Great Pyrenees - to buy or not to buy?

[LizzzyJo]

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.

I suppose it all depends on your area, but my 65lb dog is far bigger than a coyote here. Plus coyotes are skittish little doggos who are scared off easily. Not like wolves in coordinated packs. You’re likely looking to deter them, not fight them.

I would suggest a line of electric fencing - even a mobile one - in lieu of a new dog until you have a lot of time for training. You will have a marvelous LGD one day, but more animals that need training can really = more problems if the solution is a quick one (electric rope fence).

Also, when it gets warmer your current dog can sleep in the barn and get his scent all over it and this may do a bit of deterrence in its own.

That’s just my 2 cents but I don’t know your exact situation.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

You don't need a gigantic dog to be a livestock guardian. I have two Shelties and practically never lose chickens to predators.

Oh such a great point! I had Shelties with my Horse growing up and my Dad had a Newfie. The horse was super mean to the Newfie, would take a huge bite out of him if he drank from horse water and would never allow him to come on trails. But he trusted the Shelties, let them trot beside him on trails, it was an amazing display of how one animal just knows the other animals natural ability (to herd in this case.) I am SURE Shelties are great at protecting (and herding instead of eating,) chickens!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Lol, my Shelties try to "herd" the chix but they are just as likely to herd them AWAY from the gate as into it! Enthusiasm they have in spades, competence... eh, not so much! But the chickens fear them not at all and when I toss scratch out to them the dogs are out there among them, lapping up the corn with gusto equal to the birds'!

 

[SilkieChicken123]

Bought electric fence. Would Anatolians be better?

@goats-n-oats - I'm really late to replying to this forum, but, I shall still give advice. Great Pyrenees are normally the best LDG's to protect chickens. Anatolian's are not the best with poultry and take so much training, in the end it takes so much more stress and time then a Pyrenees would have. Pyrenees dogs still need training (like all dogs), but not near as much as an Anatolian. Pyrenees' seem to do great with birds, and in the end will totally be worth. You could also try a Pyretolian (Anatolian/Pyrenees) they still tend to be harder to train around birds then just a Pyrenees, but not as hard as a Anatolian.
But of course, it just depends on the dog/puppy itself. You could get the best Anatolian ever, and your friend could get the worst. Or vice versa with the Pyrenees. It really just depends.

 

[SilkieChicken123]

Pyrenees are known to be Chicken Killers

All dogs kill chickens if they're not trained properly. All dogs. It's natural. Even in training, there's a good chance they will kill a bird or two but not purposely. It's just part puppyhood. In the end, Pyrenees dogs will be completely worth it.

 

[Baybrio]

Is that not a wolf print?

I think it is two prints, front and back on top.

 

[Bantam Mama]

Bought electric fence. Would Anatolians be better?

Oh please No Anatolians for chickens… my dear friend has one and she’s continually wanting to kill her chickens and has killed so now she has to stay away from the chickens.. I bought a Great Pyrenees with one eighth Anatolian puppy approx 3 mo. old for the purpose of guarding my flock and scaring away hawks .. she ended up killing my RR chicken.. this puppy did have training… so now she has a new home..

 

[Vicker]

Oh.

That's quite a blanket statement.

 

[alliekcb]

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?

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.

 

[Vicker]

In general, livestock guardian dog breeds bark bark bark bark bark bark and are very independent. Many are not safe to leave with poultry until they have fully matured, which they do at a slower rate than many other breeds. In general, they have a tendency to dig under or climb over fences. Our dogs protect the perimeter of the property and run freely with the sheep. I can't let the chickens free range with the dogs because they are too tempted to play with squawky flappy things. A lot of people think they need to raise the dog in the pen with the birds. I wouldn't want my dog laying in the poop. The dogs don't have to be bonded with them to protect them. They go after whatever would be approaching the pen, including hawks. They are loving and not at all aggressive to people that they know. I say this as an Anatolian Shepherd owner and neighbor to Maremmas and a GP.