Great Pyrenees - to buy or not to buy?

[User635240]

To get more details - why is it that you’re looking for another dog if yours is working? Is your current dog an inside dog and you want a true -live outside- LGD?

I was told that Pyrenees can physically stand up to coyotes due to their size and thick fur and skin. Also, goat breeders in my area swear by them. Yes my current dog is an inside dog. He does like to be outside as much as possible, and has 'asked' to sleep in the goat pen at night, but he is not cold tolerant and gets shivers quickly. But you raise a good question, maybe a second dog is not necessary.

 

[User635240]

True, different animals have a different density and different impact when they're gone. It's important to see the subtlety, because a lot of the time when people talk about shooting predators, they think of the big scary ones, like bobcats, bears, wolves etc. - the vulnerable ones that should be left alone. So it's important to differentiate.

I would only shoot an animal if it presented a direct threat to me or one of my animals. And I have never shot one. Mostly, I would not want my personal dog to be injured so I would want to disarm the threat myself. This is the footprint of the neighborhood coyote/coyowolf:

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Wow, I would not want to get near a 6 toed wolf.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

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?

I have 3 giant breed dogs: Leonberger, Pyrenees, Newfoundland. They're incredibly different. Leonberger has the look and baratone bark to scare away people and predators but Leonbergers have to live inside, absolutely to special to be outdoor only dogs and they are rare and expensive. Pyrenees is the perfect chicken protector. Her house is out with the chickens, she has no interest in anything other than protection of our fence, she is dedicated to her job big time. The Newfoundland is the chicken killer! Cannot be trusted around chickens ever. His breeder told me that his parents killed 30 chickens in the time it took them to go to dinner. Came home to beaks and feet. You're getting all kinds of feedback but just thought I'd thrown in what I know....

 

[User635240]

Wow, I would not want to get near a 6 toed wolf.

Is that not a wolf print?

 

[User635240]

I have 3 giant breed dogs: Leonberger, Pyrenees, Newfoundland. They're incredibly different. Leonberger has the look and baratone bark to scare away people and predators but Leonbergers have to live inside, absolutely to special to be outdoor only dogs and they are rare and expensive. Pyrenees is the perfect chicken protector. Her house is out with the chickens, she has no interest in anything other than protection of our fence, she is dedicated to her job big time. The Newfoundland is the chicken killer! Cannot be trusted around chickens ever. His breeder told me that his parents killed 30 chickens in the time it took them to go to dinner. Came home to beaks and feet. You're getting all kinds of feedback but just thought I'd thrown in what I know....

I love stories like these!

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Hi thanks for addressing my inquiry. Let me clarify, I spend a ton of quality time with my dingo-shepherd mix; he goes on all my errands and trips with me, and he is extremely friendly. All the cashiers at Home Depot and TSC have treats ready for him. However I did not have the discipline to do any formal training exercises with him; we flunked basic obedience school. Still a no-go with the pyrenees?

That is a no pyneese need to learn to alter there alerts to guarding and not eat therefore takes training....but then again any dog you get is going to need training.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

I have an 11 year old saint bernard she is a perfect protector. And is dedicated to the job but has recently become an inside dog due to age...so I hot a rescue and am chicken training her. I also just got a pup that turned one that I am chickens training let me tell you it is easier to chicken train a puppy than a rescue or older dog because there ways are not set yet....you must start the day you get them though....you want a dog with low prey drive but some....with a mean bark. And a dog that is calm amd not to rowdy or at least knows when ots play time or not.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

That is a no pyneese need to learn to alter there alerts to guarding and not eat therefore takes training....but then again any dog you get is going to need training.

My girl understands "BE NICE TO CHICKENS." She is highly intelligent and her DNA to protect means my entire family whether chicken or human. I'm seeing that people have different experiences but if you just go with giving the dog the job it wants, I think it works out. Put some time into it and the reward it big. No big training sessions or dog whisperers needed. Just the right balance of job, reward, oversight. All of that said, when chickens are milling about as normal, no dog really cares. It's when they "run" that the prey drive kicks in. You have to correct the response to the chicken running, lol.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

My girl understands "BE NICE TO CHICKENS." She is highly intelligent and her DNA to protect means my entire family whether chicken or human. I'm seeing that people have different experiences but if you just go with giving the dog the job it wants, I think it works out. Put some time into it and the reward it big. No big training sessions or dog whisperers needed. Just the right balance of job, reward, oversight. All of that said, when chickens are milling about as normal, no dog really cares. It's when they "run" that the prey drive kicks in. You have to correct the response to the chicken running, lol.

Correct. Agreed that or when they flap there wins it looks pretty fun lol I know my rescue thinks so lol