What´s the point of having a LGD....

[Dage]

My LGDs are not dog aggressive and neither are my house dogs, but the two never meet in the field. The LGDs OWN the field and I am not sure what they would do if the Border Collies were to enter it, at least not if they were off lead. I brought home a pup a few months ago and they didn't eat her so maybe they would be ok but the house dogs have no reason to be with the goats and we just keep it that way.

Am curious which LGD breed you chose for your herd?

 

[NH homesteader]

Could have used an LGD last night. A bear broke into my feed shed and took an entire bag of chicken feed and a bag of sweet feed. Spilled another bag of grain all over the ground. Wish there was someone out there to bark and get my attention, if not scare if off itself!

 

[Southern by choice]

A Livestock Guardian Dog is THE MOST VALUABLE ASSET on your farm!

Go to a GOOD breeder. If you can find one that has the actual ability to evaluate that is best.

I strongly recommend teams.

 

[NH homesteader]

I'm sold! Haha I will have one someday but not yet in the budget for a good quality dog. For now, copious use of electricity. We had set up barbed wire after the first time the bear got into the shed. Apparently it needs a good zap instead!

 

[babsbag]

@NH homesteader, get two LGDs, they work so much better in teams and I really liked having two puppies at once, but not necessarily litter mates. That can work, but can also have its own set of challenges and not something I suggest for the first time LGD owner unless a person is very well versed in training dogs. My BCs are sisters and joined at the hip. Their names are Goodness and Mercy and they are inseparable; not always a trait you want in an LGD. But there are a lot of sibling pairs that work well too.

@Dage My LGDs are mixed breeds, but all LGD breeds. My oldest female is Anatolian/Ovcharka/ Pyrenees, and Akbash. My male 3/4 Pyr and 1/4 Toli. My puppy is Anatolian/Ovcharka/Akbash, and Maremma; she is a half sister to my female, but I tell people "not the good half". She has been a challenge.

 

[babsbag]

For you @NH homesteader ...not my bear or dog or video but what a good dog.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=848178431959292

 

[NH homesteader]

@babsbag I am very well versed in dog training and behavior modification but not LGDs! I'm afraidit will take some practice for me to let them do their job because I'm used to heavily training dogs for other things. But I research things obsessively before I jump in so I'll get there!

Are Maremmas more challenging? I've just heard fair amount of people who have difficulty with them, and I don't know if that's a breed thing or it's just random.

 

[Southern by choice]

I'm afraidit will take some practice for me to let them do their job because I'm used to heavily training dogs for other things.

If you practice the same methods on a LGD you will not only confuse the dog but frustrate it as well.
You MUST view them as a PARTNER. They do something you cannot, you do things they cannot. RESPECT is critical.
They are smarter than you, know their job better then you.

 

[NH homesteader]

I know that's why I said that. I'm aware that I need to have a different approach

 

[babsbag]

I can't really speak to the personality of purebred Maremmas so I'm not sure how to answer that. If I had to choose one breed I would choose the Anatolian but not based on temperament but based on coat, I like the short hair. I would bet that the Pyr is the most common and has the reputation for being a barker and a roamer. Again, not sure if that is really a trait or just that there are so many of them that you hear about it more often. I am a firm believer in a hot wire to stop the roaming.

IMO the perfect dog is really the cross between the Pyr and the Toli.