# How do you stop a great pyr puppy from being a hot mess?



## EggsForIHOP (Mar 26, 2012)

Literally - I pick up the yard, he destroys it...I set something down...he disappears with it and I'm out there in the dark looking for things...

How do you train an LGD  properly to KNOCK IT OFF AND STAY OUTTA THE BURN PILE BEFORE YOU LIGHT IT EVEN!

I swear...I have more trash IN THE YARD then I do on that darn pile....I'd light then thing if it would stop raining....and I could keep Luke OUT of it long enough!    

Otherwise - he does his job pretty darn well....doesn't mess with any CRITTERS he shouldn't (My chickens) and seems to take his guard position very seriously, even prioritizing sleeping by the baby goat pen over anything else most times...he's clever in general...but no amount of "NO *****DOG" (because I get so mad I cuss...fill in the blank creatively, I've yelled it twice today I bet at least) stops him from making a mess....

IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO KEEP HIM OUTTA THE STUFF HE SHOULDN"T BE IN LIKE TRASH? AND FROM MESSING WITH MY TOYS?  Lord knows I've brought him enough chewies and such for a life time....redirection is NOT working...what next?


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## gretchenann (Mar 26, 2012)

I feel for ya LOL- I have a hot mess too
I  have an 8 week old, Pyr/Anatolian Shepherd cross pup, super protective allready, smart as a whip, but into everything- my full blood Pyr was never this way !!
So if you figure it out, let me know


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## TexasShepherdess (Mar 26, 2012)

Keep the pup away from the burn pile?

In all seriousness..while I am raising a pyr/anatolian pup..Ive raised plenty of housedogs too..pups chew, they play..So, we have to make sure that "stuff" for them to get into is out of their way..I became a sticker for picking up shoes..

I watched my Guard pup playing with a large piece of dorper hair that one of the ewes had rubbed off on the fence..she was running around with it like she'd won the lottery...I have to keep reminding myself she IS still a pup..they arent born knowing whats acceptable and not..and sometimes, it means removing the issue causing "thing."

JMO anyway.


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## MonsterMalak (Mar 26, 2012)

This seems to be a natural thing for them.  even my older dogs will have a treasure pile in the pasture.  They bring all of their trophies to this spot.  
I constantly clean it up in order to maintain some level of appearance.  But notice, if I clean it up, they will replace it.

It I clean up only the worst stuff, they will seem content.  Otherwise, they will find other stuff like waterhoses, faucets, everything to rebuild their BONE pile.

If they are alowed to have some stuff out there, they will go lay down with it and be content.


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## EggsForIHOP (Mar 26, 2012)

So leave him a small pile of things he treasures....and pick up the rest?  I can handle that....a SMALL treasure area wouldn't bother me so very much....it's the widespread mess over 10 acres of "I been looking for that" type items that kills me....

So, let him have a little of it...and if the weather holds get the trash lit finally? I'll give that method and way of thinking a try....I guess since our last 2 dogs were an "old soul in a young body" and just so well behaved from the get go I forget what a real puppy is like.  Ming ONLY played with dog toys and Bubba only ate ONE FLIP FLOP in his whole life!  I couldn't have asked for better dogs...but an aging blind shar pei can't patrol 10 acres...and Luke IS GOOD at that...bless his heart...he just has issues with hoarding I suppose...


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## TexasShepherdess (Mar 26, 2012)

MonsterMalak said:
			
		

> This seems to be a natural thing for them.  even my older dogs will have a treasure pile in the pasture.  They bring all of their trophies to this spot.
> I constantly clean it up in order to maintain some level of appearance.  But notice, if I clean it up, they will replace it.
> 
> It I clean up only the worst stuff, they will seem content.  Otherwise, they will find other stuff like waterhoses, faucets, everything to rebuild their BONE pile.
> ...


LOL...

I was reading your post and got to thinking..my pup has a treasure pile too..mainly smokey bones I've bought them, the dorper hair, and she found a hunk of horse tail hair too..She found a piece of a tarp last night..paraded it around and then looked heartbroken when I took it away..

My older Pyr buries..EVERYTHING..I have caught her trying to bury her food bowl, with kibble in it..


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## EggsForIHOP (Mar 26, 2012)

If he would bury the trash I'd probably thank him! LOL   The burn pile is "the trash that won't light"...I've been fighting that thing since it started raining and they lifted the ban to get it to ignite...so if Luke would just start burying trash...I'd call a truce!


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## TTs Chicks (Apr 4, 2012)

My pyr* loves* water hoses - he as eaten/torn up several   I refuse to get a new/good hose until he gets over his obsession with them :/


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## EggsForIHOP (Apr 4, 2012)

TTs Chicks said:
			
		

> My pyr* loves* water hoses - he as eaten/torn up several   I refuse to get a new/good hose until he gets over his obsession with them :/


LOL! I had to laugh! MINE HATES THE HOSE!  HE's a-scared of it!  Seems since the time he picked it up, by the sprayer nozzle thing, and squeezed the trigger - WITH THE WATER ON - and got a FACE FULL OF IT...well...that's ONE THING he leaves TOTALLY alone! He'll walk WELL around the hose when i have it strung out to avoid that nozzle on the end.  I SWEAR he thought he was gonna drown on dry land that day!  Poor puppy  Not smart enough to LET GO! It was sad and hilarious all at one time!

As an update:

I've been letting Luke have his "treasure pile"....I do maintain it to a REASONABLE amount of "treasures".....he's been sticking with just the one area and MOSTLY staying out of the burn pile (course we did actually get it to burn mostly...which REALLY helps)....and as long as he has ONE SPOT all for his junk I'm not finding it in multiple spots right now...hopefully he keeps it that way.

He STILL steals MY STUFF - today I found my lunge line and a halter in the far back corner of the property....WAY WAY OUT THERE...been looking for it...don't know HOW he got it...but he did...he's quiet and quick with it.  Took the scissors off the hood of my truck with me a few feet away, back turned to him, but I DID catch him in the act (I was trimming netting for a project) His give away is that he SLINKS away SLOWLY when he has something, watching me over his shoulder...I could tell he ahd something...my SCISSORS!  Seriously...I wish he would stick with "trash for treasures"....but as long as he keeps us safe from the boogey man (which he does at night when I milk, sticks RIGHT with me)...I don't care too much...he really is a GREAT dog and VERY good with my other critters.  Just a bit of a pick pocket and thief at times...


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## Siouxqie (May 1, 2012)

We have a pyr... and I feel for ya!  We brought her home at 10 weeks (already 29 lbs) and I must have threatened to take her to the pound 10,000 times by the time she was 18 months and starting to grow out of it.  Her favorite games were, "destroy the most EXPENSIVE thing I can find," and, "drag anything and everything I can out into the yard or pasture."  She really liked my boots (the nice riding boots of course, not my cheap wellies).  Now that she is an adult, she is incredible.   Georgia is the BEST guardian dog we have EVER had, now that she's full grown (turned 2 last October). She is wonderful with my kids, excellent with the animals (llamas, mini donkey, goats, chickens, rabbit, other dogs, barn cats, parrots), super friendly with new people (that she approves of, there have been one or two she didnt like, but I didn't either), just all around a phenomenal dog.  We almost didn't have to do any training.  She works like a hearding dog too, when we need her to.  She can cut the herd, bring me a particular animal, round up a stray.  She doesn't run off, even when the gate has been left open, doesn't bark at night.  She i perfect.... but the first year and a half or so......   I was about ready to strangle her.  She made me nuts, but now that she's all grown up, she's probably the best  farm dog we have ever had, by far.


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## Mzyla (May 2, 2012)

Siouxqie 
Thanks for sharing this HAPPY ENDING!
With many LGD owners, their patience and willingness is tested through out the first year. Many of them are ready to give up and put the dog for adoption or somewhere....
Let that be a good example for every puppy owner - Do NOT Give Up! Keep on working diligently, until you'll be awarded to harvest the fruit!


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