Anatolian Pyrenees

[Weldman]

I just found this thread and wowza! It's a treasure trove! We just got our first LSG a few weeks back. He's 1/3 Anatolian and the rest Pyrenees and is about 11-12wks old right now. We brought him home at 9-10wks. We live on a suburban property that is less that 1/4 an acre, but we have a flock of 20+ chickens, some rabbits, cats, quail, a goose and a turkey. We're having some trouble with training... specifically with getting him to not play pounce.... or to stop grabbing my skirt or legs...or not eating his own crap.. or the chickens'crap... or make him stop barkin at 3am... he's learned to sit and lay down though!

If anyone has suggestions on how to properly train him, I would greatly appreciate any advice! We love him to death, and we're hoping he'll become a good flock and property guardian and family member

Start with wearing him out, at least a hour or two walk/run then attempt to train him in a controlled environment, once that's down, then you can try and start training towards meeting the animals and how to interact with them. LGD's. Barking is his natural instinct to make a presence, should of seen that before getting him if this is a deal breaker. These animals don't do well in small areas.

 

[Ridgetop]

Trying "positive" methods to train Pooch and well it ain't working when I can't find what he really likes for treats. Seriously, what dog doesn't like dog biscuits?

Our Anatolians are very picky about treats. Our first Anatolian was 18 months old and trained. She was very polite and would accept the treat in her mouth, then turn away and drop it on the ground. After 9 years with us she will now quietly accept trets. The 3 pups we raised are better about taking treats but still thoughtful. These Anatolians are not 'snatch and grabbers" like most dogs. And would not take treats from strangers which is good since they are harder to poison that way.

or make him stop barkin at 3am...

He will never stop barking at 3 am. Barking is the first line of defense in their war on predators. There does not have to be a predator on the property either since they patrol at night and often bark just to let predators know that they are on duty. If you live is a small neighborhood with close neighbors, you might get complaints. Tell anyone who complains that the dog is warning off predators and hopefully they will understand. As a puppy he is learning what the normal sounds and smells are so he will be barking more at first. Once he is grown and knows what is normal at night, he will tend to bark less unless a predator or stranger approaches the property. Keeping him in at night won't help, and he will not be able to defend your property against predators since they are nocturnal.

 

[CloneFly]

He will never stop barking at 3 am. Barking is the first line of defense in their war on predators. There does not have to be a predator on the property either since they patrol at night and often bark just to let predators know that they are on duty. If you live is a small neighborhood with close neighbors, you might get complaints. Tell anyone who complains that the dog is warning off predators and hopefully they will understand. As a puppy he is learning what the normal sounds and smells are so he will be barking more at first. Once he is grown and knows what is normal at night, he will tend to bark less unless a predator or stranger approaches the property. Keeping him in at night won't help, and he will not be able to defend your property against predators since they are nocturnal.

Our neighbors have large dogs that occasionally bark at night, so they don't really mind. I do understand that they're barkers, but is there anyway to train him to not whine/bark to get what he wants? That's our main issue. Though, it's not a deal breaker, it'd definitely make life easier lol.

Start with wearing him out, at least a hour or two walk/run then attempt to train him in a controlled environment, once that's down, then you can try and start training towards meeting the animals and how to interact with them. LGD's. Barking is his natural instinct to make a presence, should of seen that before getting him if this is a deal breaker. These animals don't do well in small areas.

We've been trying the "wear him out then go to sleep" trick before bedtime, it works 50% of the time lol. He's a stubborn one, so he'll sit on the ground like, "I don't wanna move". He's been doing well with the chickens, though he has that puppy instinct to play- our goose (a little too enthusiasticly) helps keep him in line. I just don't want this to become a habit of his as he gets older.

FYI, we have no plans of getting rid of this dog unless he miraculously becomes a danger to the family. We're just going through the ups and downs of raising a puppy Thank you for all the advice so far!

 

[Ridgetop]

He is a baby so he is just reacting the way any baby does. Do not give in to whining or barking for attention. And try to anticipate any problems so you can take steps to avoid them.

Two of our Anatolians would attack and chew hoses. (They will also kill snakes.) During the danger period - 3-6 months - we strung our livestock hoses up high, tying them to fences and posts. We have to be careful not to go out in the dark and get strangled by hanging hoses.

Our male, Bubba, was dominant and would paw at you for attention. When he would lift his big paw we would grab it, say "shake - good boy" over and over while holding on to it until he tried to pull his paw away from us. We would hold it for an additional minute before releasing it. He learned to shake n command, and also to recognize that we were dominant in the pack. Instead of hitting him (never good with Anatolians who are sensitive) or scolding this taught him our dominance and prevented him from enforcing his dominance as he matured.

Some obedience leash training will be helpful too. Most LGDs will ignore any training when they feel there is a threat to their pack or livestock, but it is good to do the training anyway.

 

[Weldman]

Don't know what it was, never seen what it was, but I do know Pooch sensed it before we knew of anything. Out walking Pooch up on a hilltop, proceeded to go down and he started growing and small bark in the direction we were going to go.
Paused and waited he was ready for whatever it would of been, kept growling so we proceeded down to find out. I carry a rifle everywhere I go with other sorts of protection so whatever it was it needed to be dealt with as it was on the property, but never seen it.
Got a good lesson/test on how well training on commanding him to come no matter the situation, found a rabbit hole fresh fur and blood everywhere even found a leg. He sniffed around I tossed him the leg he chewed on it, took it away cause of small bones, but figured give him a tease. Tossed the leg away and started walking about 20 feet and he decided to search it, told him to come here, so he gave up search and came to me and got his award for listening.

Don't want him taking on something too much for him or situation where he needs to back off and him not listen. Way this property is situation he can be 40 acres away and go off and I will hear him. I can hear dogs 3 miles away barking up here on good days.

 

[SageHill]

Excellent!

 

[peteyfoozer]

Trying "positive" methods to train Pooch and well it ain't working when I can't find what he really likes for treats. Seriously, what dog doesn't like dog biscuits?
Won't have to worry about him raiding the cookie jar in the night at this rate.

Anytime Boone is focused on something besides me, he ignores treats, but the deer hunters gave me a couple of livers (and hearts, and legs…) I cut it up in little pieces and dehydrate it. That’s a treat he notices

 

[Baymule]

I just found this thread and wowza! It's a treasure trove! We just got our first LSG a few weeks back. He's 1/3 Anatolian and the rest Pyrenees and is about 11-12wks old right now. We brought him home at 9-10wks. We live on a suburban property that is less that 1/4 an acre, but we have a flock of 20+ chickens, some rabbits, cats, quail, a goose and a turkey. We're having some trouble with training... specifically with getting him to not play pounce.... or to stop grabbing my skirt or legs...or not eating his own crap.. or the chickens'crap... or make him stop barkin at 3am... he's learned to sit and lay down though!

If anyone has suggestions on how to properly train him, I would greatly appreciate any advice! We love him to death, and we're hoping he'll become a good flock and property guardian and family member

Start your own thread for your dog. Use his name on the title. I make threads for all my dogs. I currently have 3 Anatolians, one is a 15 month old and is finally settling down and getting serious in his work. It’s a wild ride!

 

[Ridgetop]

Great reaction to pup's alert! Having his human respect his warning and give him a backup is necessary to these dogs. Excellent recall. He recognized you had everything under control. Once he is fully mature he may not heed that recall if he thinks he needs to protect you from the predator or intruder. On the other hand he might.

In your area mountain lions, bears, and wolves abound. A single Anatolian or even a pair are not a match for either. My friend Erick (Texas Hill Country) came out to his back pasture one morning to find that 5 of his Anatolians had dispatched a huge male cougar. The cougar had been killing livestock around him for months. He had 2 adults and 3 pups (6-10 months old) in that field and it took all of the to bring the cougar down. They were injured but recovered. Wolf packs will outnumber and kill LGDs to get rid of them. Bears may or may not run from a pack of LGDs.

Eventually you will probably want to add a female Anatolian. Male Anatolians are not pals to other large male dogs and once the second dog reaches maturity they will fight for dominance. Often to the death.

Great training and great response for Boone.

 

[Weldman]

Great reaction to pup's alert! Having his human respect his warning and give him a backup is necessary to these dogs. Excellent recall. He recognized you had everything under control. Once he is fully mature he may not heed that recall if he thinks he needs to protect you from the predator or intruder. On the other hand he might.

In your area mountain lions, bears, and wolves abound. A single Anatolian or even a pair are not a match for either. My friend Erick (Texas Hill Country) came out to his back pasture one morning to find that 5 of his Anatolians had dispatched a huge male cougar. The cougar had been killing livestock around him for months. He had 2 adults and 3 pups (6-10 months old) in that field and it took all of the to bring the cougar down. They were injured but recovered. Wolf packs will outnumber and kill LGDs to get rid of them. Bears may or may not run from a pack of LGDs.

Eventually you will probably want to add a female Anatolian. Male Anatolians are not pals to other large male dogs and once the second dog reaches maturity they will fight for dominance. Often to the death.

Great training and great response for Boone.

That is on our list of what is next is a female. We will have multiple livestock to guard in multiple areas so we need them as such. This is getting crazy on how much we are expanding, just today I got urgent message to call a neighbor from his wife. They don't live out here, but own property next to mine and well he smoked too much so he is now dying from it and wanted to see if we would buy his property. In the neighborhood we own five 20 plus acre parcels now if his wife agrees we might be getting a 6th. Was hoping to hold out for one in particular, but this will be our second chance to buy this parcel that connects to three others.