Help me choose a LGD please!

[centrarchid]

My chicken area is a little over 6 acres. Two dogs are out all the time with two more released under supervision as needed. Multiple dogs needed when acreage is larger and animals to be protected skatter like chickens do.

 

[cmom]

I agree with Folly's place. We inherited a daughters dog when she moved to a new place and couldn't have pets. She was old and has since passed. You mentioned a pup around 8 months old. You will have to train whatever dog you get. Everything will be new to the dog too. Now I have electric wires around my coops and very large pens. With 5 acres you should have plenty of room to make them a nice safe place. Sorry to say but when you free range that is a risk you take. Lessons learned the hard way. Good luck...
https://www.plamondon.com/wp/faq-simple-electric-fences-chickens/

 

[StrawHatHolly]

The Great Pyrenees cross will be prone to bark a lot, almost continuously at night, which can be an issue for close neighbors. Any LGD can be prone to roaming, it is an individual dog issue, and some can clear fences very easily. With smaller acreage and a small flock of less than a 100 birds I would look at intermediate sized farm dogs that can have other uses, but also sleep outside on even the coldest nights. I currently use English Shepherds but have used even German Pointers although the latter has issues with low temperatures.

My older female English Shepherd can repel coyotes from immediate vicinity of house and barn, but she needs to be near foraging chickens to be effective.

My place of work uses Akbashes and English Sheepdogs which do not bark like the Great Pyrenees we used to use.

All dogs need to be watched at first and some trained to make certain they do not harm the chickens.

I actually just talked to someone about their akbash/komondor cross who did very well on a smaller hobby farm. I also found some people talking about positive experiences with English shepherds too and I even saw something about border collie (if they have enough mental stimulation). I knew the standard pyr lgd would really not be a good fit for my situation but when you look up information about lgd that’s almost all you can find. I just don’t have the acreage a pyr would need to keep itself happy with. Funny thing with the barking is where I live if you DON’T hear a dog barking it’s almost assumed something might be wrong! Lol I appreciate the advice and other breed options! I planned on raising it under supervision with the hens from puppy and getting a above or below ground fence and letting it have free range once it is grown and trained. We have a close family friend who is a rancher and has trained lgd for use with ruminants and poultry and will be getting his help also.

 

[Mosey2003]

These dogs take 2 years to mature, at 8 months that dog is still an absolute pup and will need to have a pen of his own and full supervision any time he is loose around the stock - as in he will need to be on a leash with you at all times. It takes them a long time to be truly trustworthy with birds - they flap and run and look like a lot of fun to chase. Being raised with birds may help some, but it's really not very much in the way of training, honestly. You have to work with them every day until they're past their teenage phase, around 18 months. Plus, an 8 month old may act as a deterrent, but he would be nowhere near ready to actually protect anything, and if a pack of coyotes wanted to kill him, they absolutely could.

 

[Mtn Cur]

Just keep in mind the inherent dangers of a protection dog. Your neighbors horses and cows, just because they're are "livestock" doesn't mean they can't fall victim to the dog. If the LGD perceives anything as a threat EVEN YOU, they will react violently. You have to keep in mind who they spend time with, it's the livestock not you.

This link

Is a guy that got attacked by his own anatolian dogs. Best I can remember the dogs were protecting his pigs. The pigs squealed out, the dogs reacted. Give it a look before bringing LGD home. At first it's just audio, he warns how *GRAPHIC* his face is before switching to the camera. These folks kind of drag out the video but watch and listen

Pyrenees are not nearly as aggressive. There is a reason we have so many different types and sizes of dogs. All are bred to accomplish certain goals. It's up to you to decide which one will best suit your personal needs. You have been warned - anatolians atleast are not for everyone.

 

[centrarchid]

Keep trying to have dog do it’s loafing in center of where your 16 hens forage. I strive to have cover patches near loafing dog so dog does not have far to run when responding to chicken alarm calls. Ideally the chickens inform dog of threats and dog responds appropriately.
I will be doing the Great Pyrenees option myself, more because someone is bringing dogs and other stock out to join our family. It will be a threat because not properly acclimated to any animals it will be expected to protect. A great deal of effort is needed to “train” that dog.

 

[centrarchid]

He is also crossed with Anatolian and is hard on kids that do not know their way around dogs.

 

[Mtn Cur]

If you are discouraged or second guessing the whole LGD idea.
Google my screen name " mountain cur ". Most aren't familiar with the breed. It very well might be the answer. I'm not a breeder anymore but these are great "farm" dogs.

Taken from AKC's website :
Mountain Curs are the true All-American Pioneer dog. They were a necessity to the frontier family and it is likely that the Southern Mountains could not have been settled without them. They were one of the biggest assets that the settlers had in the rough and unforgiving country of the Mountains. They guarded the family and livestock against wild animals or intruders.

They were used to catch, tree, or hole wild game for the family’s food. Until the 1940s, these dogs were part of the way of life for the frontiersmen. They used money from sold furs that their dogs hunted to provide for their families. The exact origins of this breed are undocumented, as there was no need for an official pedigree among the pioneers.

The Mountain Cur was declared a breed in 1957 with the organization of the Original Mountain Cur Breeders of America (OMCBA). The most common strains of Mountain Cur included the McConnell, Stephens, Ledbetter, Arline and York strains, the categories being named after the owners of the dogs.

 

[tripletfeb]

If you are discouraged or second guessing the whole LGD idea.
Google my screen name " mountain cur ". Most aren't familiar with the breed. It very well might be the answer. I'm not a breeder anymore but these are great "farm" dogs.

Taken from AKC's website :
Mountain Curs are the true All-American Pioneer dog. They were a necessity to the frontier family and it is likely that the Southern Mountains could not have been settled without them. They were one of the biggest assets that the settlers had in the rough and unforgiving country of the Mountains. They guarded the family and livestock against wild animals or intruders.

They were used to catch, tree, or hole wild game for the family’s food. Until the 1940s, these dogs were part of the way of life for the frontiersmen. They used money from sold furs that their dogs hunted to provide for their families. The exact origins of this breed are undocumented, as there was no need for an official pedigree among the pioneers.

The Mountain Cur was declared a breed in 1957 with the organization of the Original Mountain Cur Breeders of America (OMCBA). The most common strains of Mountain Cur included the McConnell, Stephens, Ledbetter, Arline and York strains, the categories being named after the owners of the dogs.

I seriously considered a mountain cur when I was looking into getting a dog. Chose not to get one because my yard isin't big enough and that's not fair to the breed. But some day when I move to the mountains...

 

[McChooky]

@ChickensComeHome2Roost @LaFleche @Mtn Cur

Why buy a trained LGD if he's not going to stay on your property or protect your livestock at all times? I'm a little confused about what you're looking for.