Rooster and a Guard Dog?

[Phantom_k9]

Hello,

We have four LGD’s. We learned the good, bad, and deadly. You’ve received some incredible advice thus far but I truly believe most, including me, are sharing their own experiences and it could be different for you.
We have two that stay in our chicken and duck area. They have NEVER escaped the fence. Ever. We’ve had them for almost a year. We have two that roam our property, 50 acres. They’ve never left the property and they do not cross our electrical fences.
Rewind, they killed a couple of birds and that when I realized I didn’t do my homework. We listed the two on the market place and someone said why don’t you train them. We hired a trainer used to LGD’s - $60 bucks a session and in five weeks it was the best three hundred spent. We did use shock collars, for two weeks and it trained them. We slowly reintroduced them to the animals and practiced, “leave it!” and other life saving trainings. They’ve not killed an animal since, and like someone above mentioned they are the most expensive guard animal but I wouldnt Trade it for the anything! We lost several animals to predators, we’ve not lost one since. Hope my experience helps as well as the great advice above.

Any and all advice is welcomed!
We haven't even looked at paying a trainer since we just assumed it would be way to costly. However, $300 isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had expected something in the thousands. Until the time comes, I'll start setting aside some money should the need arise.
Especially considering how much we love our birds, I don't really want to have a death from an untrained guard dog...

 

[Kk Augy]

Luckily I trained my roosters and puppy at a young age so that hens feel comfortable with the dog being with them knowing about that the rooster Dosent mind it .get them to know each other. Put them near each other but not too close do this a couple of times when this goes well an the roo seems not to mind his company try to get the rooster to eat foot and walk the dog back and front on a lead (not to close )if the dog is good and the rooster isent minding the dog you can move up .if the rooster Dosent feel comfortable with the dog yet try another tactic too encourage the roo that the puppy won't hurt him(what breed are you getting ...some breeds love birds ...just be careful ...remember to train your dog to act well beside your animals giving treats beside them and using the command "look at me "or "focus"{keep the treat beside your eyes and wait until you and the puppy make eye contact} works grate with my springer spaniel and German shepherd)

 

[Phantom_k9]

Luckily I trained my roosters and puppy at a young age so that hens feel comfortable with the dog being with them knowing about that the rooster Dosent mind it .get them to know each other. Put them near each other but not too close when this goes well try to get the rooster to eat foot and walkthe dig back and front on a lead (not to close )if the dog is good and the rooster Tokyo can move up .if the rooster Dosent feel comfortable with the dog yet try another tactic too encourage the roo that the puppy won't do anything (what breed are you getting ...sonebreeds love birds ...just be careful ...remember to train your dog to act well beside your animals giving treats beside them and using the command "look at me "or "focus" works grate with my springer spaniel and German shepherd)

The pup is a Great Pyrenees mix! So far, this is pretty much what I have been told about training the dog. The main idea is to get the dog comfortable with the whole flock, while teaching him not to play with any of the birds. I like what you said about feeding the Roo and keeping the dog close on a leash!
We definitely have our work cut out for us, but all the advice is appreciated!

 

[Kk Augy]

Np

 

[Kk Augy]

The pup is a Great Pyrenees mix! So far, this is pretty much what I have been told about training the dog. The main idea is to get the dog comfortable with the whole flock, while teaching him not to play with any of the birds. I like what you said about feeding the Roo and keeping the dog close on a leash!
We definitely have our work cut out for us, but all the advice is appreciated!

When getting this breed their souls be no problems as them dogs are great with live stock but training makes perfect

 

[Phoenixxx]

You said it's a mix? Mixed with what?

A good trainer is always a good idea, but there are also a lot of free resources online. Kikopup is a good one that was recommended to me by a trainer who works with movie animals. Personally, I've spent a total of $20, and I hired the guy because I was having issues with my dog going through the invisible fence (apparently proper collar adjustment is VERY important, lol!) There are also loads of good articles on dog psychology.

There's also loads of bad advice and articles, too - like, anything that mentions "alpha" or Caesar Milan, pass it by The "alpha" myth has actually been debunked, since it was based off of wolves in captivity, not wolves in the wild. And with LGDs, there are actually times when WE need to listen to THEM. I don't see myself as the boss of my dogs, but more of a partner/parent - and they really respect that

 

[Phantom_k9]

You said it's a mix? Mixed with what?

A good trainer is always a good idea, but there are also a lot of free resources online. Kikopup is a good one that was recommended to me by a trainer who works with movie animals. Personally, I've spent a total of $20, and I hired the guy because I was having issues with my dog going through the invisible fence (apparently proper collar adjustment is VERY important, lol!) There are also loads of good articles on dog psychology.

There's also loads of bad advice and articles, too - like, anything that mentions "alpha" or Caesar Milan, pass it by The "alpha" myth has actually been debunked, since it was based off of wolves in captivity, not wolves in the wild. And with LGDs, there are actually times when WE need to listen to THEM. I don't see myself as the boss of my dogs, but more of a partner/parent - and they really respect that

Apparently he is a Great Pyreness Anatolian Shepherd mix. Like I said previously, I probably would have known about the cost of a trainer but I have not had any time to research! Looks like a much more viable option than I had thought...
And keep away from the "big name" trainers, got it!

 

[Phoenixxx]

Apparently he is a Great Pyreness Anatolian Shepherd mix. Like I said previously, I probably would have known about the cost of a trainer but I have not had any time to research! Looks like a much more viable option than I had thought...
And keep away from the "big name" trainers, got it!

Okay, cool... If it was mixed with something from a different class, like a shepherd, then it would be difficult to predict exactly what you'd be getting in a dog

Don't necessarily stay away from "big name" trainers, loads of them are good. Caesar Milan was very famous with his tv show, but when you look him up and what happened with some of the dogs, there are a few horror stories.

Also, how you train your dog will be determined by what you want of your dog in the long term. Some people want their LGD strictly as a guardian, some want a family farm dog, others may not have livestock and just want a highly-protective pet. Definitely talk to the people you know with dogs, like the puppy's parents' owners and your neighbours, they're probably your best resource for training and learning about your puppy Heck, I still talk to the breeders of my dogs when something comes up that I'm not sure how to deal with, and my dogs are ages 2.5, 5 and 6!

 

[WestTNriverrat]

I personally think shock collars are one of the best training devices available for dogs of any sort. Can they ruin a dog? If they are not used properly very easily.
We raise hunting dogs. Coonhounds and beagles. My father got confused and mixed up which dog had which color collar and was shocking a dog doing exactly what it should have been for a different dog chasing a deer. Ruined a dog worth a couple thousand the dog wouldn’t leave his feet to hunt any more.
I haven’t personally owned a Pyrenees but have used collars on border collies and heelers very effectively. Personally i feel the trick to collar training (not fence collar) is first get a dummy collar for when they are not using the real deal and then not using the collar right away. You want to make the dog think the negative actions are causing the discomfort. Dogs are smart and if they figure out the collar is what causes the shock they will modify their actions accordingly.
I have no experience with the underground fences

TLDR: If you get your dog don’t be scared of using a standard shock collar to eliminate unwanted actions.

 

[kodster]

Ok, putting my two cents in, as I HAVE trained Rottweilers, and my last one, he was a natural LGD towards my chickens, and I had him first before I had chickens. First of all, congrats on picking a Great Pyrenees for your LGD. They are one of the best breeds for such a job.

Training: basic obedience. Puppy's name, Sit, stay, down, come, no. These will be your basic commands, and you should start them as soon as you get your puppy. There are plenty of videos, books, etc., to teach YOU to teach the puppy. That's the most important aspect. YOU are the ones that need to train your puppy, not some stranger. If you can take basic obedience classes with your puppy, you learn to work as a team.

Once you've gotten your basic obedience underway, start introducing the puppy to the birds. Bring him/her along with you, while you're doing your chores with the birds. Bring the puppy into the coop, into the run, et al, but COMPLETELY supervised, for both the puppy AND the birds (in particular, your roo that may take the puppy as a threat to his hens) sakes. You need to understand how to make your roo submissive to you and your family members who deal with him. There is a way for you to establish YOUR ranking as above him in the pecking order of the flock. That's why he is biting you, challenging you, etc. He is challenging you for dominance, and he'll do the same to the puppy. Research this, as there are several methods that any one of them will work for you. From my personal experience, as I have a Barred Rock roo that will try to spur me any time he thinks I may be harming his hens, if I pick them up just to pet them, or to inspect them for any injuries, etc. So, I snag him up, hold him under my left arm, and thwock him across the comb with my thumb and forefinger. This emulates what a mother hen does to discipline her chicks, or to each other, as part of the pecking order establishment. They hate it, but they understand in their own 'language' behavior that I'm the top of the pecking order, not them.

Eventually, you'll start judging for yourself how well your puppy is handling being around the birds, enough that you can start leaving the pup, as it grows up, alone with the birds full-time. It takes time, patience, and due diligence. Never let your own guard down until it becomes consistent that the dog is looking out for your birds, as a part of the flock him/herself.