Opinions Please

[Rammy]

Wow! Im impressed! Good post!

 

[Dee Mini Pigs]

Okay, so it comes down to never judge a book by its cover, and thanks friends, after my experience with my anotolain and having a child loose her best friend to one, It stil baffles my husband and I as why she did it, she has now on been given to friends that have a bigger property. Thanks for the great reading, Love Dee.

 

[Ridgetop]

I'm so sorry @Dee, about your bad experience with your Anatolian. As with all animals, some are not good specimens, some have poor temperament, or physical problems. Many breeders (of all breeds and species) are not concerned with breeding for temperament, reliability, and working ability. That is why I so strongly recommend that people find a reputable breeder who stands behind their dogs, and who can supply names of satisfied buyers. These breeders supply advice, back up, and help to the owners who buy their dogs.

So sorry for your daughter's loss of her special kitty.

 

[MyFather'sSheep]

Thanks everyone. We had another talk with our friend, and the answer is no on the dog, no to a donkey, no to the other dog being with our animals. In short, we are now looking for our own land.

 

[MyFather'sSheep]

Thanks everyone. We had another talk with our friend, and the answer is no on the dog, no to a donkey, no to the other dog being with our animals. In short, we are now looking for our own land.

 

[Rammy]

Thanks everyone. We had another talk with our friend, and the answer is no on the dog, no to a donkey, no to the other dog being with our animals. In short, we are now looking for our own land.

I think thats a good idea. If your nit even alliwed to protect your own flock by getting a dig for them, its time to move on. Im sorry you have to move.

 

[MyFather'sSheep]

Wow! Im impressed! Good post!

Impresed with what Rammy?

 

[MyFather'sSheep]

I think thats a good idea. If your nit even alliwed to protect your own flock by getting a dig for them, its time to move on. Im sorry you have to move.

Yes, it is very surprising to us, as it has been our goal to have sheep and a dog since we got here AND we had a male BelgianMalinois previously while he had his Pyrenese. I just pray the Father leads us to what He has for us!

 

[Rammy]

Depending on the amount of brush cover and the topography of the property - flat, hilly, wooded - I think that 2 dogs work better and get less stressed when they have back up.

Now, why do you want an Anatolian instead of anther Pyrenees? We had Pyrenees LGDs for years, a total of 5, and 1 Sar Planinetz. We did not lose any livestock, they were good workers, friendly with children, sweet tempered with family, good watchdogs, and easy going.

Now we have 3 Anatolians. I did a lot of research before buying an Antolian since many have very sharp dispositions and can be aggressive if not trained or socialized. Properly bred and trained, Anatolians are not any worse than many other LGD breeds. We have found them to be superior to our Pyrs because they stay with the sheep and do not leave the property. They all came from one bloodline - a Basque sheep man in Bakersfield who ran his flock on leased government land. He and several other Basque herders would take a trailer into the mountains and live with about 2000-5000 sheep for the summer. They had at least 12 Pyrenees to protect the sheep. These dogs needed to set their own perimeter. I think this is why we had trouble with our Pyrs roaming - genetically that bloodline wanted to establish further perimeters than our fences. Our Pyrs were impossible to keep inside our fences. 30 years ago our neighbors did not mind our Pyrs guarding their property from the coyotes, but the neighborhood has changed. Where our other Pyrs climbed over the wire fences, our Anatolians patrol inside them. They are excellent guardians, and we have had them inside the house at night for family time where they are quiet and relaxed until they hear a threat. (Our Pyrs resisted coming inside as though being dragged to torture.) Our first Anatolian had never been around children, she was 18 months when we bought her. She bonded with the children and adores them. The others have been raised with my grandchildren and would die to protect them. Our male used to chase our old barn cat up into the loft - we thought - then we found them cuddled up sleeping together one day. Apparently the chasing was a game they enjoyed.

The only negative behavior we have had with our Anatolians has been the killing of several hoses, and the destruction of our patio furniture cushions, all by puppies. They no longer kill hoses, nor do they chew up cushions. We foiled the cushion chewing by purchasing deck boxes and putting the cushions away when not in use.

We do have a large kennel run where we incarcerate our male when strangers are on the property doing work. Occasionally the female joins him when necessary. Bubba has "true Anatolian temperament" which means he doesn't trust strangers, doesn't want them on his property, and may decide to chase them off the property. Locking the dogs up is for our protection from litigious workmen. Our dogs are loose on our property with the livestock at all times other than when strangers are working here, which is seldom. They need to be loose to protect our livestock. They have never attacked any of our animals.

However, having said all that, WHAT IS YOUR RENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY? Are you living in another house on the other side of the open space, or are you all occupying the same house? Are your sheep in a separate pasture from their goats and is theIr LGD penned with their goats?

First, ask if the owners will allow you to fence off your house and the pastures and woods that you want your LGD to guard. If you do this at your own expense, and do it correctly, the owners will probably be agreeable.

Second, all Anatolians want to be dominant. You can run 2 females of different ages together, or 1 male and 1 female together, but you cannot run 2 males of the same age together or even 1 male Anatolian with another male dog if medium or larger size. You also cannot run 1 female Anatolian together with another female dog of medium to similar size. While I love my Anatolians, they are spaced by several years and gender - Bitch - 6 years, Male - 3 years, bitch - 3 months. You can run more Anatolians if they have their own pastures to patrol. (You can have a miniature breed as a pet along with your Anatolian. I don't think Anatolians recognize tiny dogs as dogs!) Pyrenees, on the other hand, in our experience are not as aggressively dominant as Anatolians and will co-exist with same sex Pyrenees in the same pack.

Third, since the other family has offered to obtain anther Pyrenees LGD, why don't you accept their offer, but ask that the new dog remain in the pasture with your sheep instead of just running loose on the perimeter. That way you do not have to front the money for a guardian dog yourselves. Dominance in a dog pack (any number of dogs over 1) is a normal situation that they will establish among themselves. Pyrenees usually will live alongside each other fairly well. However, by adding an Anatolian, you increase the risk of fights for dominance. It is not unknown for Anatolians to fight to the death to establish dominance.

I really suggest that you discuss the possibility of fencing off your portion of the land from theirs, and consider getting a Pyrenees which would decrease the possibility of any antagonistic interaction between the two guardian dogs. If you move to your own place in the future, you can get an Anatolian then.

Im impressed with @Ridgetop's post. She really gave some good info amd advice in this post. I should of quoted this originally. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[MyFather'sSheep]

I think thats a good idea. If your nit even alliwed to protect your own flock by getting a dig for them, its time to move on. Im sorry you have to move.

Yes, it is very surprising to us, as it has been our goal to have sheep and a dog since we got here AND we had a male BelgianMalinois previously while he had his Pyrenese. I just pray the Father leads us to what He has for us!