How do you keep your dogs from roaming?

[MonsterMalak]

Some breeds are more inclined to roam, and some individuals are worse than others.

I usually keep some dogs in with the stock, and 1-3 outside uncontained.
I agree with the idea that once the predators figure out that the dogs are unable to cross the fence, they have no reason to fear constantly checking the defenses.

With the Kangals and Boz, they will give great chase, and make the predators respect or fear coming within a half a mile or so.

The dogs are always home in the daytime, but will run out after coyotes at night. They come right back, and have never run away.

The only time I have had a problem with a dog running off, is with a young dog that is not normally outside the pasture.
They have not developed the sense of territory and boundries.

Neighbor dogs are accepted up to our home if they are submissive, but will be chased out or killed if they go into the pasture with the sheep.

 

[Bossroo]

When a single guard dog chases a single coyote , the dog can kill it if he catches up to it, However... What happens when one guard dog ( such as the Kangals and Boz) chaces a coyote, then reaching a coyote pack ??? One of my neighbors about a mile away owns 5000 acres of hilly rangeland where he runs a cow/ calf operation. He says that there are dens of coyotes on his property where he has counted 10 to 30 coyotes at those den sites. There are nightly coyote community sings 2 times a night around our ranch that one can't even count the number of individual howling voices. I talked to a Fish and Game ranger who said that 3 late automns ago he had observed a pack of 73 coyotes at a community sing . I lost 2 of my guard Boxers ( 90 & 95 pounds of solid muscle) when each one chaced after a single coyote untill they come upon a pack and were killed and torn to shreds in seperate incidents. I found their bodies by following the circling buzzards. Last spring, my across the street neighbor ( raises sheep) lost his 110 lb Rottie this way too. All he found of him was his head and hide the next morning not 100 yards away from his pasture.

 

[Grazer]

Most non-LGD breeds stand no chance against a pack of coyotes or larger predators, regardless of these dogs' size.
The more primitive LGD's like for instance the different Turkish breeds and the LGD breeds from former Soviet Union and some Asian countries are of a whole different caliber.
I've never had dogs that were not living behind a fence, so I can't speak from experience here, but I've been told that LGD's don't fall for that coyote/wolf trick often. It's as if they instinctively know what these predators are planning.
All LGD breeds have traditionally worked in packs, so these dogs also instinctively have each others backs.

 

[dwbonfire]

i have one pyr, he was such a problem at first. regretfully i got rid of his litter mate/companion because of stupidity on my part for not doing enough research to know these dogs do much better in a pair or a pack. good for you for doing your research, it will save you trouble in the long run for sure.
my male would hop the fence like it was nothing, and step right over the electric because i couldnt seem to place it at a perfect height he would get zapped. eventually he settled in here and has been wonderful since. i was so incredibly close to rehoming him, already had someone wanting him and i thank goodness i did not. hes a great dog now, but a good fence is a must for these dogs. though i do believe he would have stayed put if he had his companion here with him. one never knows! good luck to you when you finally get your dog(s) they are great

 

[JTuffnell]

Our Great Pyrenees who died of bloat about 6 weeks ago was an escapee as a puppy; he could climb anything! We put up one strand of electric fence inside the pasture fence; he "fried" himself 4 times, once on each side of the field, and then never tried to escape again. (That fence then didn't work for years, but he never tested it.) We also never had a coyote (the predator of choice here) in our field. We could hear the coyote calls, and then we would hear our dog's deep "woof, woof, woof" and then no more coyote calls.
We now have an 11 week old Great Pyrenees puppy, and we have a new strand of electric fence inside our fence, hoping this little fellow will learn early not to entertain the idea of climbing out. He's touched it with his nose 3 times that we know of, and he cries and runs from it, and we feel sad, but we also hope he's thinking he doesn't want to do that any more.
We have friends who have Great Pyrenees, male and female, who escape and roam a long way from home; one has begun bringing "stolen" items from the neighbors, which is not helping neighbor relationships! It is really important for many reasons to keep your dog(s) with your herd/flock.
Good luck, when you get your guardian(s).

 

[EmilyVioletElithabeth]

ours are fenced in with the goats, they won't even step out of the gate when it's open, I have a friend that has two females and they are fenced but they are escapes, I had them here for breeding and they got out, but my male stayed put. they will gaurd and protect lots of ground if you don't keep them in or train them.

How to you train them to say with the goats?

 

[babsbag]

Hot wire

 

[Latestarter]

They (LGDs) "should" bond to/with the goats and not "want" to leave them. The most common problem is with some breeds, once they start a chase, they don't know when to stop, and will run down the prey till the kill. Others as previously stated, believe everything they can see is their territory and should be protected.

Good fencing is/should almost always be the first line of defense against predators as well as to prevent your livestock and dogs from wandering. Hot wire is further insurance. Once your animals get zapped a couple of times, they have to be pretty badly worked up to be willing to take a zap to get at something on the other side of the fence.