Just acquired a 5 month old Great Pyr, help please

[MandyH]

We were JUST given a full blooded, 5 month old GP female puppy. She is HUGE and has never been around animals. Our pasture is 3 acres with turkeys, sheep, ducks and chickens in there. We put her in there and right now she just kinda looks like "oh cr ap". She is a real sweetheart so far and LOVES my 4 year old DD. The lady that gave her to us bought her for her son and he was NOT taking care of her. She was in a 10x10 pen with no food, water, or shade. She is a good bit underweight but friendly. What do I do with her now? Leave her in the pasture so she knows what her job is and where her home is? Do we play with her like we do our other dogs, or leave her to her work? Please help.

 

[gaited horse]

where are the pics

 

[aaronzclark]

I would leave her to work if you keep taking her out and put her in alot she won't know what to do i would never let her leave the fence and it is fine to play with her in the fence but only for a while or it distracts her from doing her job

 

[CoyoteMagic]

If she hasn't been around animals, instincts aren't just going to kick in and start guarding animals. You will be lucky if she doesn't eat them all.

These dogs have to be trained to take care of livestock. (Unless they are born with their parents already guarding stock)

Sorry to be so abrupt but you can't just drop a puppy in and say do your job when the dog has no idea what it is.

 

[MandyH]

Yes, she was born with both paretns guarding goats. I don't know how long she's been away from her parents though. The lady couldn't tell me much since it was her sons dog. Sunny did fine overnight in the pasture. SHe lays by the fence since she is used to being locked up in a dog kennel, but she didn't eat any of the animals.

 

[mekasmom]

They are born with a guarding instinct. They naturally guard whatever they bond with. But at five months, if she has already bonded with humans, it would be a lot more difficult for her to switch that protection instinct to animals than it would be for a young puppy to have it. You just have to decide what you want her to protect? The family or the goats? If it is the goats, then she has to bond to that herd. That means you leave her with them to bond. If you want her to bond and protect the family, then she should stay with them.
Pyrs don't usually have a high prey drive. They may be overly playful and hurt a goat, but they don't just simply attack them usually. It's not in their instinct to hunt for prey so much. I wouldn't be overly concerned about her hurting the goats unless she seems too prone to trying to "play" with them. I have left mine in the rabbit colony shed at night when it is cold and they are small. They don't hurt the baby rabbits which are much smaller than goats.