I need a guard dog

[Evan Johnson]

Ok i have fowl that are running loose and some that are out on tie cords 24/7, well i come to my yard to feed yesterday evening and something had eaten one of my roosters. But the rooster was no wheres to be found, his tie cord was chewed apart and his tee pee was moved about 3 ft. So I NEED A GUARDIAN! A friend of mine said he knew a guy that had GP pups(2 months old) 1 male and 1 female. So what gender is the smartest and will stay with the chickens instead of the road, or the local market & deli below my house? And do i need to leave it tied at the place i want it to stay for awhile or what?

 

[Sonya9]

When you say "Guardian" are you talking about true LGD Breeds? Or just a dog that will guard?

First off yes, the dog WILL go into the road and worse a true LGD will claim a wide territory and defend it (which means big time liability if you do NOT have fencing, if a stranger comes onto your land or without a fence anywhere NEAR your land those dogs can and will attack).

Secondly the dogs are NOT machines, real true working dogs are best raised by OTHER working LGD's until they are a year or so old so they learn how to deal with livestock. If you want a quality working dog you will pay plenty for it. Getting a puppy and throwing it in with chickens and expecting things to go perfectly is just plain ignorant, the pups almost always will chase and play with the chicks and quite possibly hurt them. It takes them a while to learn how to treat livestock with respect.

If anyone tells you "oh just buy a pup it will be fine" they aren't telling you the whole picture and not being honest about how much work is involved.

 

[Evan Johnson]

The puppy is a Great Pyrenees. I know you cant just bring a 2 month old pup and throw him in with your chickens thats just asking for trouble. My question is if i buy him/her do i need to leave them tied by the chickens for a little while? And is it very possible for the pup as i finally trust him/her enough to be "free" and do their job to work its way towards the highway?

 

[Sonya9]

And is it very possible for the pup as i finally trust him/her enough to be "free" and do their job to work its way towards the highway?

Yes, the dog WILL go towards the highway. Many LGD's have absolutely NO fear of automobiles and will stand down cars on the road.

Do not underestimate the power and protectiveness of these dogs, they don't just guard against coyotes and hawks, they will take down humans that they perceive as a threat too. GP's aren't as aggressive as some of the other LGD breeds but they are still nothing to take chances with.

I have an Anatolian and I know how powerful and strong willed these dogs are, here is a news story of a woman that trespassed/entered into her neighbors FENCED yard and was taken down by the property owners two Anatolians. Don't think "well those dogs just weren't raised right", they WERE raised right and this is typical behavior for them when strangers invade their territory.

In this case I am betting the dogs didn't see her coming until she was IN the yard and that is why they took her down without warning, my own Anatolian uses the same style, body slam the opponent to the ground and then terrorize/attack as the victim lies there beneath them.

 

[Evan Johnson]

Im not worried about the dog biting anyone. Where the dog will be there shouldn't be anyone around. So if someone gets big they were trespassing anyways.

 

[Sonya9]

The dogs protect what they BOND with. That is why they are ideally raised in with the livestock they will be guarding so they will bond with the livestock and feel protective towards them, they accept the livestock as their own family/pack and that attachment and feeling of "ownership"is what makes the dogs protective towards them.

If the pups are raised as "pets" and they bonded with people at a young age it is very hard to get them to truly bond with chickens however if the chickens are fairly close to the main house they will guard them as part of the house territory. My boy was raised as a working dog the first year and then I bought him as a companion dog, he will protect my chicken coop because it is close to our house and it falls within the "house" territory.

Chaining up a livestock guardian does not work with real predators as they will realize the dog can't get to them, in fact when folks are protecting livestock from crafty predators like coyotes they usually have at least two dogs so the coyotes can't lure away one dog while the other grabs a chicken.

My yard and chicken coop is securely fenced and I have it set up so that at night I can open the coop run and my LGD can patrol the area around the locked coop without hinderance. With that type of set up he actually wouldn't need to get along with the chickens at all (though he does) since he guards at night when they are all safely tucked away in the coop.

 

[zazouse]

When you say "Guardian" are you talking about true LGD Breeds? Or just a dog that will guard?

First off yes, the dog WILL go into the road and worse a true LGD will claim a wide territory and defend it (which means big time liability if you do NOT have fencing, if a stranger comes onto your land or without a fence anywhere NEAR your land those dogs can and will attack).

Secondly the dogs are NOT machines, real true working dogs are best raised by OTHER working LGD's until they are a year or so old so they learn how to deal with livestock. If you want a quality working dog you will pay plenty for it. Getting a puppy and throwing it in with chickens and expecting things to go perfectly is just plain ignorant, the pups almost always will chase and play with the chicks and quite possibly hurt them. It takes them a while to learn how to treat livestock with respect.

If anyone tells you "oh just buy a pup it will be fine" they aren't telling you the whole picture and not being honest about how much work is involved.

I agree with everything you posted.
I have 4 LGD here they take up lots of land and my daughters also, so you will need a fence with folks that close and you will need a year to work with them on a daily bases unless you get lucky and find a grown one that is already trained, it is rare but they do come up once in a while.

This is Elia he use to think everything was food heck he and his litter mates were eating a hen that had flew in the kennel, I had to feed him all threw the day to keep him full as he grew so fast, he is now an outstanding guardian of the birds





Annie is 8 months old here watching the peacocks dance







Annie started learning the ropes at an early age from my lead dog Marty.




This is 6 year old Roxey I got her 3 years ago already trained to be with birds we were her last chance, she keeps the front of my property predators free as she lives over at my daughters across the driveway.

My first Guardian dog ( Marty) was also a rehome back in 2009, i got her at the age of 5 months, the owned said she wanted to stay up by the house with their other dog and not up at the barn with the animals, brought her home and in 6 months she turned into the best Guardian on my place.

 

[zazouse]

The puppy is a Great Pyrenees. I know you cant just bring a 2 month old pup and throw him in with your chickens that's just asking for trouble. My question is if i buy him/her do i need to leave them tied by the chickens for a little while? And is it very possible for the pup as i finally trust him/her enough to be "free" and do their job to work its way towards the highway?

At 2 months the pup probably won't give ya much problems but around 5 months when they start coming into their own they can , that is the time you need to be there all the time they are out with the birds, you can not teach them not to do something if they ain't doing it, you have to catch them and teach them, no different than chewing o your shoes or getting into the trash cause it smells so good.

If you can see the highway in the distance do not get a Pyrenees, they will roam especially at night when they are most active unless you got them penned at night and let them out in the daytime, i have dogs like that but they are not GP they are pit bulls and a couple mutts

 

[4 the Birds]

Ok i have fowl that are running loose and some that are out on tie cords 24/7, well i come to my yard to feed yesterday evening and something had eaten one of my roosters. But the rooster was no wheres to be found, his tie cord was chewed apart and his tee pee was moved about 3 ft. So I NEED A GUARDIAN! A friend of mine said he knew a guy that had GP pups(2 months old) 1 male and 1 female. So what gender is the smartest and will stay with the chickens instead of the road, or the local market & deli below my house? And do i need to leave it tied at the place i want it to stay for awhile or what?

You had a rooster on a tie cord?? A GP can be great guardian dogs for livestock. Both chickens and dogs should have a perimeter fence as a first line of defense as well as a defined perimeter. If a guard dog attacks someone or something outside of your property then you are liable. Good fencing is what is needed. No way would I put a dog or chicken on a tie cord!

 

[centrarchid]

Roosters on tie cords within fenced in area works well with a good dog. Great Pyrenees or any other LGD, irrespective of gender can the job. Use fence to keep dog tight over charges. Put will not be trustworthy until at least 18 months. It may prove wiser to get an adult and break it of killing birds.