Adopting a pair of adult Pyrs Saturday...Updated and Pics added!

[LotsaChicken]

After a nerve wracking application process we have been approved to adopt a pair of Great Pyrenees dogs from NC. We are making the long drive Saturday to meet them and pick them up. They are fixed, vetted and had to be shaved when they came into the shelter because of mats and, what I was told was, a terrible tick infestation. They are young, but adults. The foster mom says they are very people friends, but also territorial. Our hope is that they will be companions, as well as deter chicken stealing foxes and keep the growing population of coyotes away from our fence line. We have only tried having a pyr once before, but he died at six months old. The vet thought he had a genetic defect that caused his sudden death. These two are heartworm positive, but it is a class I, so can be treated with monthly Ivermecting and doxyciclene (sp?) every few months and treatment has already started. They will be coming to live on a farm that has chickens, turkeys, quail, pigs, a Jersey and a horse. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to introduce them to the farm? They were on a farm at one time, but I have no idea if it was a working farm, or what type of animals they were exposed to. I know their foster home was in a neighborhood.

Just wanted to add that they will also be joining our small basset hound and our dauschund, Dapple Dan. Dan was adopted from a local shelter, he is a double dapple and is totally deaf and a little blind. I'm a little concerned of how they are going to bond with the little ones (dogs that is). We have four children as well, including a disabled daughter, who uses a chair and walker to get around...she can be a little loud sometimes, but the pyrs I've met have been really docile towards children, so I'm hoping for the best!

 

[watchdogps]

Where are you planning to have these dogs live? Eventually, I mean.
Did the rescue give you any info about if the dogs have been around other dogs, small dogs etc, and what they did around them?

 

[LotsaChicken]

They have been around other dogs. The foster has a pyr herself and she told me that they have been around small dogs some while she was fostering them. She didn't seem too concerned with the small dogs. It sounded as if they had mostly ignored other dogs up to this point. I will be taking my daschund to meet them and bring them home, just to see how things may go. Once they get settled in they will be turned loose in our fenced in two ac. yard. It's completely enclosed and then the pastures and pens for the farm animals are built around the perimeter of that...we plan to figure out a run around the back of the pens for the dogs, as well...esecially the poultry pens, so the dogs won't actually go in the pens, but can patrol the perimeter. If that makes sense? The dogs will have the run of the yard and barn and once we see how they are going to do with the animals, we may built run through gates that the dogs can go in, but will have to be let out of, to give them run of the whole place.

 

[watchdogps]

Your run around the pens sounds like what I call the "dog moat". I have suggested those for several cases. The idea is that the LGD isnt directly in the pens but a predator would have to get past the LGD to get to the critter pens. Works beautifully!

Now, as for meetings. DO NOT take your dacshie over there and plunk him down and tell the dogs to say hi. Dogs dont hug and shake hands, and when we stick them face to face and expect them to great as we would, we are setting them up to fight. The foster home needs to bring the pyrs, ONE at a atime, outside peferably a few houses down the street and you guys walk toward each other, join and go in the same direction and walk back to the foster home. You are not stopping and allowing the dogs to say hi, you are walking. They will get some sniffs in on the way back and they will both see that you are okay with this stranger and strange dog.
This is particularly important for any territorial dog (LGD). Bringing a new dog into their space without proper intro is asking for trouble.

Dogs need to be crated for the ride home. At least the weenie or the pyrs. Crated, not them in the back, weenie on your lap. Crated. Did I mention crated? Why am I repeating myself? Because IF something happens and dogs get worked up and weenie jumps back with pyrs and there is a fight, you could all die in a car wreck.

When at home, take things slow and relax. Intro the pyrs to your other dogs as above. Do not leave dogs alone together for a while, a few weeks. I'd probably have just one pyr and one of the other dogs together at a time, even supervised, just b/c they may gang up on the other if there is any altercation.

It sounds like you have a very nice set up for them, and hoepfully everything goes smoothly.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Once they get settled in they will be turned loose in our fenced in two ac. yard. It's completely enclosed and then the pastures and pens for the farm animals are built around the perimeter of that...

So the dogs will be on the inside, and the other animals surrounding them

Good luck is all I can say

Your run around the pens sounds like what I call the "dog moat". I have suggested those for several cases. The idea is that the LGD isnt directly in the pens but a predator would have to get past the LGD to get to the critter pens. Works beautifully!

Read the description again because that's not the way it is​

 

[watchdogps]

Quote:
So the dogs will be on the inside, and the other animals surrounding them

Good luck is all I can say

Your run around the pens sounds like what I call the "dog moat". I have suggested those for several cases. The idea is that the LGD isnt directly in the pens but a predator would have to get past the LGD to get to the critter pens. Works beautifully!

Read the description again because that's not the way it is​

Umm...read it again, and still sounds like that to me. How do you see it?

 

[LotsaChicken]

[

Your run around the pens sounds like what I call the "dog moat". I have suggested those for several cases. The idea is that the LGD isnt directly in the pens but a predator would have to get past the LGD to get to the critter pens. Works beautifully!

That's exactly the way it will be and a perfect description of it! I've tried to explain it to other people and they didn't get it either, but calling it a "dog moat" paints the right picture! For the first few weeks, until they get the lay of the land they won't be off leash, outside of a kennel run (which is a long empty turkey pen of our's, so it's super tall), without an adult with them. By the time we give them a run of the place the dog moat should be complete! I looked at your website and your anatolians are beautiful! Thanks for all the great advice. I'm sure I'll have more questions as we go. I anticipate that bringing adult dogs of this breed will have it's challenges, but we're commited to do whatever retraining is neccesary. It was really important to us to adopt dogs in need and these seem to have a ton of promise. I'll post pictures when I have them too!​

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

How do you see it?

I see it exactly the way it was described.

It says the dogs in a yard (center) with animal pens around the perimeter (outside)

Once they get settled in they will be turned loose in our fenced in two ac. yard. It's completely enclosed and then the pastures and pens for the farm animals are built around the perimeter of that...

To describe a "moat" situation, the animals would have to be in the yard and the DOGS around the perimeter

Then the dogs wouldn't be in the "completely enclosed" 2 acres.

It's going to take quite a bit more fencing to create a "moat", unless it's very narrow

Maybe I'm just visualizing it incorrectly

It wouldn't be the first time I was wrong!
LOL

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

My concern with your little deaf, blind dog and the GP's is the size difference. I have Saints and a 100 lb. mix breed dog. I also have a Basset. When they all get excited the Basset could get inadvertently stepped on. An injury to her back would be detrimental, to say the least. Mornings, when they're so happy to see me get up to let them out, I put the big dogs out one door and the Basset out the other. Just beware that you saw them in a different environment...probably NOT the stimuli that you have happening at your place. It's a good idea to keep them on a lead AT ALL TIMES until you've tested them properly. Take only ONE at a time and work with that dog. I put small animals in a crate to see how the big dogs react. If they walk on by without showing any interest then I move onto the next phase, introduce with the dog on the leash, fully prepared to dig my heals in should they decide to go for it!

One thing I've experienced with my fosters is that it can take up to two weeks for their real personality to come out. Many times the dogs are very low key, they listen pretty good, etc...BUT once they start feeling comfortable you begin to see more energy, more taking risks, testing you. Just be prepared JUST IN CASE. Also, totally unrelated, many will go pee in the house the first few days. They're confused, don't know the routine, etc. I keep them clipped to my belt so they have to go where I go.. . . never out of my sight, until I know they understand the routine.

You should be able to tell by their posturing, excitement in their face, intensity of their reaction, as to whether or not they'll big a high or low risk to the other animals. A dog that is super intense is probably not going to be able to be trained without some losses. Of my four dogs, two can be trusted with the chickens (and one of those two will hunt rabbits and eat them on the property!) and two cannot be trusted. Hope it works out for you. Bless you for taking two dogs in need!!

 

[zzGypsy]

one more thought, I've seen pyrs climb 5 1/2 foot fences, without even needing to get in the corner to do it. pyrs tend to be roamers, so if they're motivated to go somewhere, they don't seem to see the fence as a reason not to. watch their behavior around this, you don't want them climing into your animal pens, or out of your yard.