LGD Advice

pointer_hunter · #1 02/19/08, 08:51 AM

The state is pushing the idea of LGDs to help control the spread of TB from deer to the cattle in our area. I like the idea of keeping the deer away from the hay bales and away from the cattle. I also like the idea of using an LGD or two for protection of the animals from predators both two and four legged. I currently have cows/pigs but will probably be branching out to the poultry/goat/sheep realms. I have a few problems however. The LGD breeds I have read about need to have a dominant person as the pack leader or they will overpower them. I have no problems with that except my mother/wife/sister (not the same person) do the chores from time to time and I don’t want the dogs using them as chew toys. I am wondering if there are other breeds that I could go with that may not be so dominant but yet aggressive enough to protect (if that makes sense). I would like a dog that would stay within the area of the animals instead of roaming the entire property as we like to hunt the woods and would really like to keep some deer coming through. I also would feel better if the dog were to keep an eye on the house as well. I don’t really feel to happy about some of the neighborhood characters and knowing that my mother lives alone now. Any and all advice is welcome.

longshadowfarms · #2 02/19/08, 10:55 AM

From what I have seen myself and heard from a number of rescue organizations, Pyr are about the least aggressive of the LGDs. That said, within each breed, individuals can run a huge range of aggression. LGDs don't do well with cattle in my experience. If you wanted to make that work you'd need to double fence (put a perimeter fence around your cattle fences) or start with a young dog and young cows and get them used to each other. That would be quite a challenge with momma cows around. Cows are by nature pretty aggressive to dogs so you'd need to make sure that they wouldn't kill the dog. Our poultry is double fenced - smaller poultry fenced within the LGD enclosure. It is a lot easier to do this with smaller animals that don't have as much roaming space as cows do. If the women folk do chores often, the LGD will accept them quite readily. The problem is if they need to control the dog when the vet comes or something like that. An LGD in attack mode, even one that loves you, is pretty difficult to handle depending on the level of aggression. My last one was 150 lb and loved me to pieces but he HATED men in camouflage in particular and could be very hard to handle when any men came around. There was not much hope of controlling him if a man was wearing camo but I could handle him around most other men. I would have to confine him though because he was very alert/protective when men where men were concerned. This was a rescued Pyr who had likely been beaten at some point, most likely by someone in camo by the way he reacted. Our current Pyr is almost the other extreme - he'll bark and act tough but he has NEVER bitten anyone or anything, including a Lab who occasionally tries to get into his dinner. Personally, I love my Pyrs and doubt I'll ever be without but they are not a dog for everyone and TONS of research and work is needed to make it work out to suit your situation. If you're willing to put up extensive, solid fencing, the Pyr on guard will give you many years of faithful protection.

wolfhavyn · #3 02/19/08, 02:45 PM

The main problem for women and LGDs, in my experiance, is their size. Most of these breeds are quite massive and any large dog has the potential to overpower a person. That's where training comes in. If you teach them basic manners (walk on leash, sit, down, etc.) then your wife/sister/mother shouldn't have a problem with them at all. It also makes it easier for you to deal with them yourself. There are differences in temperments with all the LGD breeds and I would advise you to do lots of research to figure out which breed bests suits you and your needs. I have two Great Pyrenees and they are wonderful with our animals and our children both. This breed is not as aggressive in nature as some of your other breeds but make no mistake, they can and do get their job done. A website that I highly recommend is http://www.lgd.org. They have a ton of info on LGD's as well as descriptions of the breeds. Best of luck LGD hunting!

jen74145 · #4 02/19/08, 04:28 PM

A couple years ago we were looking at raising Boers and knew we'd need an LGD. I read a study where some group worked for two years with an assortment of dogs of each breed; the only one who never bit a human was the Pyr. Alot of people even keeps Pyrs as pets/housedogs they are so gentle, and the ones I've met are just fine with people but more interested in their work than in attention. Sure, they'll come up for a scratch and a pat on the head, but then they mosey on back to their flock/herd/whathaveyou.

Mrs.T · #5 02/20/08, 02:51 AM

We love our Pyrenees/Anatolian dogs. They are natural guards, not aggressive to us or their charges (the goats) but I am confident that they would get aggressive if need be. When we got these as pups, they were supposed to be full-blood Pyrenees, but as they grew into adults, we're pretty sure there's Anatolian in them, too. That's okay, though, we wouldn't trade them for anything!

ginnie5 · #6 02/20/08, 08:36 AM

we have a 1yo pyr that is a house guard dog. He's about 85 lbs right now and I can still handle him. I have trained him though. He is very gently with all the kids...including the 3yo. He's protective of us though....already he is herding the kids away from the fence at the road and has decided the neighbors over there are NOT to be trusted. He is very people friendly when we're out and so far I've not had any issues with him being dog friendly out.....at home is another story though. Any dog that dares to come into his territory is open game as far as he's concerned. We have a good fence though so he hasn't killed any....but oh if he could get to them. I have no doubts at all with him around the kids. And growing up I was bitten by the family dog and got 20 stitches on my face/head from it so was petrified of big dogs. So I think with training that they'll be able to handle one. I did lots of research before getting ours....I did not want anything too aggressive, being good with the kids was a priority and I
have no doubts that he would protect them with his life.

Edited to add: our pyr was supposed to be with the chickens but he and ds bonded just on the ride home so strongly that there was no chance of that...he also has some seizures so he is completely a house dog. And he absolutely loves attention!

minnikin1 · #7 02/20/08, 09:44 AM

My maremma's get the job done but are not remotely aggressive with our family.
I chose them over the pyr because they have an easier coat to care for and are not as prone to roaming. The Pyr would have been my second choice.

The other day I was parked near a neighbors farm who also has maremmas.
The dogs quickly rounded up all her goats and took them inside because I, a stranger to them, was too close for comfort. They were protective of their goats rather than being aggressive toward me.

I think that is typical of them.

**highlands** · #8 02/20/08, 01:33 PM

Train the dogs. All too often I hear people talking about just using the instincts of the dogs. We train our dogs to do guarding, herding, obedience and riding shotgun in the vehicle. A trained dog is worth their weight in gold. A pack is even better.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

netexan · #9 02/21/08, 08:25 AM

Personally I like German Shepherds. I have two females that are quite easily controlled, friendly around people they're introduced to and very property conscious. Mind you my dogs are out of working bloodlines and have had many hours of socialization and personal attention, i.e. training, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. They also handle the extreme seasonal swings in NE Texas weather very well and I'm so proud to have dogs that are happy doing what they were originally bred to do. If you decide to give this breed a look please look at working dog lines and don't confuse them with the dogs that have been bred for show over generations that no longer hardly resemble the old working shepherds.