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- #11
Great Pyrenees
- Thread starter ratkinso
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Southern by choice
Herd Master
Our LGD's are to protect the goats...not chickens.
Please heed this advice...you will lose poultry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On the matter of Anatolians...I very much disagree with the idea they are high strung. As with any LGD breed they are not like other dog breeds...they are distinctly different. Out of a litter of LGD pups, each pup will have it's own personality and identifiable traits. The dogs will not all be equal in these "traits". One pup may be more suited to be on a farm with 300 acres with little human interaction...another pup may be better suited to an environment that id small family/ranch farm. Another may do best if it is paired properly with another dog of different traits...etc
Breeding and where the dogs are coming from are also a factor.
Typically Male Anatolians do not do well with other males... best M/F teams are best IMO...although F/F Anatolians do better than F/F pyrs. The Anatolian we have here is very laid back..not wild...loves her family.... is excellent with ALL the dogs on the property (we have 6) she can come into our home and is as calm and sweet as can be. Climbing up on the couch for a few ZZZZZZZZZZ's even. She is also an excellent guardian! She is 1 year old today... was recently present at her first kiddings and cleaned the kids is submissive to the does and has adopted the kids as her puppies. Yet she still killed a chicken with my 14 month old Male Pyr.
I do not get into which is a better LGD..I love my Pyrs... I love our Anatolian.... there are strengths and drawbacks to both breeds. I do however think the Anatolian is better suited for hot climates, it is not just there coats but also their head structure.
I strongly do believe people should NOT breed dogs until they really know what they are doing and UNTIL they already have enough people waiting for a dog BEFORE they are bred.
On that note...you also do not need to pay $1000 for one. Just a word of advice there.
Please heed this advice...you will lose poultry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On the matter of Anatolians...I very much disagree with the idea they are high strung. As with any LGD breed they are not like other dog breeds...they are distinctly different. Out of a litter of LGD pups, each pup will have it's own personality and identifiable traits. The dogs will not all be equal in these "traits". One pup may be more suited to be on a farm with 300 acres with little human interaction...another pup may be better suited to an environment that id small family/ranch farm. Another may do best if it is paired properly with another dog of different traits...etc
Breeding and where the dogs are coming from are also a factor.
Typically Male Anatolians do not do well with other males... best M/F teams are best IMO...although F/F Anatolians do better than F/F pyrs. The Anatolian we have here is very laid back..not wild...loves her family.... is excellent with ALL the dogs on the property (we have 6) she can come into our home and is as calm and sweet as can be. Climbing up on the couch for a few ZZZZZZZZZZ's even. She is also an excellent guardian! She is 1 year old today... was recently present at her first kiddings and cleaned the kids is submissive to the does and has adopted the kids as her puppies. Yet she still killed a chicken with my 14 month old Male Pyr.
I do not get into which is a better LGD..I love my Pyrs... I love our Anatolian.... there are strengths and drawbacks to both breeds. I do however think the Anatolian is better suited for hot climates, it is not just there coats but also their head structure.
I strongly do believe people should NOT breed dogs until they really know what they are doing and UNTIL they already have enough people waiting for a dog BEFORE they are bred.
On that note...you also do not need to pay $1000 for one. Just a word of advice there.
Southern by choice
Herd Master
Edited above post to add NOT in the breeding segment.
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- #14
goodolboy
Ridin' The Range
I do believe I was the one that started the "high strung" thing. Please note that I don't have very much time spent around Anatolians at all. All ours are GP. I was trying to get some more info at the time I had posted that. So you can take that "high strung" with a grain of salt.
nawma
Chillin' with the herd
I can't really speak to the question about which breed of dog to get. I have two German Shepard dogs, one male and one female and they are here to guard me. They are fabulous dogs. I also have 18 special needs Dachshunds who make excellent alarms. My other two dogs are walk on mutts that someone saw fit to dump in country. One of these mutts is the best skunk killing dog I have ever seen.
But as a rescuer of dogs I highly recommend NEVER breeding dogs. Our shelters are all overflowing with unwanted dogs that would love the chance to guard your place. Breed specific rescues are a wonderful source if you must have a particular breed. All of my 22 dogs are rescues and they know they were given a second chance at a happy life. And all female dogs decrease their chance of cancer (the number one killer of dogs) by about 75% if they are spayed before they ever have a litter.
But as a rescuer of dogs I highly recommend NEVER breeding dogs. Our shelters are all overflowing with unwanted dogs that would love the chance to guard your place. Breed specific rescues are a wonderful source if you must have a particular breed. All of my 22 dogs are rescues and they know they were given a second chance at a happy life. And all female dogs decrease their chance of cancer (the number one killer of dogs) by about 75% if they are spayed before they ever have a litter.
babsbag
Herd Master
As far as making your wife feel safe, get an LGD, not a donkey. I have good fences and the coyotes have never crossed them, but before the LGD I was afraid to go out at night. Now I know that if the dogs aren't barking life if good. I go to the barn at night and milk and do chores all the time and feel safe. I love my dogs.
Both of mine are a mix of different LGD breeds. But one is short hiar and part anatolian, the other is longish hair and looks more like a pyr. I like them both. The female is the anatolian mix and she loves everyone; including my other dogs. She is great with the goats and kids and at 2.5 years of age I think I can finally trust her around the chickens, if I introduce new birds to the flock slowly and don't just toss them in the coop one night. She knows the difference. She could easily become a house dog when she retires. The male is more stand-offish with strangers and more timid in general. He will never get along with my house dogs. He is great at his job, and that is where he will always stay.
I agree that there are many dogs that need rescued, and LGDs are some of them, but unfortunately it is hard to know their habits and abilities and why they ended up in rescue. If I NEED an LGD I would rather not rescue one unless I can return it if it doesn't do its job. Hopefully the rescued dog doesn't do any damage while I am finding out if it is a good LGD.
There are some rescues out there that will place an LGD that came from a working ranch, but personally I would rather get a dog as a puppy or one from an owner that is just rehoming them for valid reasons. Not every dog will be a good LGD, even the ones with the genentic make up don't always make the final cut and they don't all work out for all farms. What works at one might not work at another.
Both of mine are a mix of different LGD breeds. But one is short hiar and part anatolian, the other is longish hair and looks more like a pyr. I like them both. The female is the anatolian mix and she loves everyone; including my other dogs. She is great with the goats and kids and at 2.5 years of age I think I can finally trust her around the chickens, if I introduce new birds to the flock slowly and don't just toss them in the coop one night. She knows the difference. She could easily become a house dog when she retires. The male is more stand-offish with strangers and more timid in general. He will never get along with my house dogs. He is great at his job, and that is where he will always stay.
I agree that there are many dogs that need rescued, and LGDs are some of them, but unfortunately it is hard to know their habits and abilities and why they ended up in rescue. If I NEED an LGD I would rather not rescue one unless I can return it if it doesn't do its job. Hopefully the rescued dog doesn't do any damage while I am finding out if it is a good LGD.
There are some rescues out there that will place an LGD that came from a working ranch, but personally I would rather get a dog as a puppy or one from an owner that is just rehoming them for valid reasons. Not every dog will be a good LGD, even the ones with the genentic make up don't always make the final cut and they don't all work out for all farms. What works at one might not work at another.
Unfortunately all the dogs that would love to guard your place may not be so happy to guard your flock, stay up nights, clean up baby goats, sleep in the barn in the heat and snow, eat in the barn and share their food with a pesty chicken, and not howl and bark when you leave them alone for hours on end. Not all dogs can or will be an LGD, they are almost a breed of thier own. And the longer I own them the more I admire them.nawma said:
Straw Hat Kikos
The Kiko Cowboy
Please PLEASE do not come in and talk about this kind of thing if you do not have LGD's. You have no LGD experience and do not need to post about this kind of thing and lecture all us LGD owners about not breeding dogs. Good for you for rescuing but responsible breeders ARE a good thing.nawma said:
Pearce Pastures
Barn Babe
x2Straw Hat Kikos said:
Yes, breeding any animal without having homes for the offspring is irresponsible. But there is a difference between a dog that will guard you, your property, and kill varmits, and one that BONDS with LIVESTOCK. You can not expect a rescue animal to do that, even ones that are actually LGD breeds.
nawma
Chillin' with the herd
Sorry. Didn't mean to step on anyone's toes. The gentlemen said he would breed his dogs twice like it was a requirement for a good dog to have two litters. Just wanted him to know that is not the case.
