Our first LGD puppy coming home tonight!! **update**

[Beekissed]

Beautiful dogs!!! Thanks for the info on the Newf breed....just what I expected and wanted in a dog.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Our little Elbert has his own stall inside the goat pen with a cattle panel across the front so he can see the herd. One of our puppy-tolerant junior does has been spending several hours each day in his pen, then at night he goes into an XL crate inside the stall and other (not so puppy tolerant goats) are rotated in to spend the night with him safely. The chickens spend some time locked safely in his crate while he's loose in the stall.

After just a few days he runs to submissively paw and lick at the mouth of our puppy-tolerant doe when she's reintroduced. If that's not the cutest sight I don't know what is!

 

[Roll farms]

You probably know this, but please....please...please...don't leave the pup where he can access kids, or close-to-kidding does, until he's well past the puppy chase-and-chew phase.

Congrats, he's a cutie.

 

[Grillo]

Excellent Smithurmon. God willing, under 12 months you'll have a trustworthy LGD for years. They really are great protecting your stock. There's nothing like going over to do chores and take care of your stock and have that sense of confidence that your stock was safe through the night. I remember when I still didn't have the dogs, it was an awful feeling going over to feed and thinking "god I hope there's nothing missing today".

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Thanks Roll, that's a warning that can't really be overstated. We're going to do our best to set him up for success the first time around and not just hope for good luck. That definitely means no unsupervised access to kids until he's good and ready.

12 months is a little more optimistic than what I had in mind! If he's done with his puppy antics and adolescent frustrations by 18 months I'll be a happy camper.

 

[Grillo]

Smithurmon,

Both my Great Pyrenees were trustworthy by 10 months, with chickens! Now My Pyr Mastiff is another matter

 

[ChickenGirl11]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c381/nickismith/2-2.jpg

Awwww he's soo adorable....I want one but they shed soooo much, my mum and dad have had one before. But I don't think that it would shed as much as my two labs

 

[dianneS]

My Karakachan/great pyr, started giving me major headaches around 9-10 months old or so and we had a rough winter with him. Lost a chicken or two and he roughed up a baby goat by "playing" too rough with her. By spring he had really come around! He's about 19 months old now and he's just awesome. He's totally trustworthy with all the animals and has no interest in chickens anymore.

I just had an escape recently (due to my airhead SIL leaving a gate open!) and the dog got out with all of the goats. He didn't run off at all, he stayed right with his goats and came right back in the pasture when I called all of them in! He's just great... now!

Your pup looks like my dogs mom. She was 1/2 Karakachan 1/2 great pyr with the same markings as your dog.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Update! Elbert is 12 weeks old today and doing great! He's growing like a weed and is a lanky 25 lbs. The herd has really accepted him. He's still not allowed to be penned with the ultra bossy herd queen unsupervised, but they do well enough together that once he puts on a little size I'll be comfortable with their interaction. So far so good!

 

[Mea]

Talk about Photogenic !!!

His eyes seem wise far beyong his young age !