Farm guard dog

[Iwantgoats]

Is their a dog breed that is meant for protecting your farm animals? I need an OUTSIDE dog that would alarm us if a predator approaches, yet does not eat our own animals. We have just had a chicken attack in broad daylight on our free ranging chickens and we are getting more farm animals soon and I don't want history to repeat itself. Thanks.

 

[countrywife]

There are a number of breeds- do a search for livestock guardian dogs. I have a Great Pyrness, but there are many.

 

[promiselandfarm]

GPs are great and we had a coyote problem before we got them. I also have a couple of puppies still available

 

[lilhill]

Our Great Pyr, Daisy, keeps our goaties safe from preditors.

 

[Roll farms]

I love pyrs, but hate the hair mess in summer. I like Anatolians but they're a bit more aggressive than I'd like since we have visitors here a lot...so I bred an Anatolian to a pyr and kept a short haired pup who'll hopefully be not quite as agressive.
He lives w/ the goats w/ his Mama and at 5.5 mos. weighs 75#.

 

[Iwantgoats]

OK, hate to turn the topic around, but I just finished chasing my aggressive little mutt around in the middle of the night in the snow. I am now thinking to myself "Why do I want another dog again (I already have three indoor dogs)? Especially one that could be aggressive tword visitors?" But I NEED something to protect my animals, I live in predator city, is there an alternative to a LGD?

 

[ksalvagno]

Guard Llamas and donkeys. With guard llamas, you need to make sure that they are actually guards. Should be adult (about 3 years old) and if male, should be gelded.

 

[Roll farms]

We have had 2 guardian llamas in the past, they work wonderfully w/ goats and sheep...but do not see chickens as part of their 'herd' and don't protect them as strenuously.

Ours would let coons and opossums get into the chicken pens w/ out bothering them a bit because they weren't 'predators' to them.
Let a dog or 'yote come around though and they were wonderful.

Donkeys at times won't let ANYTHING in their pen, sometimes that means newborn kids and wandering chickens get stomped.

For our needs, dogs worked best because my birds are part of my 'business' and HAD to be protected.

Pyrs tend to be the least people aggressive of the LGD's I've seen.

 

[countrywife]

I was very hesitant about the LGDs too, and when the hubby wanted one years ago I would not allow it becuase we have kids. Now I have a GP who was a year old in January, and I LOVE him. Not aggresive at all. But he does let you know when someone is around. I did put him in the kennel the other night when there were 20 teenagers in the field playing manhunt, but he probably would have been fine. I was more concerned they would let him out of the field. While I have seen aggresive GPs, they are few and far between. Mostly, they keep thier distance from an intruder, and make a lot of noise.

 

[mnblonde]

i have a mule and had a llama-neither one helped to keep predators away from my goats. But my Great Pry Collie cross is friendly to strangers but barks when they some onto the farm and protective of my chickens and goats. I also had a shepard cross dog that was amazing-but chased cars and got hit. i dont know if any breed is a cure all-i tend to think cross breeds are more level headed. Be sure to get a pup though-or an older dog that has already been trained to the farm!!!

MNBlonde