Great Pyrenees - to buy or not to buy?

[Prop toe]

Patience and time shock collar zap them when they lundge to make game of the fowl takes hours spent in the yard to break and train the dog . You should succeed you have a dog worth his weight in gold almost.Have to spend time and patience only let dog in grounds of fowl when you are there .I have also scolded dog for killing a fowl then beat him with the dead fowl and wire the legs together and affix it to the dogs collar and make them go around while it rots and broke them.My grounds were fenced in also 6 acres and another yard 8; acres used what is red necks call farm fence and had barb wire on insulator's starting 3 inches off the ground and every 6 inches up the fence and charged with a 16 joule box best I can remember .I also raised game dogs on different lot had one that traveled with me all the time never could let him near anything I got unattended t..In short you got time to break o live unless I was there to stop him from killings ole boy was a catch artist however he kill anything I told him too
In short avoid dogs that are known for hunting capibilties by bred .But one thing for certain you don't have the Time to break them best reach real deep in your pocket to buy a trained dog or forget about it good day

 

[Prop toe]

All dogs will hunt to some degree.A shock collar zap when they try make game of fowl .Time and patience.Personally I had a blue heeler and a astrailian sherpard made the best dogs for fowl I ever had.I raised game dogs also APBT breaking A bull dog from killing fowl about like finding hen teeth.

 

[Sleepytime]

Pyrenees are known to be Chicken Killers

That's the first I've ever heard of that. Any dog that's not trained to leave chickens alone can potentially be a chicken killer. I personally know many people who have GP's protecting their poultry. That being said, you would need to get a puppy and not an adult for it to work. I have a new pup that will be 9 weeks old tomorrow. She goes with me when I feed everyday. I watch her closely and if she shows the slightest interest (staring, following) any of my birds, I speak sharply to her and call her away. She gets praised for passing by any bird without showing interest. She really is a good pup and hasn't paid them much attention, including the guineas that are always milling about. I haven't felt the need to put a collar and leash on her to have more control, but will use it if needed. This type of training needs to continue for at least a year to a year and a half before letting them go unsupervised. Mine stays unsupervised now with the geese because they won't let her chase them if she tried. She has shown no interest in them anyway. I'll be putting some of my ducks out in several pens on Sunday and will see how she reacts to them, but don't anticipate any problems. If she reacts, I'll correct her until she ignores them. Later, ( in a few months if all goes well), I'll turn some loose around her while she's leashed and after that unleashed. It's kind of a slow process, but GP's, like all large breeds, mature slowly. I think one thing that's important is to watch the puppies in a litter interact and don't choose the most aggressive. Pick the one that's more submissive and you'll have one that's easier to train. Several of my friends have had GP's guarding their flocks for 10 or more years and have never had them attack their birds. The key is to get them young, correct them everytime they step out of line and praise them when they do right. It does take time and dedication. If you aren't willing to do that and be patient enough to let them mature, then don't do it. That doesn't make you a bad person, that's just you looking at reality. I work full-time, so it's not like I have unlimited time, I just train mine while doing my daily routine. Hope this helps.

 

[TJAnonymous]

That's the first I've ever heard of that. Any dog that's not trained to leave chickens alone can potentially be a chicken killer. I personally know many people who have GP's protecting their poultry. That being said, you would need to get a puppy and not an adult for it to work. I have a new pup that will be 9 weeks old tomorrow. She goes with me when I feed everyday. I watch her closely and if she shows the slightest interest (staring, following) any of my birds, I speak sharply to her and call her away. She gets praised for passing by any bird without showing interest. She really is a good pup and hasn't paid them much attention, including the guineas that are always milling about. I haven't felt the need to put a collar and leash on her to have more control, but will use it if needed. This type of training needs to continue for at least a year to a year and a half before letting them go unsupervised. Mine stays unsupervised now with the geese because they won't let her chase them if she tried. She has shown no interest in them anyway. I'll be putting some of my ducks out in several pens on Sunday and will see how she reacts to them, but don't anticipate any problems. If she reacts, I'll correct her until she ignores them. Later, ( in a few months if all goes well), I'll turn some loose around her while she's leashed and after that unleashed. It's kind of a slow process, but GP's, like all large breeds, mature slowly. I think one thing that's important is to watch the puppies in a litter interact and don't choose the most aggressive. Pick the one that's more submissive and you'll have one that's easier to train. Several of my friends have had GP's guarding their flocks for 10 or more years and have never had them attack their birds. The key is to get them young, correct them everytime they step out of line and praise them when they do right. It does take time and dedication. If you aren't willing to do that and be patient enough to let them mature, then don't do it. That doesn't make you a bad person, that's just you looking at reality. I work full-time, so it's not like I have unlimited time, I just train mine while doing my daily routine. Hope this helps.

My Husky-GP mix was raised around chickens from 8 weeks old. She never showed any interest in them either....until the day she did at 10 months old. The first time she caught a young chick that was several weeks old and had gotten under the fence into our backyard. She carried it around in a game of "keep away" while I tried to get it back from her. Eventually she stopped and I took the terrified, but unharmed, chick back to the coop. A few weeks later, another chick got under the fence. This one wasn't so lucky. She killed it and ate half of it before I even knew she had it. When I tried to take it from her, she began resource guarding and growling/snapping at me. Btw, the chickens were getting under the fence because my dog LOVES to dig and kept digging next to the fence that aligns the chicken yard. Anyway, my dog has killed 2 chickens that had the misfortune of coming into her space by the time she was a year old. She is now 2 1/2 years old. I let her outside about a month ago before I realized there was an adult chicken in the backyard who had flown over the fence while free ranging. I ran outside in a panic but my dog acted like she could care less about the chicken. She was just watching it lazily and looking at me like "what's all the fuss about?" I still don't necessarily trust her around my birds but this experience has taught me that breed/genetics can provide a disposition for attacking prey but really it is the dog's individual personality that determines what they will or won't do. Maybe she's grown out of it, maybe she hasn't. I just play it safe and don't assume she won't.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Oh, I forgot to add one detail. Every morning I walk out to the barn to feed my animals. On my way there, I let my 2 dogs into the backyard so they can go potty. My Husky-GP mix loves to watch me feed the chickens. As I walk towards the pasture gate, all the chickens run up to the fence to "follow" me towards the gate. My dog gets her kicks off of leaping at the fence and making all the chickens scatter in a panic. She does this every. single. morning. She doesn't actually hurt any of them because she's on one side of the fence and they are on the other. But it is clearly like a game to her..... Again, another reason why I'm not sure I would ever trust her around them physically.

 

[Sleepytime]

My Husky-GP mix was raised around chickens from 8 weeks old. She never showed any interest in them either....until the day she did at 10 months old. The first time she caught a young chick that was several weeks old and had gotten under the fence into our backyard. She carried it around in a game of "keep away" while I tried to get it back from her. Eventually she stopped and I took the terrified, but unharmed, chick back to the coop. A few weeks later, another chick got under the fence. This one wasn't so lucky. She killed it and ate half of it before I even knew she had it. When I tried to take it from her, she began resource guarding and growling/snapping at me. Btw, the chickens were getting under the fence because my dog LOVES to dig and kept digging next to the fence that aligns the chicken yard. Anyway, my dog has killed 2 chickens that had the misfortune of coming into her space by the time she was a year old. She is now 2 1/2 years old. I let her outside about a month ago before I realized there was an adult chicken in the backyard who had flown over the fence while free ranging. I ran outside in a panic but my dog acted like she could care less about the chicken. She was just watching it lazily and looking at me like "what's all the fuss about?" I still don't necessarily trust her around my birds but this experience has taught me that breed/genetics can provide a disposition for attacking prey but really it is the dog's individual personality that determines what they will or won't do. Maybe she's grown out of it, maybe she hasn't. I just play it safe and don't assume she won't.

My Husky-GP mix was raised around chickens from 8 weeks old. She never showed any interest in them either....until the day she did at 10 months old. The first time she caught a young chick that was several weeks old and had gotten under the fence into our backyard. She carried it around in a game of "keep away" while I tried to get it back from her. Eventually she stopped and I took the terrified, but unharmed, chick back to the coop. A few weeks later, another chick got under the fence. This one wasn't so lucky. She killed it and ate half of it before I even knew she had it. When I tried to take it from her, she began resource guarding and growling/snapping at me. Btw, the chickens were getting under the fence because my dog LOVES to dig and kept digging next to the fence that aligns the chicken yard. Anyway, my dog has killed 2 chickens that had the misfortune of coming into her space by the time she was a year old. She is now 2 1/2 years old. I let her outside about a month ago before I realized there was an adult chicken in the backyard who had flown over the fence while free ranging. I ran outside in a panic but my dog acted like she could care less about the chicken. She was just watching it lazily and looking at me like "what's all the fuss about?" I still don't necessarily trust her around my birds but this experience has taught me that breed/genetics can provide a disposition for attacking prey but really it is the dog's individual personality that determines what they will or won't do. Maybe she's grown out of it, maybe she hasn't. I just play it safe and don't assume she won't.

You're smart to play it safe and not assume she won't attack another chicken. Being half husky, I'm not surprised by what she did. I love huskies, they're beautiful and can be a fun dog, but I'd never trust one around my birds. Their prey drive is really strong.

 

[TJAnonymous]

You're smart to play it safe and not assume she won't attack another chicken. Being half husky, I'm not surprised by what she did. I love huskies, they're beautiful and can be a fun dog, but I'd never trust one around my birds. Their prey drive is really strong.

The face of an unapologetic chicken killer....

 

[Double J Farms]

I would say most large breed dogs with enough time and PATIENCE put in their training can pretty much be tought to guard someone or something. Im a HUGE believer in that once a dog imprints on someone they will gladly give their life to protection. I have seen it in many different breeds of dogs. Ive got a Blue Lacy named Kate. She is my baby. Has had zero training in protecting anything. Her job in life is to blood trail deer. Thats it. But a varmit doesnt come on the place that she doesnt get real upset about. She hates coyotes and other than shooting a few with her standing next to me theres been no training her to protect against them.

 

[User635240]

I have an Anatolian shepherd that is great with chickens and other small animals. Much like the Pyrenees though; THEY CANNOT BE CONTAINED! He'll tear out of any sort of confinement. He even opens the house doors to come in and out at his leisure he's an amazing guardian dog and a great companion. He's also extremely trainable BUT they are not a breed that will ever have a reliable recall. The reason being is that livestock guardian dogs were bred to be independent so that they can be alone for long periods of time and make thier own decisions while working. It definitely would be a long road of training but I honestly would still recommend one. I think they are worth the effort. The more work they feel like they have to do on your property, the less likely they are to leave (neuter your males! I have heard of people saying you can't neuter a guardian dog but that has been proven untrue. If you don't, they will roam looking for a mate. They would even chase after a coyote in heat!) My Buddy boy loves guarding my outdoor cat and making sure the turkeys don't get too close to her

I ended up getting two Anatolian shepherds, a male and a female, from registered breeders. They seem very coachable. They are somewhat interested in the chickens. I spend time monitoring them to correct them if they start chasing them. The only problem is my companion dog, a dingo-gsd mix, defintely likes to chase and mouth the chickens, so he sets a very bad example for the puppies.