Great Pyr and my flock ??'s

[TDM]

Quote:
I cheat. It gets moved 100 feet at a time, like an slinky. Six lengths of 100' Premier PermaNet at a time. That way the chickens don't have a chance to run away.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Psst, I had a show Pyr, only 1 acre fenced and just chickens. Our Pyr had a prefect track record for protecting the chickens and was happy as a clam. I would be concerned that 10 acres might allow the LGD to roam too far from the chickens. You kind of want the Pyr reasonably close to the chickens.

If the dog really bonded to the birds, it wouldn't matter how large the enclosure was.
But they don't bond to birds

The large area is for the dogs well being​

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

1 acre = happy dog + close enough to determine predators.

Other formulas can work too but, they do not invalidate this one. Dogs don’t come preprogrammed. They can learn and be trained to work in the situation we need them to work in. That's what makes them great.

Jim

 

[r4eboxer]

If the dog really[b :

bonded [/b]to the birds, it wouldn't matter how large the enclosure was.
]

The large area is for the dogs well being

If great pyrs don't bond to birds why do so many very successful breeders of chickens and water fowl seem to keep quite a few great pry?
As I said in my earlier post a very respected conservationist kept pyrs. I am just trying to figure out if this is the right breed for me. Please of you can give me some facts about your reasoning it will help me make my choice and know that I am considering the right or wrong breed.​

 

[r4eboxer]

Quote:
Thanks so much for your input. I have talked to this breeder a long while and her dogs do guard flock and goats, I think they can be dual purpose just like other animals are.

 

[natrgatr]

I have a Great Pyr and as a puppy I had to teach him not to eat my chickens. He is well adjusted now and they are his flock. I also trained him to an underground fence although it took trimming some of the hair where the collar conacts were. Just a trim, not a shave. I've had him in the fence now for two years with no troubles. I once saw him chase a stray dog off the property and he stopped dead a good ten feet before the UG fence. I gave him about 10 of our forty acres and he seems to be happy.

 

[r4eboxer]

Quote:
Thanks for the info on the underground fence. I really hope I can use mine with the dogs. I hate to have them pinned all the time as I am going to free range my chickens as much as possible. I am still going back and forth over these dogs. I just want to do the right thing for the dogs and my family. I sought out a good breeder because I want them to be certified health wise. I am homesteading for various reasons and one of them is to save money. I know I can't be guaranteed that they will no have health issues but I want to know that the breeder has taken steps to breed out some potential problems. Vets are not cheap.

 

[Baymule]

I was given a Pyr because the people left her unsupervised on 3 acres with lots of chickens running around. She thought they were playtoys and the people found chickens "slobbered" to death. They punished her to no avail. (God only knows what they did to her) They also in their infinite wisdom gave her raw eggs so she thinks all eggs are "hers". She was 10 months old when I got her. She thinks chickens are the devil and would probably like to have a crack at mine, but they stay cooped. I have observed her charging the coop fence, growling. I'm sure she associates chickens with punishment and she hates them. We live in town with a fenced back yard. We raised the 4' chain link another 3' and it keeps her in. She winds up protecting the chickens because they are in "her" yard. But there is not really any predators here anyway. Pyrs are very protective and they stake ownership in their territory, whether it be a small backyard or 600 acres. They will patrol the outer parameter, so keep that in mind.

Keep a watch on the puppy to avoid a disaster like what happened to my dog. My Pyr is a wonderful dog, just had bad 1st owners who did not take time to properly teach her. Never give your dogs raw eggs or you will never gather any again.

Some dogs go right to work and you never have to worry about them. Some need a little training. These dogs are not magic. They are not on automatic livestock buttons. Spend the necessary time with them and you will be more than amply rewarded. Good luck with your dogs.

 

[peteyfoozer]

LGD's such as Pyrs are great protectors of livestock, that said, they are considered puppies until they are 2 and tend to mischief at times. Even the best poultry dog might consider the chickens to be squeaky toys when they are pups. If it's possible, find a more mature dog already guarding poultry, or if you want to take the time and changes with a pup, I recommend joining the WorkingLGD forum on yahoo. There is a myriad of people there with years of experience and excellent advice. It was invaluable to me and my Maremmas. There are also some people there that do rescues, training and there is a DVD you can purchase that is VERY worth the money. I believe you can find the DVD at Bountifulfarms.com or something like that. I don't have the bookmarks on this laptop.
I DO know you will need adequate fencing for these types of dogs as they go over/under/through fences to set their patrol perimeters and it can be hazardous to them if you have neighbors and or traffic. We live on 250,000 acres, so my dogs remain free to go where they are needed at all times. Not everyone is this fortunate.

 

[Baymule]

Awww.....love the pic.