Got my Great Pyrenees today!

[LamarshFish]

So far they are working well, although we are still waiting for the adolescent rebellion phase.

With a breed like that, serving the purpose they were bred for (i.e., a task at hand), I don't you have to worry much about any adolescent rebellion phase.

 

[bruceha2000]

The adolescent phase has nothing to do with the dog having a job. It's pretty well expected to go a little nuts when they are 8ish months old. Pups that never chased a chicken before may start to do so. If it doesn't happen, great. But best to be aware and on watch so you can correct bad behavior quickly.

 

[Dr.Dale]

I don't you have to worry much about any adolescent rebellion phase.

I do hope you are right, but ...

It's pretty well expected to go a little nuts when they are 8ish months old ... best to be aware and on watch

Yes, I am very aware, in two days they are 8 months old

 

[LamarshFish]

The adolescent phase has nothing to do with the dog having a job. It's pretty well expected to go a little nuts when they are 8ish months old. Pups that never chased a chicken before may start to do so. If it doesn't happen, great. But best to be aware and on watch so you can correct bad behavior quickly.

There's nothing you can do to avoid an "adolescent" phase, since that is simply an age. I am saying a well-bred and stable working dog will not go through a "rebellious" phase if it is busy performing the job it was bred to do, granted the handler does his part. The vast majority of trouble dogs are a problem during this adolescent phase, and it is almost always a result of boredom and bad handling. It is sometimes a result of poor breeding (i.e., not taking into account a proper balance between a stable mind and a high working end). But it more often than not is a result of bad handling combined with not having a task to perform.

Proper working dog handling takes into account the nature of canines, which is that of pack animals with a constant pack hierarchy, and always ensures the handler is the alpha. With that kind of proper working dog handling, a working dog should never "rebel."

The nice thing about LSDs, as compared to sporting/hunting dogs, is you can simply let the dog do its job all day long watching over livestock, rather than having to actually take the dog out to train it or hunt it in order for it to feel like it is doing its job (which is vital to a working dog, that often goes overlooked). So long as the OP maintains the proper hierarchy and good handling, making sure these dogs have a job is automatic and should be no problem.

 

[brainfog]

We lost our first chicken since getting the dogs. We got them spayed on Tuesday and then they told us that they had to be indoors and rest and recover for 10 days. We were completely surprised. Wednesday was ok but Thursday we lost a silver penciled rooster. He was inside our pen, but it looks like he got grabbed through the pen and his head torn off. I knew we had predators, but did not know how strong the predatory pressure is. To loose one behind a fence after only a little more than one day of the dogs being out of commission. It just speaks volumes to the threat and how well the dogs are addressing it.

That's terrible. Long ago I had stupid chickens and a lot of hawk pressure. Had to lock up my two cockerels - and by 11 am lost 2 hens. Its a delicate balance and hate to make any changes!

 

[Melissa_WV]

I hope to get 2 GP puppies in the near future. I have read that they can be trained to guard your birds and also any part of your property that you walk them around daily. Please update the thread with how it is going! Pictures would be great!

 

[Dr.Dale]

I hope to get 2 GP puppies in the near future.

Good luck! I am really enjoying these dogs, so I hope you do too. We have young kids and lots of friends with young kids, and they are great with everyone and all the animals.

We are still waiting for the infamous adolescent rebellion. But at this point these are the best dogs I have ever owned, and I am super happy that we decided to get them.

I have read that they can be trained to guard your birds and also any part of your property that you walk them around daily.

Yes, that has been our experience.

 

[Dr.Dale]

Just had an unknown predator attack a couple of minutes ago. The predator managed to get a mouthful of tail feathers from our silver penciled Plymouth Rock, but nothing more before the dogs chased it off!

 

[centrarchid]

If wind is right and dog not right with stock, predators like fox or racoon can slip in. Dog needs to learn how to change tactics with weather.

 

[Dr.Dale]

Yes, I don’t think that they have gotten to that point yet. They don’t have an older dog to show them how, so they are learning on their own as they mature. I think this experience was a good learning experience for them. They were clearly agitated that a predator had gotten on the land.