Going to look at puppys on the 16th!! Pictures up #34 :D

[BlueMoonFarms]

After talking and poking around at a few goat and sheep farms, we were directed to a farm who breeds Great Pyrenees; who we found out threw talking with them had puppies
So we decided to go and see them.
There eyes are just opening, but this way we will be able to see there dogs and how they work on the farm and get a feel for what the pups could possibly be like when there older.
The only thing I wanted to ask, that I have been reading mixed opinions on, is how to keep the puppy.
Some say keep them outside with the goats and sheep at all times, some say to keep them in a pen during the day, some say to let them be inside when they want to and outside when they dont; and then some have said to not put them out with the goats or sheep until they are big enough to fight off predators...
So, from your experiences, which one has worked the best? What have you done with your LGD puppy when you first bring it home.

 

[terrilhb]

Good luck. We want pictures. Lots of pictures.

 

[Southern by choice]

You want your dog/s to bond with your goats/sheep. However, an 8 week old pup needs to be protected from such animals because they can kill them. Our new Pups go in a dry lot (with shelter) that runs along the ND goats field. Daily the pups are with the goats-SUPERVISED, so the goats can get a feel for these new creatures and they can get acquainted without incident. As the pups grow they will be able to have that time unsupervised. Poultry is another subject. As far as in/out of the house I think that depends on your farm, size of farm, interactions with people etc.
Ex 300-1000acres- These dogs are different-very different from the small acreage, more "backyard" or "ranch" type dog. Our pups have ALWAYS been acclimated to our home. They have their daily "come in the house" time. One reason is we have house dogs that need to be understood as "family" and not a predator that needs killed. All dogs MUST get along on our little farm. I will not tolerate any fighting. I would however, recommend the pup sleeping outside from day 1!!! This is very important, the temptation is great to want that cute li guy/girl to come in especially when you first bring him home. This initial routine can cause issues later. Outside only for the first few weeks is iportant, NO INSIDE HOUSE TIME. LGD's are very smart and will learn whining and barking to come in if they interpret from the get-go that the house is their job. If they learn outside is their area they will enjoy their 20-30 minute inside time but will be begging to get back out. Our 1 pyr is very socialized, he greets all who we introduce him to, he goes on car rides, etc He is our Pyr Spokesdog so to speak. But when he is in one of the fields, well that is a different story.

Our two males were born 11/23/11 I picked up our first one in Feb, he was 8 weeks old. He was born in a goat barn, with other pyrs around and the goats. We got his brother later, but anyway his coat at 8 wkks was massively thick. He never skipped a beat, we even had a snowfall and he loved it so don't worry bout the cold. Good shelter, hay as bedding and he/she should be fine.

You have very keen sense of looking ahead and determining your end goal. I am so confident in your ability to produce an excellent guardian. Yeah, there will be bumps in the road, there always are. If you play out what you are doing and look at what behavior that is going to result in in 6 months it's easier . You won't be so taken in and owned and trained by your PYR!

 

[BlueMoonFarms]

You want your dog/s to bond with your goats/sheep. However, an 8 week old pup needs to be protected from such animals because they can kill them. Our new Pups go in a dry lot (with shelter) that runs along the ND goats field. Daily the pups are with the goats-SUPERVISED, so the goats can get a feel for these new creatures and they can get acquainted without incident. As the pups grow they will be able to have that time unsupervised. Poultry is another subject. As far as in/out of the house I think that depends on your farm, size of farm, interactions with people etc.
Ex 300-1000acres- These dogs are different-very different from the small acreage, more "backyard" or "ranch" type dog. Our pups have ALWAYS been acclimated to our home. They have their daily "come in the house" time. One reason is we have house dogs that need to be understood as "family" and not a predator that needs killed. All dogs MUST get along on our little farm. I will not tolerate any fighting. I would however, recommend the pup sleeping outside from day 1!!! This is very important, the temptation is great to want that cute li guy/girl to come in especially when you first bring him home. This initial routine can cause issues later. Outside only for the first few weeks is iportant, NO INSIDE HOUSE TIME. LGD's are very smart and will learn whining and barking to come in if they interpret from the get-go that the house is their job. If they learn outside is their area they will enjoy their 20-30 minute inside time but will be begging to get back out. Our 1 pyr is very socialized, he greets all who we introduce him to, he goes on car rides, etc He is our Pyr Spokesdog so to speak. But when he is in one of the fields, well that is a different story.

Our two males were born 11/23/11 I picked up our first one in Feb, he was 8 weeks old. He was born in a goat barn, with other pyrs around and the goats. We got his brother later, but anyway his coat at 8 wkks was massively thick. He never skipped a beat, we even had a snowfall and he loved it so don't worry bout the cold. Good shelter, hay as bedding and he/she should be fine.

You have very keen sense of looking ahead and determining your end goal. I am so confident in your ability to produce an excellent guardian. Yeah, there will be bumps in the road, there always are. If you play out what you are doing and look at what behavior that is going to result in in 6 months it's easier . You won't be so taken in and owned and trained by your PYR!

Ah ok, that we can do. We already bought a massive solid wood dog house for the puppy when it gets bigger. We'll just put a pen up around it for the first few months, and put it right up against the goat pen.
I expect issues with chickens, but like all dogs we will just have to train them and wait for the brain cells to kick in.
We are going to be expanding the property line from 4 acres to 10 and putting a nice barn up to!! I cant wait ^^ then we will be able to expand the herd!!
But, until we get everything settled, and then built, we will have the little munchy baby on four acres with three dairy goats and two sheep Not counting the kids we will have running around from the spring births.
That will be the hardest part in all honesty, but I am ready and prepared!! Hence the dog house.
I just cant wait to go and see them, they look so cute! But I know they will end up growing into hell raisers, and hopefully they will be able to keep those blasted coy dogs away from my goats.
Speaking of bedding, we have both hay and thick padded dog beds; which one do you think would be best?
Thank you for your input As always!

 

[Southern by choice]

I would recommend straw. It is a good insulator and all my LGD's go crazy for it! If you are spreading new straw or carrying hay for feed they go nuts! They love to roll and roll in it. It is quite comical. Also dog beds are something I find very risky. I've seen way too many surgeries on dogs whose intestines were blocked and a sock, towel, pieces of bedding etc were in there. LGD's coats are quite adequate to keep them warm, do not be surprised if your pup does not go in his shelter. Most pups will go in out for the curiousity of it, or haevy rains.

Our LGD's never touched a chicken til they were about 5 months or so and it really was just a plaything. They were raised with them from pups/supervised.

Can't wait for pics!

 

[CocoNUT]

x2 on the straw. Gus LOVES it! If I put out hay for the goats...she jumps in and takes it over! In the manger? She doesn't care...she'll get in it and roll around!

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

It's hard for me to carry hay or straw in my arm if the dogs are around. They LOVE it. If you want to see something funny, get a flake or two and just throw it in the field. The dogs will run and dive into it!! It's quite funny.

 

[Alice Acres]

Yes to the hay or straw as bedding. As mentioned - way too many puppies and even adult dogs chew and swallow their beds and cause obstructions.
Our 2 outdoor dogs share a house and have soft grassy hay in their dog house.
Also - many dogs chew wood, so it wouldn't hurt to have some metal flashing on hand to put on tasty parts of their house.....

 

[Pearce Pastures]

YAY on looking at LGDs! We are planning to use hay to and it is what we use for our mutt too. She actually has a nest! We raked a bunch of straw into a corner of our barn loft to get it out of the way when we were stacking hay. We noticed she wasn't sleeping in her doghouse downstairs when we went out one morning and found that she had made the huge pile of straw into her own little nest/bed. She loves it.

 

[EllieMay]

Yes, the dogs love the straw or hay bedding.
Mine love to sleep wedged between the round hay bale and the wall.
There's lots of hay there that falls so it must be a nice cozy spot indeed.
When I brought my pups home, I put them in an area of my pole barn where they slept at night.
During the day they were able to walk about the "immediate" property hanging out with the chickens.
I did not give the pups free range over the entire 15 acres because they will roam that far and try to go farther.
They pretty much slept in front of the pole barn with the chickens during the day.
At night I kept them penned in an area of the pole barn.

Even though mine never killed any of my chickens, I always advise people to watch their puppies around the chickens because chickens can become cute squeaky toys to a dog.