HE CAME UP ON MY PORCH!!!

[Sylviaanne]

I feel the same way! My boy friend says no to another dog. But, I lost about 50 chickens last year. I could have bought a really good guard breed....

I don't have a clue how to train a dog to be a LDG so I would want one already trained but I'm afraid that if it didn't grow up here, it would wander. There was a Pyrenees mix that someone was giving away but he wasn't staying on their property so I didn't think he would stay here either. I don't think I have lost quite that many but it's getting close. They aren't worth much, they are all mixes but I did have a few that were pure breeds. I had a Salmon Favorolle hen and bought another chick that turned out to be a roo so I was waiting for him to grow up to breed them. The raccoon last summer got her and a bunch of chicks and this one running around now, or the opossum got my Little Roo.

 

[enola]

You will have to have a fence to confine a guard dog. Otherwise, they think they have to guard the neighbor's place too.

 

[Sylviaanne]

You will have to have a fence to confine a guard dog. Otherwise, they think they have to guard the neighbor's place too.

That's a long way for him/her to go to guard. LOL I'm not sure the neighbors would mind either. I thought with LSG dogs all you had to do was walk them around the perimeter of your property? That's why I was saying I don't know how to train a LSG puppy.

 

[OnlyOrps]

If you have a large distance between your farm and neighbors and you think they might understand the occasional LGD visit then you sound like a perfect home for a Pyr or other LGD breed. I was fortunate that a grown and trained Pyr came with my property I just bought. She knows the perimeter and was born and raised with chickens on that land. We have perimeter fencing but that doesn't mean all LGDS would respect it. They're big dogs and can dig under, jump or bend just about any fencing. I've found that females tend to stay closer to home. I've only had one male who was a wonderer and he matured out of it. His problem was that I didn't allow him to bond with his stock. I spoiled him and he bonded to me and went looking for people to visit. He guarded my animals because I wanted him to not because he loved them. The key is to take a pup that has been born and raised with working parents and stock and put them directly in with stock. Even if you have to keep a rooster pen or get some cheap hatchery birds. There may be an instance where The pup acts like a pup and tries to play or even harm the birds. Rabbits and birds are the hardest to train a pup on and it may be a trying process where you have to keep a very close eye on the pup for hours correcting play behavior. They will want to play with the birds in an attempt to bond with them and will need to know this is a big NO! Usually only a few corrections are needed and they will get to work. especially if they came from a good home where they were born and raised with birds and parents that worked. I have also found that a broody mommy chicken or turkey will get the point across fairly quickly. You could also try free ranging the birds and the pup, that way the birds can escape and the pup will learn that in order to gain the birds trust they need to be calm. It is important you do not bond the puppy to you or other humans. You want to ignore them for the most part and only intervene to male corrections. You will find the pup will start to eat with the birds and begin to follow and mimic their behavior. Do not discourage this behavior. This is bonding behavior. If you have general farm dogs feel free to let the pup play with them also but ensure they are not coming inside or to the porch. Make sure they are focusing on the birds. If they get too pet oriented pen the birds and dog together again for a bit. If any chasing takes place a sharp reprimand is all I've ever needed to snap a pup out of it and correct their behavior. A few weeks of strict supervision should give you a dog with years and years of poultry protection. It may be tiring for a bit but it is well worth it and then you can always buy a pup or two for your dog to train when it gets a little older and overlap your generations so your tutelage will not be needed as much if at all. I just bought a Pyr pup from working parents to let our inherited dog raise up. I wouldn't own a farm without a few Pyrs.

 

[Sylviaanne]

If you have a large distance between your farm and neighbors and you think they might understand the occasional LGD visit then you sound like a perfect home for a Pyr or other LGD breed. I was fortunate that a grown and trained Pyr came with my property I just bought. She knows the perimeter and was born and raised with chickens on that land. We have perimeter fencing but that doesn't mean all LGDS would respect it. They're big dogs and can dig under, jump or bend just about any fencing. I've found that females tend to stay closer to home. I've only had one male who was a wonderer and he matured out of it. His problem was that I didn't allow him to bond with his stock. I spoiled him and he bonded to me and went looking for people to visit. He guarded my animals because I wanted him to not because he loved them. The key is to take a pup that has been born and raised with working parents and stock and put them directly in with stock. Even if you have to keep a rooster pen or get some cheap hatchery birds. There may be an instance where The pup acts like a pup and tries to play or even harm the birds. Rabbits and birds are the hardest to train a pup on and it may be a trying process where you have to keep a very close eye on the pup for hours correcting play behavior. They will want to play with the birds in an attempt to bond with them and will need to know this is a big NO! Usually only a few corrections are needed and they will get to work. especially if they came from a good home where they were born and raised with birds and parents that worked. I have also found that a broody mommy chicken or turkey will get the point across fairly quickly. You could also try free ranging the birds and the pup, that way the birds can escape and the pup will learn that in order to gain the birds trust they need to be calm. It is important you do not bond the puppy to you or other humans. You want to ignore them for the most part and only intervene to male corrections. You will find the pup will start to eat with the birds and begin to follow and mimic their behavior. Do not discourage this behavior. This is bonding behavior. If you have general farm dogs feel free to let the pup play with them also but ensure they are not coming inside or to the porch. Make sure they are focusing on the birds. If they get too pet oriented pen the birds and dog together again for a bit. If any chasing takes place a sharp reprimand is all I've ever needed to snap a pup out of it and correct their behavior. A few weeks of strict supervision should give you a dog with years and years of poultry protection. It may be tiring for a bit but it is well worth it and then you can always buy a pup or two for your dog to train when it gets a little older and overlap your generations so your tutelage will not be needed as much if at all. I just bought a Pyr pup from working parents to let our inherited dog raise up. I wouldn't own a farm without a few Pyrs.

I don't know if I could do that now. I have Yorkies and Maltese and I have humanized them to the point that I just don't know if I could lock a puppy away from us. I think I would feel too sorry for it being out there, alone and away from everything it ever knew.

 

[OnlyOrps]

I felt the same way with my first Pyr. I grew up breeding Maltese and yorkie and I did feel bad for him and turned him into a pet. Then I gave up and bought a started 8 MO old Pyr and saw how unbelievably content and happy she was to exercise her instincts and guard her critters. I realized that a Pyr with their stock is just as fulfilled as a bird dog retrieving or a herding dog herding or a lap dog being spoiled. Once they are bonded to their charges you can pet and love on them. It won't ruin the bond. It's just vital to allow that bond to form immediately before you give them too much affection. You will find they are a well rounded member of the farm and enjoy their duties and you won't lose any more birds. It's a win win imo.

 

[Sylviaanne]

I felt the same way with my first Pyr. I grew up breeding Maltese and yorkie and I did feel bad for him and turned him into a pet. Then I gave up and bought a started 8 MO old Pyr and saw how unbelievably content and happy she was to exercise her instincts and guard her critters. I realized that a Pyr with their stock is just as fulfilled as a bird dog retrieving or a herding dog herding or a lap dog being spoiled. Once they are bonded to their charges you can pet and love on them. It won't ruin the bond. It's just vital to allow that bond to form immediately before you give them too much affection. You will find they are a well rounded member of the farm and enjoy their duties and you won't lose any more birds. It's a win win imo.

I understand. Since they bond to their animals, do they still react to you as a pet or are they kind of standoffish?

 

[OnlyOrps]

I understand. Since they bond to their animals, do they still react to you as a pet or are they kind of standoffish?

I can't speak for all LGD breeds but my Pyrs obeyed me. They let me mess with their food, trim their nails, came when called, enjoyed being pet. I could take them on walks in the woods to graze the goats, they would stay close to their goats and come when I called I'd they wondered off. It is simple to turn an LGD Pyr into a pet but hard to turn a pet into an LGD if that makes sense lol. So my LGDS were weary of strangers and protective of us and their charges but they weren't wild or vicious because they get socialized by day to day activities like when I fed them, brushed them etc. It's just that initial bond you want to nurture between them and their birds, goats, etc.then you can handle them often and not ruin that bond you just add a human relationship to their resume.

 

[Sylviaanne]

I can't speak for all LGD breeds but my Pyrs obeyed me. They let me mess with their food, trim their nails, came when called, enjoyed being pet. I could take them on walks in the woods to graze the goats, they would stay close to their goats and come when I called I'd they wondered off. It is simple to turn an LGD Pyr into a pet but hard to turn a pet into an LGD if that makes sense lol. So my LGDS were weary of strangers and protective of us and their charges but they weren't wild or vicious because they get socialized by day to day activities like when I fed them, brushed them etc. It's just that initial bond you want to nurture between them and their birds, goats, etc.then you can handle them often and not ruin that bond you just add a human relationship to their resume.

Makes perfect sense. I was just wondering because I don't think I could treat a dog like a dog anymore and feel ok about it. I have raised other breeds when I was younger and didn't invest them with human feelings but then I took a break from animals for about 10 years and when I got them again, I got Yorkies and it was a totally different world to me. I don't know if I just never noticed how smart dogs are or if I was just too busy to notice.

 

[Sylviaanne]

You shouldn't be angry at the coon because you left your birds vulnerable by not securing them safely at night....
.....and relocated a problem animal, which is not a good idea for several reasons.

The wrist trap is the best, then he'll hold still so you can shoot him...oh, yeah he will.
Good Luck to ya!

I can't be angry at him for doing what comes naturally but I thought he was being greedy. Too greedy. We found out today that we had 2 predators. The other one was a opossum and he won't be bothering anyone's animals ever again. He must have been very hungry, he came at 10 am, it wasn't cloudy or foggy out there. Well, a little overcast but I could see him coming before he go to the fence of my chicken run.

Relocating wasn't my choice. LOL

Now, if we can just do away with the raccoon maybe we can have a few weeks of peace before it starts over again.