LGD love!

[OnlyOrps]

I'm glad you all love your kangals so much but I'm dying to see pics of your gorgeous dogs! If you have any please post them!

 

[Coop de Grass]

@chicknshrimp , I was wondering about bringing the dogs inside at night, or when the girls were in their run. Where were you rescuing them form?

 

[lgdnevada]

The latest issue of Backyard Poultry has my how to rear LGDs with fowl article in it.
I hope you find it helpful. It profiles a customer of mine who raises heritage Buckeyes.
I raise LGDs on my ranch in Nevada. I'm a published author and contribute regularly to many ag magazines,
newspapers and quarterlies. The movement towards using LGDs to guard flocks is growing, and it can be done
with well bred dogs, patience and persistence. Hands on supervision is a must.

The breeds I specialize in are Spanish Mastiffs and Pyrenean Mastiffs. I've owned and bred Kangals
but not anymore. I also have Great Pyrenees and two Maremma/Anatolian brothers.
I personally prefer the close guarding breeds and find the SM and PM to be exceptionally powerful
dogs and protective and nurturing, capable of stopping anything (at 200+ pounds), but lacking the
edginess of some other breeds - and no fence jumping, digging or wanderlust, or excessive barking.
They are magnificent dogs, truly giants of the LGD world.
www.lgdnevada.com

 

[Beekissed]

I must have one of those CO mountain dogs here in WV...he's GP/Anatolian/Maremma cross too and he's been raised with free range chickens since he arrived here at 2 mo. old. He's now 8 mo. old and he's never chased the chickens once, never harmed a feather. They feed right alongside him on the same deer carcass and he shows no food aggression. Hands on training with the chickens the day he arrived, a few reinforcements on that training and he's done wonderfully. I trust him completely with the chickens and have done so since the first month of his being here.

I don't agree with waiting until LGDs are older to introduce them to chickens....I think it needs to happen the first day they step foot on the property. Early and often exposure so that they don't see them as a novelty, a squeaky toy that he can't reach behind a fence.

 

[lgdnevada]

The kangals are more vicious right? We have wild pigs here and I worry about my pyrs whenever we are out in the woods. I have been thinking about bringing a more fierce breed in to kind of be the GD for my LGDs lol

OnlyOrps hi, I used to raise purebred kangals and also crossed them with other breeds. "Vicious" is too strong and wrong a term.
The breed is highly intelligent and complex. Sensitive, possessive, bold and very active. The true working lines from Turkey - where they are
fought, BTW - often have a real sharp edge to them. They often dominate in a pack and if they can't they will resort to extremes to be 'top dog'.
I had one kangal female almost kill a Great Pyrenees female here. After it was broken up - they could never mingle again. The breed requires a confident
and knowledgeable LGD owner and I never promoted them or suggested them as first time LGDs. Many failures with kangals are on the human end as they
require again, someone who knows their stuff. They are happiest in larger quarters and become bored on smaller farmsteads and ranches. That was why I
ended up selling my male and giving the female back to the breeder. I found for my needs, and that of my customers, a less hyper breed was preferred.
Kangals won't back down from a fight. If you prefer non-lethal means of preventing depredation of your stock and flock - the kangal might not be the choice as
mine would take it to the finish (i.e. more prone to kill a predator than just run it off). Also, because they will roam, they often won't stay close to a flock.
Smart operators will combine some far ranging breeds with closer guarding breeds to keep stock safe. If a dog is a mile off running coyotes, they are worthless to
me because they leave my sheep and cattle wide open to attack. Tha'ts my .02 cents worth. Again, great breed, smart, agile, tough. Definitely can deter
predators. But it comes with complexities that some people may not find suited to them or their operation.

 

[Mims]

My Anatolian Teddy. He's such a wonderful dog with my chickens.

 

[Beekissed]

I LOVE that pic!!!!

That's one great dog and beautiful too!

 

[Mims]

Thanks. The babies rush to perch on him when he's napping. I call them the safest chickens in Texas.

 

[PatriciafromCO]

New to LGDs and I chose the CO's ( caucasian ovcharka) as there is more Human predators then we have ever had in wild life predators. love the breed, definitely a change for me after 30 years in GSD's so my 11 year old GSD gal and Cane Corso keep me company fill that gap so it hasn't been a total withdrawal of what I am use to.

 

[Beekissed]

Had a couple of spare roosters trussed up and lying in the coop bedding this morning so I could butcher early this morning. Went to the house to get ready to do so and looked out the window to see a chicken hopping down the yard like a kangaroo...and Ben walking slowly behind him.

Finally, the chicken, having gotten out of the coop and hopped 50 yds towards the house with his legs still tied together, laid down to rest. Ben stands over the chicken, looks at it, then at the house and barked a couple of times. He waited a moment or so and then barked at the house again, tail up and watching the house to see if I would respond.

I yell out the window, "I'm coming!!!! I know about the chicken, Ben!"

Ben looks at the chicken one more time and casually walks away.

And these LGDs don't bond with their chickens.....