Anatolian/Great Pyranese - LGD breed for poultry - who has them?

[tnchickenut]

I need... ok I want... to have a good working dog to live solely outside with the chickens and ducks and goats. I need a tried and true working dog bloodline and I absolutely cannot chance them not being raised around chickens. Chickens are part of my livelyhood and not just my pets. I have done my research on this and I need a breed that will be happy to stay outside and with the birds. The yard will be fenced in and they will have the entire run of the chicken/goat part of my property.

If there are any bigger farm people on here who breed thier Anatolians or Great Pyranese (or a cross would be perfect) and have chickens around their LGD, please, post here. I may buy your pup now and pups in the future. Like I mentioned... I need to KNOW that they are from working stock. Animal shelter dogs are great to get as pets, but way too unpredictable when it comes to livestock.

Thanks in advance!

 

[judyc]

You mean dogs like these?

I missed a great shot of the dogs, chickens and sheep all together the other day. The chickens make sure to roost near the dog food. No predator is going to go there!

I've had Pyrs and Anatolians. I love the Anatolians. They stick closer to the sheep. Mine are purebred but not registered. These are working animals.

My female is not quite a year old now. She is coming into season, but we'll wait for the second heat.

Choose the shyest puppy in the litter. The more playful the puppy, the more prey drive.

A shot of Zeus with a new mother..

 

[judyc]

I love my Zeus....He's the best LGD I've ever owned. He cleans the ewes up when they lamb, and just LOVES it when he gets another sheep.

 

[cracking up]

There are some on the 'other pets and animals' or something like that.

 

[tnchickenut]

All gorgeous guards! And thanks so much for the picking the shyest tip... makes sense and I wouldn't have thought about it at the time.

I'm leaning more toward Anatolians... they are said to bark less... and to be honest, I am more attracted to their looks (not that that matters, but it adds them some subconscience points).

I don't need them to be registered. I will work them. I just need them to work! lol. I'll check out that "other animals" thing too.

 

[judyc]

When I had Pyrs, I would groom each day sitting on a 5 gallon bucket, with another 5 gallon bucket beside me. When I filled the 2nd 5 gallon bucket with hair, that was it for the day. It took about a week or two per dog. I've seen a lot of matted Pyrs in my travels.

The Pyrs do bark more. They are night barkers. Plus, they cannot seem to sense that a car WILL run over them. A freind of mine told me that the littermates of her chained up male were all dead from the road.

They are a sweet and intelligent dog, but I prefer the properly socialized Anatolian.

 

[tnchickenut]

Yeah, I really am leaning more toward Anatolian... it's just so hard when Great Pyranese are so plentiful (at least in my area). I wouldn't have a problem with the road, I'm on a long dead-end-one-car-wide-driveway-of-a-road and the animals are all out back to boot. Still, I'm thinking Anatolian... however, like I mentioned before... a cross would be nice too.

I have heard alot about the Pyranese barking through the night. I'm really not sure I could have that. My neighbor's house sits so far back and to the side that her house, itself, is 30ft away from back side of my property line. Sorry for her, but that is where all the livestock is. She has mutts chained 24/7 and sometimes they will break the chain. This is all neither hear nor there when it comes to my future LGD... except my point is... if I have a barking dog all night... her dogs will most likely bark. And I'm not trying to be funny... she literally is certifiably crazy and violent. I don't speak with her because the last time I did, she snapped and swung at me. Like I said, neither here nor there... but now I guess you all can see a better picture of why I want a LGD to live with my livestock that is right next to her house. I already caught her stealing eggs durring this recession. And I had caught her once being agressive and physical with one of my hens. She also beat my boxer once... she busted out the front door and the front is not fenced in. Well, she went into the neighbors horses area and pooped. That was it. Not agressive at all towards the horse... didn't even care it was there. She came out and hit my dog... AS SHE WAS COMMING BACK HOME. Boy, was I mad. I know it was her property and all that legal mumbo jumbo... but it was just not right. The dog didn't poop on her porch... just pooped next to the horse crap. Anyways, she is nuts. End of story.

Anyways... seems I am long winded today.

 

[judyc]

LOL, sorry, I read that as the NEIGHBOR pooping in the horse area at first. Had to go back and re-read.

We just moved the dogs and half of the sheep to the farm today, but our house is at the edge of a small town. Our dogs have learned that other dogs don't always know what they're barking about. Other dogs barking doesn't set them off. If Zeus barks, I'm out the door to see what is going on.

 

[watchdogps]

I'm coming in to this wayyyy late, but as an Anatolian breeder, I wanted to say a few things -
-you don't want a SHY puppy, but you do want one that isn't particularly playful nor one that seems clingy. Fear or shyness sint good though, you want a well socialized confident puppy. Confidence makes a better guard than a fearful dog. Fearful LGDs are a lawsuit waiting to happen.
- you NEED a fence for LGD breeds. Besides not having car sense, many will expand their area and start guarding the nieghbors homes from the neighbors. If your neighbors dogs come onto your property, and esp if they approach the LGDs stock, the neighbor dog may not make it home in one piece, and that tends to make neighbors angry. For that same reason, I do not recommend invisible fencing.

 

[zazouse]

I have both and my rotty is also very good with all the animals here as is the pitt,now she is my varmint killer and a good herding dog too.
All these dogs have the natural instint to protect.