Family Farm Friendly LGD Breeds? Opinons, Advice, Experiences??

[pridegoethb4thefall]

We are considering getting an livestock guardian for our goats and poultry. We have 3 other small family dogs, 6 human children, 2 cats, chickens, 1 duck, and a small herd of small goats.

We have decent fencing, but not something that would keep a determined, big animal from breaking in or out. We can mostly fix that in a day or two though, but probably not enough to keep a LGD from possibly getting out.

I am reading about LGD's and trying to determine a good breed, or mixed breed for our needs. We have coyotes, BIG, hungry, BOLD, comeout during the DAY, coyotes. I am tired of them coming around, and have various reasons why we cant poison or trap, or shoot them. We also have coons and possums and skunks running around.

My main concerns are- I need something that is good with children and other small dogs (the dogs dont usually go in the animal pen, but it happens). I need something that stays in the barnyard/pen, but that wont take off down the road if it is let out on accident.

My main concern is safety for my family/children. I want a dog that is 'kinda' family friendly, but is going to bond and stay with the livestock at all times. It does need to allow me to care for it, like grooming as needed, and any vet handling, as well as being adaptive to new additions or animals leaving due to sales.


Ok, ok, I know thats alot of 'wants', but Im not savy about LGD's and would like to get ALOT of opinions and experiences from others to get a good idea of what might work for us.

From what I have read, I am leaning towards and Great Pyrenees, and slightly away from an Anatolian. Maybe a cross of the two? I dont know what else might be out there...

 

[Roll farms]

Some Anatolians would fit your bill, some wouldn't....just like humans, ea. has their own personality. We had a male ASD that was just snarly mean to strangers and he made me nervous b/c I was afraid he'd hurt someone, but we also had a pyr male that would bite strangers w/out growling / giving warning.

I have heard pyrs are the worst 'wanderers' but ours (2 - unrelated) have never left our pens / pastures. (The female did try to get out when her pups were about 5 wks old, I think she wanted a 'mom's day out').
I really think it's important to not take them in / out of pens a lot and play w/ them 'too much' (so that they bond w/ you / the kids instead of the livestock), get them spayed / neutered before they reach sexual maturity, and that they get in w/ animals at a young age.

Our daughter played w/ ours, don't get me wrong....but always in the pasture and never so much that the dog wasn't content to let her leave when play time was over.

 

[boykin2010]

I always suggest Great Pyreneese. I love mine. He is super friendly and has never offered to bite or anything. He also isn't a wanderer as some GP's are. He has never left our pens. My Great Pyreneese is very protective of my sheep. I wish he was more protective around humans though. He does not bark or do anything if someone walks up. I guess in the long run it is better this way. I would feel really bad if a friend came over and got bitten. The good thing is that my GP is very protective when a stray dog, coyote, fox, possum, racoon, you name it comes around. He even barks at the deer ( I dont think he knows they arent a threat.)

One thing I wish I would've known before i got my LGD is that they bark ALL night long. They aren't doing it for fun though. It is their job. When they bark constantly, it keeps predators such as coyotes away. My GP has a very intimidating bark. Bad part is I hear it all night long. I have gotten used to it though. It would be great if the pasture wasn't so close to my house...

 

[pridegoethb4thefall]

Ive heard from other people that Great Pyrenees tend to bark alot- which could pose a problem with neighbors, not to mention the pen is barely 20 feet from bedroom windows....

I was planning on raising a puppy in the pen- no inside the house time, strictly an outside dog. I want it totally bonded to its charges- but still friendly with the family. I think I can handle getting it to accept the animals and keeping it somewhat family friendly with light human socialization. It would be me everyday feeding and caring for the animals, and my children spending limited time in the pen, but enough to have an understanding with the dog.


What about a mix breed?


What should I look for in a puppy as far as temperment? Do I look for the stand-offish one, or the more friendly one? The smaller or the larger?

Which sex has been more adaptable in your experiences?

 

[boykin2010]

I pretty sure all LGD's will bark at nights. It is their instinct and their job. I may be wrong though.

I don't think the gender matters. I do think it helps a lot if you get the dog fixed. It helps reduce the roaming. Male dogs will go roaming looking for females. Females will let male dogs into the pasture/pen when in heat.

 

[Grazer]

Boykin is right, LGD's tend to bark a lot with their deep, loud voices during the night.
We also have neighbors, but we're lucky that we don't have any kind of livestock at the moment, so ours sleeps with us in the house during the night. But even during the day he barks at literally anything that moves behind the fences (when he's not taking his naps that is lol).
If financially possible, you could put your future LGD in a barn with his/hers livestock during the night, so the barking wouldn't upset the neighbors.

Personally, what I would do (if financially possible of course) is make the fence more sturdy.
I've noticed that 6 ft wood fences work best because I've known some people whose huge LGD's would climb over chain link fences by sticking there feet in the fence.
And also then the dogs don't see everything that's going on behind the wood fence and will therefor bark a little less.
Some people who have escape artists will lay a cement footer around the base of the fence or/and add angled "lean ins" to the top.

Gender doesn't matter and usually neutered/spayed dogs will roam less.
If I were you, I'd only get a future LGD from working parents, whose owner is already socializing the puppies with different livestock and children.
I also don't think there's anything wrong with spending time with your puppy and socializing it with your children, other members of the family and other pets, I don't think it will make him/her a less of a guardian.
But it is wise to have the puppy sleep near its livestock from day 1 and only allow the puppy to interact with the livestock under supervision at first, until fully trained (usually by the time a dog is around 18 months or older)

I've never actually owned a Great Pyr, but everyone says that they're the most gentle from all LGD breeds
And as far as choosing the right puppy, this is where finding an experienced LGD breeder comes handy. He/she should be able to pick out the puppy with the right temperament for your situation.
I personally always go for a puppy I feel a connection with, usually that means a puppy that is friendly, but doesn't jumps on me, isn't hyper and isn't too stand-offish

 

[babsbag]

I have 2 LGDs. They are both about 2 years old. The male is a GP/Maremma mix and the female is Anatolian, GP, Ovcharka, Akbash mix. They are as different as night and day.

The male is shy around strangers, chases chickens, is intimated by the goats, and barks ALL night long. He also barks at every car that comes up our road.The neighbors hate him.

The female loves everyone, submits to the goats, and only barks when there is a reason to bark. If Sigueme is barking I pay attention. She does chase chickens too, or did.

I worked with them both long and hard, with e-collars to break the chicken habit. They have no prey drive, but they like to chase when the chickens run, they are the ultimate squeaky toy. Unfortunately chickens don't handle LGD paws and jaws very well. I did lose a few. It took me over a year to break the chicken fetish.

We have electric fences so they don't wander. The female got out once, and she just went to visit the neighbor. I don't know how far she would have gone if we hadn't found out she was out. My friends that have GP tell me that they are hard to keep at home.

The female is friendly with my house dogs, the male is afraid of them, therefore he is not friendly with them. The house dogs are NEVER in the goat pasture so they don't intermingle at all.

Every dog is different. Hopefully if you get one it will come from a home that has working LGDs and the owners will be willing to work with you and help you. There can be challenges. We had a liter last year and of the 9 pups one was killed by a sheep, two have been rehomed, and another is playing a little too hard with the lambs. The owners are working with him.

Owning a LGD can be trying at times, they are independant thinkers, and they are not living to please us. They are bonded to their charges, not their people, and that can be a challenge.

I like my dogs, they like me, they make me feel safe when I am alone at night with me goats. I am really afraid of the dark and my husband is out of town during the week so the LGD are what give me the courage to go out to do chores after the sun goes down. They really do change the way I feel about farm life.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

We are considering getting an livestock guardian for our goats and poultry. We have 3 other small family dogs, 6 human children, 2 cats, chickens, 1 duck, and a small herd of small goats.

We have decent fencing, but not something that would keep a determined, big animal from breaking in or out. We can mostly fix that in a day or two though, but probably not enough to keep a LGD from possibly getting out.

It is my understanding that you can greatly reduce the desire to roam by: making sure the LGD has a job to do always, Making sure they have fresh water and food, making sure that they have bones and things to keep them entertained and spaying/neutering them, and teaching them when they are young where their boundry is to guard. Of course you may have that random dog that wanders, but all in all, it appears that these things would help.

I am reading about LGD's and trying to determine a good breed, or mixed breed for our needs. We have coyotes, BIG, hungry, BOLD, comeout during the DAY, coyotes. I am tired of them coming around, and have various reasons why we cant poison or trap, or shoot them. We also have coons and possums and skunks running around.

My main concerns are- I need something that is good with children and other small dogs (the dogs dont usually go in the animal pen, but it happens). I need something that stays in the barnyard/pen, but that wont take off down the road if it is let out on accident.

My main concern is safety for my family/children. I want a dog that is 'kinda' family friendly, but is going to bond and stay with the livestock at all times. It does need to allow me to care for it, like grooming as needed, and any vet handling, as well as being adaptive to new additions or animals leaving due to sales.


Ok, ok, I know thats alot of 'wants', but Im not savy about LGD's and would like to get ALOT of opinions and experiences from others to get a good idea of what might work for us.

I don't think this is a unrealistic wish list! We are getting two LGD pups from a member here. They are Great Pyreneese/Karakachan mix. They are being trainned on the farm with their parents and we will pick them up at 9 weeks old. Like you, we will need them to be acceptable of those who we introduce as friend and be agreeable to vet visits and such. But their job is to guard the livestock and that is what the focus will be on.

It would appear that there are numerous LGD owners on this forum that have exactly what you and I desire. For our situation, it made more sense to get pups and socialize with us and our livestock right off the bat. With a pup of course the benefits of a LGD are not immediate, so what you go as far as adult vs pup will depend on how soon, you desire action. Best of luck!
From what I have read, I am leaning towards and Great Pyrenees, and slightly away from an Anatolian. Maybe a cross of the two? I dont know what else might be out there...

 

[herdnerd]

I have the goofiest Great Pyr ever. Even the vet agrees. INka is a great guardian and does the appropriate guarding, late night barking, and takes good care of the family. My vet will sit down with her face to face. He says she is the only Pyr he has ever felt comfortable doing that with. She LOVES to go visit him.

She seems to appreciate we keep adding to our farm. When we let the chickens out she goes over to where they are and lays down pleased to have something to guard. She is protective of our area and our animals. She had to be trained not to chase the chickens when she was young.

What is funny is that a friend of the vet wanted to get a Pyr because of what he told them about our Pyr. He had to explain that she was an exception and that Pyrs can be reserved and not trusting.

So Pyrs are great dogs, but you have to meet the puppies, the parents, and spend time with them. No one wanted Inka when we visited. She had a very dark face. It was hiding an angel.

 

[Kitdragon2000]

I cant give any experiance on which breed to choose, i have heard a lot of good about great pyrs, havent met a lot of ant. shep. but havent had either to give good experiance, but what i do want to say is even if you want it to be an outside dog still socilise it with everyone, everything that way you dont end up with a scared of any strangers dog, leary is fine, but you want to know that if you bring a friend out to see the goats, sheep what ever you want to know that your dog wont bite them. as i tell others there is a diffrence between a person that Family introduces to a person who they dont know without someone, and all guarding / herding dogs will be smart enough to realise this. or they should or they better not be your only guard dog.

one thing i find with my clinic a LOT is the ranch dogs have no idea what to do out of their setting, so they are terrified, and more prone to biting, (any dog really) but outside dogs have this happen. so bring your dog in even just once a week for a grooming spell, get them used to something other then dirt.

well those are my two cents, and i have heard that a calmer dog in a heard of flighty chickers, goats, sheep ext is better then one that wants to chase, play. well good luck!!