Getting a pyr pup in 2013 will put you NOT leaving it unsupervised until at the very least mid 2014 but likely the end of 2014 and early 2015. they require months of training/supervision before left alone with poultry. Not all lines are good with poultry either, so would rather make chase on poultry and will gladly guard hoof stock and large livestock.
Our youngest is tied near the goats during the day and has his own dog house. He can patrol the outside fence line of their area and loafing shed. He has birds free ranging around him and the geese will walk up to his water bucket. he ignores them. The ducks he still gets puppy dumb with, but they dont get close and he is learning. he will start being free during the day without us by December 2013. If we are out working he is loose to work around us and the animals.
The 3 year old male is free all day and night, and in the evening the pup is turned loose with him after put the ducks and geese to bed. He patrols the pup around and you can see the learning going on.
The 3 year old female has taken to sleeping on the hill in front during the day (with the Alfa Dewlaps and Ancona flock)
If you are looking at Pyr pups, visit the farm they raised on, see how they are raised. if they are raised on a farm I would walk away. They need to come from working stock and born into a working position. If its a farm but they raise them in the house I would also not buy.
Our two males were both born in barns to working stock and raised with the mothers and as they grew were right along side their mothers. Both had experience around poultry and sheep/goats.
Our female was from working stock, expect they took mom and pups inside. The pups never saw the farm animals until they were 7-8 weeks old. She took 8 months longer to be trusted around the poultry, and only recently can be left alone without testing fence lines and wanting to claim all the land around us as her space. She is however an EXCELLENT companion dog and medical aid dog for my husband and responds to his needs when he is having physical trouble getting around.
Our youngest is tied near the goats during the day and has his own dog house. He can patrol the outside fence line of their area and loafing shed. He has birds free ranging around him and the geese will walk up to his water bucket. he ignores them. The ducks he still gets puppy dumb with, but they dont get close and he is learning. he will start being free during the day without us by December 2013. If we are out working he is loose to work around us and the animals.
The 3 year old male is free all day and night, and in the evening the pup is turned loose with him after put the ducks and geese to bed. He patrols the pup around and you can see the learning going on.
The 3 year old female has taken to sleeping on the hill in front during the day (with the Alfa Dewlaps and Ancona flock)
If you are looking at Pyr pups, visit the farm they raised on, see how they are raised. if they are raised on a farm I would walk away. They need to come from working stock and born into a working position. If its a farm but they raise them in the house I would also not buy.
Our two males were both born in barns to working stock and raised with the mothers and as they grew were right along side their mothers. Both had experience around poultry and sheep/goats.
Our female was from working stock, expect they took mom and pups inside. The pups never saw the farm animals until they were 7-8 weeks old. She took 8 months longer to be trusted around the poultry, and only recently can be left alone without testing fence lines and wanting to claim all the land around us as her space. She is however an EXCELLENT companion dog and medical aid dog for my husband and responds to his needs when he is having physical trouble getting around.
