Armenian Gamprs

[Ridgetop]

Has anyone had any experience with this breed. They seem to be a new breed advertised as LGDs, but I have heard they have vicious temperaments and are unpredictable. My friend's daughter is with Animal Control and said she is starting to run into this breed. She has nearly been bitten several times, and several have had to be out down for temperament problems. One was just put down because it attacked a woman and child, mauling them severely.

Anyone know about this breed? I hope it is not some new fad breed that will give LGDs a bad reputation.

 

[Rammy]

Probably will. Id stay with a Pyranees or Anatolian.

 

[Ridgetop]

Exactly! I don't know why some people have to "import" or "discover" new guardian breeds and then advertise them as the next best thing to sliced bread! I think it is to attract buyers who want a "new" breed or a "ferocious" breed for so called protection. Probably just for the money.

The dependable breeds that have been working consistently for years and have been bred by good knowledgeable breeders are so much better than some "newly discovered" breed that may or may not have been working as a livestock guardian. Some of the new purported "livestock guardian breeds" were actually bred to attack people that came too close to large estates.

Just wondered if specimens of this breed were turning up anywhere else.

 

[Rammy]

One thing about the established breeds is they have been bred for generations to do what they do. Dogs being sold as LGD that are new breeds, or "designer" dogs with no established track record for guarding livestock to me is a dangerous trend.
As other members have stated on here, and many of those who raise, breed, or train LGDs, these dogs are not your average dog. People who get these dogs and expect them to act like your Pomeranian, you need to change your thinking.
I know if I got one, Id do some serious research, ask alot of questions, and buy from a reputable breeder. And get a contract.

 

[Ridgetop]

Absolutely! Before I got my first Anatolian I researched heavily. I had had Pyrs for years but they were true escape artists. They wanted to guard the sheep and goats by chasing all predators out f the surrounding 100 acres! Back 35 years ago, there were few neighbors and we all knew each other and the neighbors liked to see my Pyrs chasing predators off from their properties too. We loved their temperaments, and we had no losses while we had them, but I don't like roaming dogs - they get shot, hit by cars, etc. - but short of chaining them up they were impossible to keep inside the fencing. I felt like a bad neighbor every time the dogs would get out. They could climb a 6' chain link fence, squeeze through a piece of stock with one wire missing, and go out under the fence through a hole you would think was too small for a rabbit! When our last one died of cancer we tried to go without any LGDs by just locking up the sheep at night. After a couple years, the coyotes learned they could just kill in the daylight. I needed to get another LGD, DH was fuming about losing so much stock = $$$, and I was tired of finding my lovely ewes dead. When we decided to get Pyrs,, I chose them for their gentle temperaments with people. At that time the different studies on LGDs advised that Anatolians were over protective and vicious, but that Pyrs were the most dependable for a family. We had small children with other kids coming over all the time so I couldn't have an over protective breed.

Our children were grown, and there were a lot more people in the neighborhood without livestock so I needed an LGD that would stay wth the flock. I decided to research Anatolians. An acquaintance had about 5 on her goat dairy in Washington state and swore by them. After a month of talking to everyone I could find on the internet, one name kept popping up and I called him. Erick lives in Austin, TX, and I talked to him for another month about every couple of days as I had more questions. I read everything anyone had posted, including lots of articles about Anatolians and training methods he had posted on his website. When he finally said he might sell me a dog, we drove to Texas to get her. Luckily he liked us and felt comfortable with us and all our questions or he would have told us to go home dogless! He has done this to other people he got a bad feeling about. (I told you on another site about Erick taking back an 18 month old bitch that the owner had not bothered to train. He had not been comfortable with the buyer, but his co breeder had sold the dog and it was to one of her friends. He had been begging the co breeder to get the dog back for months and finally she was retuned.)
Since then I have gotten another of Erick's dogs, and the 3rd is out of one of his bitches bred to an Erick approved stud. The breeder of this litter keeps in constant touch with Erick and puts her training videos on her Facebook page.

At any rate, we had a lot of experience obedience training dogs before we got our first LGD Pyr, and then had another 5 Pyrs and a Maremma x Shar Planinetz LGDs. Getting our first LGD was a huge new learning curve understanding their behaviors and how they guard, etc. The entire 35 years since then has added new understanding in their incredible behavior. I call Erick frequently to make sure that we are going about things right and to make sure I an correct in any new actions the dogs do. He has become a close friend over the past 6 years. To me LGDs are not just separate breeds, they are almost a different species in my opinion! LOL I feel sorry for people that run out to get one without really investigating them, their purpose, how they work, etc. They just think they need one or have been told they need one. Then they don't understand why the dog acts in a certain way and dump it. At least on this BYH site people who write in get help and advice if they are willing to take it.

Our Anatolians have been a success, guarding by staying tight with the flock. They don't wander and we just love them. Bubb is somewhat sharp, but so was his mother, and it is just as well since we live in an area where homes are sort of isolated and people wander around looking for homes that are vulnerable to break ins. We have wrought iron fencing along the road with deadbolts on the gates. No windows on the road that are not protected by the fence. Bubba protects the entire property, Rika is pretty flock oriented, and Angel is a 5 month pup learning the business. Love these dogs. Not the breed I would have as a plain old family pet, but they work for us on our small ranch as partners.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I know a ND breeder that has two, and they really love the dogs. When I was at the farm the dogs were protective but didn't appear to be vicious.

I have heard they have vicious temperaments and are unpredictable.

I hear this with a lot of LGD's.
Poor breeding, poor genetics, and poor management of the dog itself can play a role.

You can have a great dog absolutely ruined by owners who don't have a clue about LGDs.
You can also have a great LGD owner, but the dog has poor genetics and it rears it's ugly head.

I think some tend to breed the "rare" LGD's for the $, people are willing to buy them even if the dog has poor genetics and/or temperament because it is "different".

 

[OneFineAcre]

There was a member of this forum that has one, but they aren't on here anymore. Lil Hill Farm in Alabama.

 

[Ridgetop]

Ok. Probably a new breed with not enough known abut them, and the bad ones are the ones that are getting them all a bad reputation. Thanks.

 

[KC8012]

We have Armenian Gamprs. They are absolutely amazing dogs!! We bought them after spending three years doing research. We have had other LG breeds, in the past, some good some not. These dogs however are phenomenal in my experience. They have the strength and power to take on serious predators and the reserve and self control enough to fall back and obey their owners even when a threat is present. While they are protectors of the entire herd, they are exceedingly soft and gentle to the most vulnerable animals, young kids, and with children. I have witnessed this time and time again. We have yet to have a single loss since adding the Gamprs to our farm! Additional, there should be no concerns about its above mentioned status as a new, designer, and untried breed. This breed has been put through its paces over the many, many centuries that it has been in existence. Gamprs are among the oldest successful LGs in existence. They have been breed for centuries to be successful guardians that are loyal and loving members of their shepherd’s family. Please feel free to check out our fb page for additional pictures of Gamprs @ Silver Ridge Gamprs. Also the Armenian Gampr Club of America has wonderful resources on their website as well.

 

[Ridgetop]

Good to know. Thanks for posting.