# Pyr Problems



## Jeep10 (Feb 8, 2021)

I have a 9 month old male Great Pyr. He has started attacking my Kunekune and the pig's ear is ripped up. He only does it when I'm not around. Is this a sign that he's going to be a bad LGD? Can I change this behavior?


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## Baymule (Feb 8, 2021)

Your LGD is entering into the stupid teenage stage. Separate him from the pigs now. Do not leave him unsupervised. It doesn’t mean that he is going to be a bad dog. These dogs require training, they are brilliant, thinking animals. Chasing the pig is fun, he knows it’s wrong, but it’s fun.

Do you have other animals? Some LGDs do not like pigs. I have 5 and none of them like pigs.

Main thing right now is not allow him to be with the pigs unless supervised.


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## Beekissed (Feb 8, 2021)

Bay knows!  I got nothin', as I have two young dogs that are putting teeth on sheep on occasion, so I'm dealing with trying to train for that.  Mine are too far away to give the correction when it's needed, right during the event, so I'm struggling with training them on such things like I would on chickens.


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## Alaskan (Feb 8, 2021)

Jeep10 said:


> I have a 9 month old male Great Pyr. He has started attacking my Kunekune and the pig's ear is ripped up. He only does it when I'm not around. Is this a sign that he's going to be a bad LGD? Can I change this behavior?


I believe in training with the hand of God method....


So, set up a situation so that the dog thinks it is alone, where the dog will engage in the bad behavior...  and correct it without it seeing you.

At least with my dogs... one to three times is all that was needed.

As an example...  I had a dog that liked to "play" with the chickens until they died.

So... I set a kid with an airsoft gun in a second story window that over looks the chicken coop.

I took the dog to the front door (out of sight of coop) and let the dog out. 

Of course the dog, all unattended, zoomed around to the coop..  he gets close to the chickens and the kid shoots him.  (Hurts, but doesn't break skin)  The dog had no idea the kid was up there.   That is the point..  because he then learns to behave when you aren't there.

Worked like a charm. 

Had to do the same when we got goats... those floppy nubian ears... 

If you lack sharp shooting skills...  I suggest doing the second choice which is an electrical collar.   The only issue with using an electric collar is that they learn that they only have to behave when they are wearing the collar.

However, most electric collars come with a dummy one...  so you can make sure he always wears one.


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## Baymule (Feb 9, 2021)

Update us on what is happening, I'll be glad to help you along the way.


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## Beekissed (Feb 9, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> I believe in training with the hand of God method....
> 
> 
> So, set up a situation so that the dog thinks it is alone, where the dog will engage in the bad behavior...  and correct it without it seeing you.
> ...


You and my son think exactly alike!!     He wants to get me an airsoft gun for corrections from afar, as getting a shock collar to be fully charged, on the dog and me catching the dog in the act seem to be as likely as having all the planets in alignment.  I'm none too confident in my marksmanship and I'd be just as likely to shoot the sheep WHILE she was being tortured by little puppy teeth.


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## Alaskan (Feb 9, 2021)

Beekissed said:


> You and my son think exactly alike!!    He wants to get me an airsoft gun for corrections from afar, as getting a shock collar to be fully charged, on the dog and me catching the dog in the act seem to be as likely as having all the planets in alignment. I'm none too confident in my marksmanship and I'd be just as likely to shoot the sheep WHILE she was being tortured by little puppy teeth.


True, good aim is pretty important.   

As to catching the dog in the act...  it is impossible really,  unless you set it up for when you are ready. 

That is why setting up the bad act, when you are all ready to punish,  is so important.


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## Kusanar (Feb 9, 2021)

Beekissed said:


> You and my son think exactly alike!!    He wants to get me an airsoft gun for corrections from afar, as getting a shock collar to be fully charged, on the dog and me catching the dog in the act seem to be as likely as having all the planets in alignment. I'm none too confident in my marksmanship and I'd be just as likely to shoot the sheep WHILE she was being tortured by little puppy teeth.


They make them with an electric full auto mode... Accuracy is not important! lol


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## Beekissed (Feb 9, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> True, good aim is pretty important.
> 
> As to catching the dog in the act...  it is impossible really,  unless you set it up for when you are ready.
> 
> That is why setting up the bad act, when you are all ready to punish,  is so important.


The bad act, in our case, is occasionally a dog doesn't want a particular sheep(never the same sheep, mind you) to be walking along and will grab a leg and hold it, while the sheep struggles to get the leg free.  When the older dog does it, it doesn't injure the sheep at all, but now the 5 mo. has learned this behavior and her needle teeth puncture skin.  I've seen her do it a couple of times to the same sheep but this morning I saw a different sheep with the end of her tail a little bloody.   Since this is all happening down in the pasture, 100 + yds away, I can scream at her from the house but unless I have all conditions in the right place there's no other correction happening.


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## Alaskan (Feb 9, 2021)

Beekissed said:


> The bad act, in our case, is occasionally a dog doesn't want a particular sheep(never the same sheep, mind you) to be walking along and will grab a leg and hold it, while the sheep struggles to get the leg free.  When the older dog does it, it doesn't injure the sheep at all, but now the 5 mo. has learned this behavior and her needle teeth puncture skin.  I've seen her do it a couple of times to the same sheep but this morning I saw a different sheep with the end of her tail a little bloody.   Since this is all happening down in the pasture, 100 + yds away, I can scream at her from the house but unless I have all conditions in the right place there's no other correction happening.


Oh good grief!

Yep.... not sure how to manage that...  occasional mess ups are very difficult to correct.


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## Alaskan (Feb 9, 2021)

And I am not sure if an electric collar would work at 100+ feet....  might be worth looking into though...


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## Kusanar (Feb 9, 2021)

Wonder if one of the bitter things for keeping them from messing with wounds would help? I know from experience it is NOT fun to get some of that stuff in your mouth...


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## Jeep10 (Feb 10, 2021)

Thank you all so much. I will be trying all these things! After closer observation, aka a security camera, it turns out the dog attacks the pig when the neighbors bring over scraps for them. He may attack more often, but I don't have proof of that yet. I have notified the neighbors to halt slop feeding for a bit until we have this under control. I'm a big fan of the airsoft/sting operation idea.


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## Beekissed (Feb 10, 2021)

Alaskan said:


> And I am not sure if an electric collar would work at 100+ feet....  might be worth looking into though...


They make them up to a 2 mi. range.


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## Alaskan (Feb 10, 2021)

Beekissed said:


> They make them up to a 2 mi. range.


Wow!  Very nice!

It has been ages since we had one...  over 10 years...


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## Alaskan (Feb 10, 2021)

Jeep10 said:


> Thank you all so much. I will be trying all these things! After closer observation, aka a security camera, it turns out the dog attacks the pig when the neighbors bring over scraps for them. He may attack more often, but I don't have proof of that yet. I have notified the neighbors to halt slop feeding for a bit until we have this under control. I'm a big fan of the airsoft/sting operation idea.


Now that is interesting...

Is the dog protecting the neighbors from the pigs???

Like the pigs rush forward for the slop, the dog thinks the pig will hurt the neighbors....??


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## Beekissed (Feb 10, 2021)

More likely the dog is competing for the food.


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## Alaskan (Feb 10, 2021)

Beekissed said:


> More likely the dog is competing for the food.


Ah...  duh...  yep, more likely


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## Baymule (Feb 13, 2021)

I think you found the problem. Food! I have one VERY possessive dog, of his food, his sheep and ME. He can be a special challenge. LOL

You might ask the neighbors to give the scraps to YOU to give out to the pigs and then it will be in a controlled situation. Either that or get their own pigs. LOL


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## Nana2Four (Feb 17, 2021)

Jeep10 said:


> Thank you all so much. I will be trying all these things! After closer observation, aka a security camera, it turns out the dog attacks the pig when the neighbors bring over scraps for them. He may attack more often, but I don't have proof of that yet. I have notified the neighbors to halt slop feeding for a bit until we have this under control. I'm a big fan of the airsoft/sting operation idea.


Our 2 GPs now 1.5 yrs old did the same things when they were around 6-7 months old  with our chickens when they were young and would flutter around the pastures. As soon as we would see it I would tie whoever the culprit was around one of our trees on a short lead in the near vacinity of where they were all and let them see life goes on for everyone else except them. I only had to do this twice. They didn't like being isolated while the other got to lay around and have fun. As they really got into the teenage month  crap I found an e collar worked like a charm. Only used the tone and vibrate except once they ran and I used the shock and it worked great. I myself love the collars and they work awesome if I am on the property but out of their site. I guess we are lucky because now they love and protect all of our chickens, goats, cats and other dog.


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## Nana2Four (Feb 17, 2021)

Beekissed said:


> More likely the dog is competing for the food.


Ours is good possessive especially in the field so I totally agree.


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