# So, I finally broke down and got some Pyreneeses...



## warhorse (Mar 11, 2012)

I've been accumulating a menagerie (currently 5 horses, 2 cows, 2 mules, 5 nannies, 2 bucks, 9 kids, 3 coops of chickens, 4 cats, and 3 dogs) over the past several years, and had decidedly not gotten a LGD because I did not want any more dogs  (the heelers were enough to keep after).  I keep the heelers kenneled because they cannot help themselves about killing chickens and chasing horses when unsupervised (but they are quite useful in moving animals from field to field with me).  I had taken losses on chickens over the years likely due to snakes, hawks, coyotes, stray dogs, and had shot at least a couple stray dogs.  When I added the goats to the mix last year, I lost 3 of 6 kids when they were 1-2 weeks old during the night.  The remaining kids grew and were doing well over the summer, and I was expecting the next cycle of kids in January when I lost those 3 kids plus 2 more adults in a period of about a week.  I wasn't sure if it was a bad hay bale at first, but by the time I had lost the adults I knew it was coyotes.  

So, I got a six month old female and a 6 week old male and moved the pregnant nannies into the old garage next to the house for kidding.  The dogs roamed for about a week but then settled in and have been hanging around the house and barn really well for about a month.  They sleep in the garage with the goats.  As the kids have gotten bigger, I wanted to give them "outside time" but still not confident to turn them out in the back pasture, so I built a "yard" off the back of the garage.  The next morning after the fence panels went up, I noticed something had tried to dig into the the "yard" that night.  My son thought it was the fox terrier or a possum, but when I went in to feed the goats, "Lady" was determined to go in with me.  So, I let her in after I fed the goats, and she walked the perimeter, and went inside the garage (she had only been on the outside of the livestock panels when she was in the garage, on the other side) and sniffed all the corners inside and out.  Then, she sat in the middle of the "yard" for a few minutes and watched quietly as I moved the water tub and picked up some of the kids.  The kids were curious about her and as they went up to her, she laid down and sniffed them.  When I went to leave, she just came with me and went about milling around the barnyard.  

How cool is that??  These seem like awesome dogs, and I wish I had gotten them sooner!


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## warhorse (Mar 11, 2012)

I hope this works... this is Lewis:


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## warhorse (Mar 11, 2012)

and, this is Lady:


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## Queen Mum (Mar 11, 2012)

Good for you!


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## fortheloveofgoats (Mar 11, 2012)

That's awesome. Hope it keeps going well for you. They are cute and beautiful. Thanks for sharing.


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## lilhill (Mar 12, 2012)

Congratulations!  Pyr's are great dogs.  We have two of them and couldn't have our goats without them.  Too many coyotes around here.


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## terrilhb (Mar 12, 2012)

Congratulations. They are beautiful.


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## Beekissed (Mar 12, 2012)

I love that name for the pup...Lewis.  He looks a sweety!


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## Mzyla (Mar 12, 2012)

They sure are awesome! Thanks for sharing and congratulations!
Sometimes you may think that they lazy, laying down a lot....but just wait when they sniff/see something of a predatory nature,
they will charge on it with lightening speed!
And believe me; if you the master will lavish them with love and give them a exceptional home, an environment that they like it, then you have nothing to worry in case if they take off on occasion. They will be back very quickly. Only a dog that is not happy at his home, will be looking for something better.

I used to lock down chicken coop every night and that was anoying...Now, since I got LGDs I never once locked the coop for the past 8 months - not one chicken missing!

And remember - please provide them with raw bones! They still young and need something to be occupied with. Instead of digging or chasing something, they just hold on to the bones.
If I forget to provide bones for my dogs - they just bring one them selves from the forest, like here:


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## SDBoerGoats (Mar 12, 2012)

That's awesome to hear. I have been thinking about getting one. We are fencing off property across the creek for the goats to go out on during the summer. The creek is dry all summer but a few years ago a guy driving past our house at night stopped and called us around 10 that night to tell us he was sitting on the road watching a male mountain lion walk across the road and drop down into the creek bed! Sure enough the next morning my husband went out and found the tracks. Soon in the paper the mountain lion was on the front page, as he had been killing sheep just a few miles from our place and a trapper had been hired to trap him. I hear coyotes at night in the summer too. So far my goats are out during the day and always brought up to their pens every evening. 

You say you have other dogs, I am wondering how the LGD are with other dogs. I have had people tell me they will attack them too. I have a German Shepherd, who has to be watched around the goats, and a Chihuahua, who doesn't bother anything but I sure don't want anything to hurt him. I've also been told you don't make them pets, you just leave them with the goats, but that would be really hard for me to do. I can't own an animal and just leave it out in the pasture with no human contact! But we are increasing out herd quite a bit and will have more goats on the hillside, across the creek, etc. and i don't want to lose any. I only have 7 acres but still can't see every inch of it all the time.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Mar 12, 2012)

Wow what a big beautiful dog. What is that in it's mouth? It looks like a spine? That's cool to see. Oh and was it something that the dogs killed?


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## Mzyla (Mar 12, 2012)

To answer questions:

Im not sure if they killed "that thing" or find it

Great Pyrenees are big lovers. They love every being that belongs to you. That includes smallish dogs.

If you bring home adult GP or other LGD with already set in habits (maybe bad habits?) then you need to watch and find out how he is with your other animals.

If you bring home a puppy  he is harmless! The rest is up to you how you will train him.
In this scenario I will be worrying about your other animals to not hurt him.
If you already have a Senior dog, the new LGD pup will be mirroring his behavior.


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## Mzyla (Mar 12, 2012)

Oh I forgot the last question:

In my humble opinion, it takes some cold hearted individual to leave a dog in the pasture and not interact with him. 
Sure, this kind of handling will make it self-sufficient guardian, but that guardian will also be lacking socialization!
How he suppose to be handled for vet visits or for grooming? Or these things are out of equitation?
I guess everybody is doing whats work for them.

However, it takes a wise master to balance handling/love/socialization with guarding.
The effort to do so pays gratefully!


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## SDBoerGoats (Mar 12, 2012)

Thank you for your input! See, I just could not do that. My dogs are my family. So when people told me that I could not "make him a pet" and just leave him out with the goats, I decided that just wasn't for me. And if I got one, he would have to go to the groomer along with my long haired German Shepherd. LOL! We are planning on having 25 does and their offspring until they are weaned or sold. I know one place who has quite a few goats, they had them in 3 separate pens, side by side, large pens. And a Pyranees in each pen! Gosh, I need to learn more about these dogs as I just might need one.


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## Beekissed (Mar 13, 2012)

I've only ever had adult GPs, so am contemplating a GP/Anatolian pup to go along with my Lab/BC mix that is already doing my livestock guarding.  He used to have a GP mix female to share the load and it made a perfect match.  

So, with this pup....I was planning to give him basic commands training and socialization but only will do most of the training where he will be residing~within his boundaries.  I can't picture a day when he will be leaving his post unless to go to the vet or some such, so I will be teaching him to load up in the truck, etc.,  and to have basic good manners around humans(sit, down, stay, etc.), per usual.  Do you think that will get him too attached to the house and humans to want to stay with his flocks?

Too much human lovin' perhaps?  I do tend to reward good behavior with affection...not overly, but good tones and pats.  I know GPs are sweeties but don't know much about the Anatolians, so am wondering if the human love and affection will ruin the independence needed to stay on guard.


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## carolinagirl (Mar 13, 2012)

My Anatolians were pretty much raised in a dog pen I set up in the sheep pasture.  But they also got plenty of play time with me, and trips to the park and Tractor Supply.  Today, they are 10 months old.  When I show up in the pasture, they both run to greet me and stay with me as long as I am out there.  But once I leave, they go back to watching the sheep.  We have a nice balance I think.  They are not like pets, but I do love them as much as my house dogs.  If I got rid of the sheep today, the dogs would stay.  They are simply wonderful.


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## Tapsmom (Mar 13, 2012)

Hmm, it;s making me think about them as well..I was concerned about them getting along with other dogs as well.  When we move our goats and chickens together they will be closer to the woods and thus closer to predators.  I do have a Newfoundland/golden retriever cross and a lab cross.  They are wonderful with the goats but I have not had them with the chickens yet.  They will also be taught to leave them alone.  Howerev, they are not at all LGD.  The big dog is our "cowardly Lion."  My concern was their socialization.  I have 2 young children and lots of children are frequently at my house so I was wondering if that would be an issue.  It sounds like as long as I get them young it should not be an issue at all, correct?  They would get attention from everyone but would need to be able to get along with our two dogs and many children.  My dogs get along with everyone BTW..human and canine


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## Mills1950 (Mar 13, 2012)

Congrats on the Pyr's!!!   They are beautiful----you will be very happy with them.  I have two that guard my menagerie.  They are tru
Y the best dogs I have ever owned!!  They are GP and GP/Anatolian -----there names are Blitz and Krieg and believe me they have put the blitzkrieg on my coyote and bobcat problems!!!!


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## Mzyla (Mar 14, 2012)

Topsmom-

In most cases, when you already have Senior dogs and then you bring home a puppy (dont matter what breed of puppy)  your adult dogs are not attacking him. They see this pup as not being a threat to them, more like a toy to ignore. Usual behavior is sniffing for a few moments, maybe play a little and then being friends.

Your next concern was children; A pup is not a threat to children. Let them associate together from the very first day. Pup will get use to lot of children, their screaming and perhaps pulling his tail. 
As the pup grows up, these childrens nuisance will be already imprinted in his surroundings and he will be always good with them.

It is in their nature to love everything that is little, need nourishment and belongs to you, thus including children! Unless someone have very bad children who will be tormenting the dog.  Then I wont blame any dog to snap back.

Or, when someone put the dog in isolation (far away pasture), where he rarely see human being or little people. Then of course, the dog might be confused and wouldnt know what to make of this little person. Reaction could be unknown.


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## Gen1:28 (Apr 10, 2016)

Mzyla said:


> Topsmom-
> 
> In most cases, when you already have Senior dogs and then you bring home a puppy (dont matter what breed of puppy)  your adult dogs are not attacking him. They see this pup as not being a threat to them, more like a toy to ignore. Usual behavior is sniffing for a few moments, maybe play a little and then being friends.
> 
> ...



I have a Shiba Inu, would love to get a an LGD, but am concerned about the Shiba's acceptance. I also read in a previous post that the pup will mimic the older dog's behavior. That would defeat the purpose as I have to keep the chicks/rabbits away from him. Any suggestions?


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## Latestarter (Apr 10, 2016)

This is/was a dead thread, not having input in 4 years. If you look at the post date of the last post in a thread, you'll be able to gauge how old/recent the thread is. I believe the only remaining active member is Bee... Who happens to be currently raising a young male LGD; Ben.
http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/the-education-of-ben.31911/
http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/the-education-of-ben.31911/

There are a lot of other more current threads dealing with LGDs and their training/upbringing/interaction with other animals/etc. One of the top folks on here dealing with LGDs is @Southern by choice  If you select any of her LGD threads, there will be a wealth of info to glean. Happy reading!


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