# Is my LGD depressed or just really, really calm?



## HoneyDreameMomma (Aug 1, 2013)

We just adopted a new livestock guardian dog named Miller.  He's a beautiful pyr/anatolian mix who's great with the goats and even good with our chickens and guinea fowl.  He has a very calm, sweet temperament - which leads me to my next question.  How can you tell if you LGD is depressed?  Our last LGD was rather hyperactive and all over the place.  I know most LGDs are calmer than that, but where's the line between calm and depressed?

Our sweet boy stays in with the goats, but he sleeps a lot more than seems normal and has been eating less than half as much as his previous owner said he did.  It's been pretty hot, which might be part of it, but we make sure he has plenty of shade and fresh water. His previous home had multiple dogs, and we're wondering if he might be mourning the loss of a pack.  We wanted to get at least one, maybe two more LGDs, but wanted to wait until Miller and the goats had time to bond (we've had him less than a week).  Any advice or suggestions?


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## secuono (Aug 1, 2013)

Is he loosing weight as well? If not, don't worry about it. Mine sleeps all the time, day/night, only awake to bark at things, eat and to play with me when I go out there.


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## HoneyDreameMomma (Aug 1, 2013)

Thanks.  He doesn't seem to be losing weight, but we haven't had him very long (one week), so I'll keep a eye on that.  He's a great dog, and I want to be sure we're taking the best possible care of him.  

Any thoughts on whether it would be a bad idea to introduce another LGD within the next week or two, or should we give him more time than that with the goats?


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## Southern by choice (Aug 1, 2013)

If you are relatively new to LGD's there are a few things that may be helpful. 
LGD's in general....

are *nocturnal animals-* often in the day they are dozing on and off their main time of patrolling and guarding would be during the night as that is when predator activity is at it's highest.  Of course your guy is new so it may be a little difficult to judge, if he comes to you and hops up and is happy to see you then he is probably ok.

are *very primitive with their eating habits* ( for the majority) they tend to eat far less in the hot months as they do not require much as they are not utilizing the feed, no need to pack on winter weight etc. LGD's are more "feral" in the sense of they eat very much as their ancestors did... eating when prey was caught... so sometimes not eating for days. Todays dogs are so domesticated we tend to think this skipping days is unusual... it is not for the LGD...however _knowing_ a dogs habits are important. All 4 of our LGD's have drastically reduced their feed intake, often skipping a day or two at a time. Even with raw chicken tossed to them they have been ignoring it... Temps here are in the high 80's - 90's.  Days when it is cooler, especially in the evenings they will eat. 

are* pack animals*- as all canines are. I am big on teams.... dogs are social and pack oriented and overall fair better than being alone. 
I see no reason why not to start your seach for another. Understand if you get a pup they do require training. There are many threads on that subject throughout the LGD section. Please do not buy into the very old, tired, terrible philosophy that you throw the dog in the field and that's it.  This is where many end up with major problems with their LGD's.


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## HoneyDreameMomma (Aug 1, 2013)

Thanks for the info, Southern - that puts my mind at ease!  Our previous LGD was our first and she was pretty high energy.  Miller greets us with a wagging tail and gets up and follows us around the goat field whenever we go out, so I'm guessing he's okay.  We're taking him to the vet tomorrow to get microchipped; we'll have him looked over by the vet while we're there as well.  

We planned on adopting the next LGD from the Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue, so we're not sure if it will be an adult or a pup yet.  We are aware of the work that goes into training a puppy, though.  We got our last LGD when she was 10 weeks old, and she was a handful, but we loved her, and it was rewarding to see when she'd do well.  She was good with the goats, but we recently had to give her up, because we could not get her to stop chasing the chickens and guineas.  

I completely agree that a LGD should not just be thrown in a field and left to it's own devices.  My dogs have been too valuable to me to risk the problems that could cause.


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## HoneyDreameMomma (Aug 7, 2013)

Update on Miller: after ridding him of the ticks and fleas he came with, we had the vet exam him.  It turns out he had two different tick born diseases (ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis), so he's currently on medication to take care of all that.  He already has more energy - he's still as calm and sweet as ever, but he actually follows the goats into the field now instead of just laying in the same place by the loafing shed.  We've also been treating the areas he frequented during his first few days to make sure ticks don't get passed to the goats.  Southern is right about not just leaving your LGD out in the field.  Owning a LGD is a stewardship, and we need to watch over and take care of them, so they can continue to watch over our livestock and live the happiest, healthiest lives possible.


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## Southern by choice (Aug 7, 2013)

*Great catch HDM! *
Also great that you posted about this because of the laid back nature of the LGD breeds and how much they lay around it is important to know your dog's normal behaviors. Seeing how you had just adopted him and not having much to really go on it really says alot about your animal care!  
Glad you went with your gut!
I had a GSD a few years ago that got bit by a tick, she went down very quick, she made it... brought her home and had her on IV fluids, and started anti-biotics. We don't have Lymes here but we do have other tick borne illnesses.

 for you and Miller!


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Aug 7, 2013)

*Just a note: Chasing chickens and fast moving feathered things is very fun for LGD's and VERY common, please don't get rid of a dog because of it, you can use a shock collar to train them not to chase chickens.*


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## HoneyDreameMomma (Aug 8, 2013)

The chickens were really just the final straw with our last LGD.  I've trained dogs successfully before, but I know LGDs are in their own class entirely, and we felt like we were in over our head with Daisy. She was a beautiful dog, who could be very sweet, but she had some major dominance issues, and had injured just about all my family members on different occasions. Not because she was being mean or vicious - she just wouldn't listen to commands, would jump, push, and scratch, and always wanted to be in charge.  We tried all kinds of training, and had very little success.   She was excellent at keeping coyotes and other predators away, but she was not good at staying with the goats.  She'd get out whenever she could, and get into the neighbors' yards, harass their geese and cows, and beat up on the neighbor's dogs.  

It was a tough decision to give her up, but we gave her to a seasoned LGD owner/trainer who had more room for her to run and several well-trained LGDs to 'coach' her.  Our friend has given us updates on her progress, and even though she's still being a bit of a stinker, she is improving a little bit at a time.  This same friend helped us get Miller, which was a tremendous blessing - he's an amazing LGD!


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