Great Pyrenees - to buy or not to buy?

[BigBlueHen53]

I won't tell someone whether or not to get a dog.
We got Kipper 3 years ago Sunday. She had to learn everything the hard way. She's 3/4 Pyrenees and 1/4 Bull Mastiff.
She wanted to baptize every chicken she could catch as a teenager. Literally would hold the chicken under water in the kiddie pool until it died and go get another one. Like I said she had to learn the hard way.
Now she ignores the chickens but wants to protect the geese, that try to bite her. She's a great guard dog and keeps all of the wild animals out of our yard all night long.
She never barks at people or cars, but barks at night to keep predators away. She loves all people and is very curious about everyone. Everyone LOVES Kipper.
The day we got her:
View attachment 3036726
Teenage years:
View attachment 3036727
Now with my oldest son:
View attachment 3036728

Chicken baptisms! Sorry, but that made me laugh! Glad she outgrew it and works well for you now. That's a great pic of her with your son, thanks for sharing.

 

[User635240]

I won't tell someone whether or not to get a dog.
We got Kipper 3 years ago Sunday. She had to learn everything the hard way. She's 3/4 Pyrenees and 1/4 Bull Mastiff.
She wanted to baptize every chicken she could catch as a teenager. Literally would hold the chicken under water in the kiddie pool until it died and go get another one. Like I said she had to learn the hard way.
Now she ignores the chickens but wants to protect the geese, that try to bite her. She's a great guard dog and keeps all of the wild animals out of our yard all night long.
She never barks at people or cars, but barks at night to keep predators away. She loves all people and is very curious about everyone. Everyone LOVES Kipper.
The day we got her:
View attachment 3036726
Teenage years:
View attachment 3036727
Now with my oldest son:
View attachment 3036728

What do you mean "she had to learn the hard way."? What method/s did you use?

 

[CFarms]

I got a Collie when she was a puppy - she's 1 now. We actually have 2 collies now. She is amazing. If the goats get out she's ready to put them back in their area & will bark insistently until we come & help her. Inside their fence I taught her to put them to bed - she'll herd them into their barn and then make them stay. She doesn't like our chickens free ranging so she tries to herd them to their barn but she doesn't attack them.... our other Collie we got when she was 4 & she will try to attack the chickens but she doing better. I fully believe in Collies (had one as a child too) but it always depends on the temperament of the dog. I wanted to do great Pyrenees also but in the end I'm just not sure I will. I truly believe in Collies as companions, protectors & herding dogs. With a rapidly growing farm, all kinds of livestock, kids, grandkids & farm tours...I trust my Collies with them all....our other dogs not so much. Thanks for reading.

 

[Bound to Sea]

Pyrenees are known to be Chicken Killers

I had a pyrneses/ shephard cross. Pic 1. Never hurt or hearded or killed one of my birds. They were first introduced to her when she was 6 years old. So was my other beauceron cross. Pic 2. My biggest chaser/ hearded is my young Rottweiler/ collie cross. pic 3. She stops hearding when the chickens are back in the pen. She knows her job. Dogs can be trained. We have only had female dogs around our birds. Just our personal choice.

 

[LEOJOHN]

Hi all, new to the forum. I have 27 lovely chickens, 5 goats, and one dog (friendly dingo-shepherd mix). We do have foxes, bears, and large coyowolves here. I lost one hen last summer, not sure what happened to her. The different animals mostly get along mingling in the barn. The pyrenees seems to be the most popular breed in my area (northeast ohio) for protecting herds from predators. However, the breeders I have spoken to (one a backyard breeder, and one an AKC breeder) both said their puppies' parents have killed chickens. How much of the dog's behavior is nature and how much is nurture? Also unrelated to chickens, Pyrenees are known for running off, and I don't think I can handle a dog with no recall, it would be too stressful for me if it got out and I had to chase it across town (if it survived the cars). Also, I know myself and I would not have the time or patience to devot to extensive training. (The way I trained my current dog, I told him loudly, if he peed in the house again, I was taking him back to the pound. He got the message.) My current dog is pretty good about alerting me to predators, and I imagine I could just go outside and shoot them if there was a problem. I work from home and currently sleep in the barn. While wildlife predators are a threat, I'm actually more concerned with human predators. What do you think?

Please don't get a Pyrenees.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Please don't get a Pyrenees.

Care to explain why, or give your reasons?

 

[Carters Chick House]

check out the Marimba dog

The Maremma?

 

[Carters Chick House]

I am a dog trainer and Pyr owner. Pyres are great flock guardians and and family pets. They, do, however, require training in order to learn their jobs do their jobs well. If you don't have the time or knowledge to train a puppy of ant breed, don't get one. If your training methods are yelling, punishment, and intimidation, you might want to consider finding a dog who is older and already trained, or hiring a professional. While Pyres are independent by nature, they are also sensitive to their owners' needs and emotions. They don't do well with owners who used force based training. They still need supervision, care, and interaction.

Pyrs bark - a lot. That is how they guard. Pyrs can have great recall, but they do wander. Their job, for centuries, was to go out with the flock, sometimes for weeks at a time. If you do not have enough property, good fences, or plan to supervise them, pyrs quickly become disa-pyrs.

One of my Pyrs is a rescue, she was surrendered for killing a chicken. The owner was under the impression that the other dogs would teach her. Instead they intimidated and starved her. The owners yelled at her and punished her. She was fearful hesitant and sick at. 7 months. She is now 2, and my constant companion. She is a therapy dog, has never tried to harm any of our animals, and can be trusted with the chickens. She is my most confident and reliable dog. We have not had any issues with predators since she came to live with us. None.

All of my dogs do some kind of training every day. Every interaction you have with your dogs is teaching them something. All dog, regardless of breed, are a commitment and require training to be able to be the best helpers and companions they can be. If you aren't up to it, maybe motion sensors/alarms/lights might work better to deter predators alert you to potential threats.

Agree. Training is key.

 

[Carters Chick House]

Agree. Training is key.

I've been an animal educator 40 plus years.My dog of choice has been the Newfoundland. I believe training any animal starts the day you bring them home. All my dogs have earned their CD, and some SAR. Now I've got them into novice "chicken class".

 

[AgnesGray]

I've been an animal educator 40 plus years.My dog of choice has been the Newfoundland. I believe training any animal starts the day you bring them home. All my dogs have earned their CD, and some SAR. Now I've got them into novice "chicken class".

Love Newfies! It's amazing to see them doing their jobs. I don't think I'd be up for the challenge of training them with chickens, but they are incredible dogs.