Would a great pyrenees mix guard?

[bock]

I went to a goat meeting yesterday, and the people's pure breed great pyrenees has a litter of puppies. All of the kids were oohing and awing over them of course. The owners are pretty much just giving them away to whoever wants one. They also had her raising them in a corner of a dirt-floor shed, saying that it will help them be better gaurdians. I get the raising outdoor thing for true LGD's, but on the dirt in the corner of a crumbling old shed?! The thing is, they are marketing them as LGD's, even though they have no clue who the dad is. I am a huge supporter of rescuing and only purchasing from responsible breeders, so it was kind of hard to keep my mouth shut anyway

, but somehow I managed. Just curious, how likely is it that these puppies would even guard livestock anyway?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: What's it "mixed" with?

Sounds like their dog is more a "pet" than a working LGD.

I'd pass on it myself

 

[bock]

Their dog guards their herd of about 30 boer goats and protects their chickens from predators too. I think they have between four and five acres, like us . She is also very friendly though, and kind of doubles as a pet. The dad was just any wandering stray, they have no clue who. However, when I just saw one of the puppies, its face looked just like an anatolian. I figured the mom was an antatolian before I saw her and she rest of the pups. Definitely a Great Pyr though! The rest, had a lot of random creme and brown spots. It could have been any breed.

I have been sort of wanting to get an LGD for our chickens mostly and our three goats. It just doesn't seem very practical though, since it takes a long time before they can be trusted and many love hunting chickens themselves. There is actually a surprising number of Great Pyr puppies in some rescues that aren't too far away. I personally would much rather rescue a dog anyways. Plus I don't know if I would have the time to train one, and It probably kill me to leave the little puppy alone in the pasture. That's the reality of an LGD though. Thanks for chiming in!

 

[Oregon Blues]

They might guard, they might not.

It's a bit tricky to get a dog who will protect chickens. The livestock guardians aren't really bred for that. Some of them can be trained to guard chickens, but I don't think that any of them can just be tossed out in the yard with poultry without any worries.

The livestock guardians have been bred to be satisfied with living outside with the sheep and goats. It's possible that what the other half of those pups is would suffer from being excluded from the family.

The unknown half might be a hunter. The unknown half is definitely a roamer, which isn't such a good thing in a guardian. They aren't protecting your stock if they aren't at home.

You've got kids, so it would be safer to get a pup where you can see the temperament of both the parents.

 

[Trefoil]

If the puppies are being exposed to chickens right now, there is a very good chance that they would make lgd's, but if you have no experience in training, you are better off getting one that is already trained and then using it to help train future puppies. Someone in the process needs to know what they are doing.

 

[bock]

Thanks guys, I think I will pass this time. : )

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: That doesn't happen with REAL Livestock Guardian Dogs, or most responsible owners

 

[bock]

I agree completely. They also had two litters of kittens running around. I mean, is it that hard to spay and neuter your PETS!? But I couldn't say anything.