# Unexpected Problem with LGD



## Southern by choice (Jan 22, 2014)

Every once in awhile there comes along a problem with your LGD that you’d thought you’d corrected long ago. 
*Today I hang my head in shame.* 


You see as young 5 month old pups Badger and D loved apples.
We would often grab an apple from the fruit bowl and toss it to them.
They of course were smart pups… knew where those apples were. 

That is where it all started…. 

Yes they decided to just help themselves. 
They would use the chair and simply help themselves. 

_*Skip forward….*_

After about a month of D not being in the house because of so much mud and the horrific buck smell (he lives with the bucks) we brought him in. 

The ground was frozen…

no mud, and well I can live with the buck smell. 

I missed my baby. 

After running and leaping on the beds to wake up a few people and just being so happy to have all the attention as I grabbed the camera…

*……….that is when it happened!!!!!!!!  *


At 2+ years and much bigger than he was as a pup…. 
"D" leaped onto the table. 

I stood there... in shock and disbelief….       

To make things even worse was my DD came walking around the corner….

She saw it too. 

I will never hear the end of this because Badger did learn and would never climb on the furniture. Nor Amy or Callie. 


*So here I confess I failed…. *

Yep, I failed. 

My perfect baby boy still thinks he can grab an apple… or whatever he thinks he wants. In this case it was cheese.  and bags of apples.

No chairs needed just a straight leap. (Although it was a nice leap  )
Gotta give him credit for agility and smooth play! 


*To my credit*…. He did obey when I told him down. 

Maybe it only makes me _half _a failure?  


*The moral and point to this is… don’t feed your LGD’s apples.* 

The upside is he is a great guardian...no chasing, nipping, escaping, always good with the goats.... so I won't sweat the small stuff.

at 5 months..... 


  

This morning... 2+years....  



 

  then he got down and ate some cheese. 



 

Acting like he didn't do anything wrong...


 

Belly rub?


 

Yummy hot dog....


 

Did you say my nails are too long? Mommy no, I just want LOVE! 


"D" is perfect!


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## alsea1 (Jan 22, 2014)

Beautiful dogs.
We humans often accidentally cause training problems. LOL


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## bonbean01 (Jan 22, 2014)

That's GREAT!!!!!  Love the pics and narrative...LOLOLOL...gotta love him


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## LoneOakGoats (Jan 22, 2014)

Yes indeed, D IS perfect!


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## Mike CHS (Jan 22, 2014)

He obviously strongly believes he did no wrong. LOL


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## Southern by choice (Jan 22, 2014)

I thought some of you may get a kick out of that!
I really was shocked when he flew up there. Of course I cannot be mad at him... I'm a sucker for those big brown eyes. 
Thought I'd post with a little tongue in cheek humor. 

Of course 15 minutes later he was panting and wanting back outside. Yes everything smells like Buck... but it was worth it.

He is sitting on his hill watching over his beloved bucks... Callie not too far from him.

 My LGD's


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## 2luv2farm (Feb 25, 2014)

Some things never change!  In my eyes, he totally deserved it.  He was probably asking (begging) nicely, but no one heard him.  

Good boy!!  

(and such a cute one too.)


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## Timberdoodle (Feb 25, 2014)

I never have a camera around when stunts like that happen. Even w/o pics tho I'd have believed the story. The dogs are amazingly agile! I had Thor leap a 6 foot wall to be beside me and he did it whisper quiet...so much so it startled me. One minute I was looking across a field with binocs and Thor was on the ground below the wall I was standing on, the next instant I look and he's sitting at my side......having effortlessly made the leap and in such silence I never heard it happen. Yep, tables are do-able. At least he's eating healthy


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## Southern by choice (Feb 25, 2014)

Timberdoodle- Yep the camera is never handy when you wish you had it!  Although my story IS embarrassing I shared it because I really was so surprised! 

They can be so eerily stealthy can't they! I imagine Thor scared the bejeebers out of you! I wonder sometimes how these giants can be "no-where" and suddenly they are there and I never heard them or saw them.


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## SA Farm (Feb 25, 2014)

They must be ninja dogs like mine. I have actually stepped on them before


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## kinder (Feb 25, 2014)

Nice pictures Southern. He certainly is a big guy. I love all the fur ,such a fuzzy bag. What do these guys weigh at adult any ways ???


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## Southern by choice (Feb 25, 2014)

That is my BABY kinder... and i really mean MY baby! D is the love of my life!  He knows it too... Callie comes up for love and he always takes his big big head and pushes it between her and I and wedges it ... he is a nut... but he's truly mommas boy. Impossible to get pics because he climbs in my lab like he is a chihuahua.

Callie (Anatolian Shepherd she is in my avatar) 31" current wt 130
"D" (Pyr male-in my avatar) 33" current wt 145-150 (he fluctuates)
Badger (Male Pyr) 31 1/2" current wt 160lbs
Amy (F pyr) 27 " current 110 

There is a pretty big range for pyrs- f 25-29" 85lbs and up
males are usually 27-32 and 100lbs and up

Anatolians are similar with the size range
Males should be 29" and up with average weight 110-150
Females 27" and up with weight 80-120


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## Mike CHS (Feb 26, 2014)

Do you keep the pairs together all of the time or do you have to do anything when the heat cycle runs around?  I was curious since I guess it wouldn't matter since yours are all mature but I was wondering if that would be an issue with a younger female.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 26, 2014)

We separate them. We will separate them in heat too and just put them together for mating if we plan on having a litter. Keeping them together during the heat cycle even when we are planning a litter is just too much on them. We did leave Callie with D last time and that did not prove out to be the best thing... not only did she not take but the Anatolian has abnormally LONG cycles and I think she got so sick of D pouncing on her that by the time she was ready it was a war between the two. Her next heat she will be separated and bred in the Kennel.
The females will also start fighting with the males if they are trying too soon and she isn't ready to stand.

Rare, but sometimes a bitch can recycle after she has been bred and that is not good because if she does and is mated then she can have pups developing several weeks behind. When she does go to whelp the "2nd" breedings pups will be born dead. It is rare that it happens but always something to watch for.


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## Mike CHS (Feb 26, 2014)

Thank you again. I never thought about separate breedings but with that in mind .... If I want a pair of LGD's but was not planning on breeding would it be better to have males or females?


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## Southern by choice (Feb 26, 2014)

I feel M/F pairs are best. if M/M then one if not both should be nuetered and paired accordingly by temperament. F/F pairs... well depending on evals and temperament one may need to be spayed. If well balanced pair than 2 intact females are ok but then you are also dealing with heat cycles and all that goes with it.

I really like M/F pairs as the females generally are the fiercest and get to the "issue" first and quickly... the males tend to "finish" the job. More often the males lay back and let the females do most of the work. LOL but true.

Females should not be spayed to they are fully grown due to their growth plates. I am NOT a fan of spaying unless medically necessary. Neutering I am a little more neutral on. Sadly the rescue groups and the vet world over the years has really done a number with this subject. The general population has bought this "schpiel" hook line and sinker and never questioned it because they simply aren't educated in it. Most vets use the "scare" tactic... number one thing they scare people with is Pyometra (uterine infection). The next is "unwanted puppies". If they spent more time on educating the public about heat cycles, standing heat and the mating process of dogs instead of their 20 lecture on spaying/neutering we actually WOULD have LESS unwanted dogs.


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## Mike CHS (Feb 26, 2014)

I think you already anticipated my next couple of questions with that reply. 

I would prefer not to spay if it comes down to it.


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## Baymule (Feb 27, 2014)

Southern, loved the pics and the story. Pyrs are the best!


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