. The post office in El Paso seems to call me around midnight to tell me they came in, so I drive for a couple of hours to go get the babies so they don't have to stay in that darn box one minute longer. It was great to meet you and your girl is pretty. GREETINGS FROM NEW MEXICO!

January

 

[RugenerGooser]

You got that right...LOL!

 

[chickenlisa]

Howdy...I have three Great Pyrenees girls that are six months old. Tzipporah, Magena and Patou. They are sisters. They bodyguard donkeys, ducks and geese. They are good girls. I raise my three girls with them knowing that I am the alpha dog, so to speak. They were standoffish with strangers and things that don't belong when we got them at 12 weeks old. If I introduce people to them, no problem, but you want that quality that is a Great Pyrenees. They are the only dogs we will ever have or breed. I will get back on tomorrow evening and tell you more about our girls. I am going to bed now, got fertile duck and goose eggs in the incubators and under the birds, babies of different ages and a shipment of ducklings shipping tomorrow. The post office in El Paso seems to call me around midnight to tell me they came in, so I drive for a couple of hours to go get the babies so they don't have to stay in that darn box one minute longer. It was great to meet you and your girl is pretty. GREETINGS FROM NEW MEXICO!

January

I'd love to see pics of those big sisters!

 

[RugenerGooser]

Shalom Lisa!

I will get right on that. The husband does the pics and video and puts them on the computer. We will try to get pics of them with the donkeys and the geese.

January

 

[lmccall728]

I just lost my GP on April 1st and am still heartbroken. He will never be forgotten. Our hearts still ache in sadness, what it meant to lose him few will ever know.

The big (130 lbs) goofball took the hambone from easter dinner off of the counter (first time he ever counter-surfed) and it splintered and ruptured his intestine. We rushed him to the vet, got him on the table, he gave me the tiniest little lick and then took his last breath and passed away.

He was the best LGD we have ever had. We never lost one chicken while he was on duty. The night after he passed away we lost 3 chickens. They don't miss a thing.

He has killed 2 coyotes that I know of. They were both found (2 separate occasions) near our chicken coop. No damage to him. He was quite bloody on both occassions, but when I checked him over the blood was mostly not his - he had a few minor scratches.

He was the best watch dog for our ranch also. No one got by this guy. I choice for LGD will always be GP or GP/Anatolian Shep cross.

We never really had to do anything in the way of training him. We got him when he was 4 months old. I think that he was the exception to the rule as far as not having to train him - most do need guidance. He was very territorial when it came to other dogs he was not raised with.

We are currently looking for another LGD. If anyone knows of any in California that they recommend please let me know. Any surrounding states are okay too.

Good luck everybody with your pups! I am in puppy envy right now!

 

[tbitt]

Imccall, I am so sorry to read this. Breaks your heart, they have such HUGE personalities and they leave a HUGE hole when they are gone.


We also lost our girl recently.... It is devastating....

 

[lmccall728]

It is devastating .... the other night I woke up around 3:30 am and went to the front door and was calling Clyde. My husband gently said - what are you doing honey? I told him I heard Clyde whining at the door so I was checking on him ..... then I realized what I was doing.. I started balling all over again.
I swore I heard him though..