"Quote:Originally Posted by a123andpoof 
One of the breeders said once you purchase the puppy if you tell them it will be used for livestock they will put it outside, and if it is to be indoors they will be putting it inside and getting them used to people. "
RED FLAG! YOU should not be the one selecting a puppy at a young age. The breeders should be the ones observing them and determining which ones are suitable for you. NOT all puppies even from an excellent litter of working line dogs will be good working dogs. Some will be better pets, some will be better with larger stock but not birds, etc. Plus, once they put it outside, is it with mom? Do they keep handling it?
The best set up is a breeder who selects pups (or at least narrows the choices down) for you and can tell you what behaviors they are using to make those choices.
"I will be getting as young as possible,"
NO! Do not get a pup super young. Pups NEED to stay with moms for at least 8 weeks in order to get vital dog learning. Longer is even better, especially if mom is a good LGD. She will teach the pups to respect the stock. Mom can do a better job that we can, so let her.
"He may be outdoors but I won't put up with a dog that won't listen to at least me"
.You may want to rethink the LGD idea then...LGDs are not obedient. Period. They will listen sometimes, but not reliably. Plus, the harder you try to "make" them, the more they will tune you out. Motivational methods are best, but still will not give you a golden retriever. Understand, these dog breeds were raised for THOUSANDS of years to live alone a lot of the time and think for themselves. Obedience was not a trait selected for.
"Does it need to be sturdy, or as long as there are no gaps will he realize his boundries. Like would chicken wire keep him in or are they the type to try hard to get out and just easily knock it down? "
Sturdy. If they do test the fence and succeed in getting out, they have just learned they CAN, and they WILL try again. If they try a few times and never succeed, they probably wont realize its an option.
One of the breeders said once you purchase the puppy if you tell them it will be used for livestock they will put it outside, and if it is to be indoors they will be putting it inside and getting them used to people. "
RED FLAG! YOU should not be the one selecting a puppy at a young age. The breeders should be the ones observing them and determining which ones are suitable for you. NOT all puppies even from an excellent litter of working line dogs will be good working dogs. Some will be better pets, some will be better with larger stock but not birds, etc. Plus, once they put it outside, is it with mom? Do they keep handling it?
The best set up is a breeder who selects pups (or at least narrows the choices down) for you and can tell you what behaviors they are using to make those choices.
"I will be getting as young as possible,"
NO! Do not get a pup super young. Pups NEED to stay with moms for at least 8 weeks in order to get vital dog learning. Longer is even better, especially if mom is a good LGD. She will teach the pups to respect the stock. Mom can do a better job that we can, so let her.
"He may be outdoors but I won't put up with a dog that won't listen to at least me"
.You may want to rethink the LGD idea then...LGDs are not obedient. Period. They will listen sometimes, but not reliably. Plus, the harder you try to "make" them, the more they will tune you out. Motivational methods are best, but still will not give you a golden retriever. Understand, these dog breeds were raised for THOUSANDS of years to live alone a lot of the time and think for themselves. Obedience was not a trait selected for.
"Does it need to be sturdy, or as long as there are no gaps will he realize his boundries. Like would chicken wire keep him in or are they the type to try hard to get out and just easily knock it down? "
Sturdy. If they do test the fence and succeed in getting out, they have just learned they CAN, and they WILL try again. If they try a few times and never succeed, they probably wont realize its an option.
We had this discussion at our kennel club over the weekend - a smart dog vs an obedient dog. GPs have been bred for centuries to be alone and to think for themselves. So, when you ask them to do something, the dog DOES want to please you, but it's likely that they will go about doing it in their own way 
