# Livestock guardian dogs



## Lily6 (Feb 19, 2020)

I’m not sure if anyone can help me, but I have a friend who was given four “livestock guardian dog” puppies. She says that the previous owner said they are Anatolian Shepherd and Great Pyrenees mixed. Now I’ve been looking for a Guardian dog, but I’m not sure if these puppies are what they say they are. Apparently they’ve been housed with goats and sheep their whole lives and are fantastic dogs so far. What do you think? 

They’re supposed to be around 3-4 months old and they’re standing next to a purebred Husky in the pictures


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

My aunt has a dog that looks sorta like them. Hers is a Dalmatian/blue heeler/lab cross. They are definitely not Anatolian/Pyrenees. If they’ve been with goats all their lives and they are good at guarding them I don’t see any reason not to get one. Unless you just want a Pyrenees or Anatolian.


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Here is my aunts dog 
Somebody else will have a better idea on their breed mix.


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## Lily6 (Feb 19, 2020)

KY Goat Girl said:


> My aunt has a dog that looks sorta like them. Hers is a Dalmatian/blue heeler/lab cross. They are definitely not Anatolian/Pyrenees. If they’ve been with goats all their lives and they are good at guarding them I don’t see any reason not to get one. Unless you just want a Pyrenees or Anatolian.


I don’t see any Pyrenees in them that’s for sure. Thank you! I think that I’ll still consider them since they’re supposed to be great with livestock they’ve been housed with. They’ve never been in the house and they’re used to being outside. 

No specific reason I wanted those breeds other than the fact that they’re well know livestock dogs. They sure are cute lol!


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Lily6 said:


> I don’t see any Pyrenees in them that’s for sure. Thank you! I think that I’ll still consider them since they’re supposed to be great with livestock they’ve been housed with. They’ve never been in the house and they’re used to being outside.
> 
> No specific reason I wanted those breeds other than the fact that they’re well know livestock dogs. They sure are cute lol!


They are cute! :in love: 🥰


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

No way they are great our/Anatolian.


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## Lily6 (Feb 19, 2020)

ksalvagno said:


> No way they are great our/Anatolian.


Any ideas on what they may be?


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## Wcd (Jan 12, 2020)

Also going to say negative on the Pyrenees as well. I am not sure if I would take a chance on them for protection house pets all day long. But I think that a lack of heritage might set them up for unintended consequences. Both for you goats and the dogs. Not being hateful but it might be kind of like asking a stock Honda Civic to compete with a full blown dragster in the quarter mile.


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## Lily6 (Feb 19, 2020)

Wcd said:


> Also going to say negative on the Pyrenees as well. I am not sure if I would take a chance on them for protection house pets all day long. But I think that a lack of heritage might set them up for unintended consequences. Both for you goats and the dogs. Not being hateful but it might be kind of like asking a stock Honda Civic to compete with a full blown dragster in the quarter mile.


Thank you. That was the kind of reply I was looking for. I think I’ll wait until I can find an actual livestock breed so I’m not leaving anything up to chance. Thank you all for your reply’s!


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

They may make great farm dogs. I’m not sure if I’d chance using them as livestock guardian dogs. The merle pattern on them makes me think whatever mix they might be, there’s something in that mix that is not a LGD breed. Are they still with livestock?


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## Lily6 (Feb 19, 2020)

FizzyGoats said:


> They may make great farm dogs. I’m not sure if I’d chance using them as livestock guardian dogs. The merle pattern on them makes me think whatever mix they might be, there’s something in that mix that is not a LGD breed. Are they still with livestock?


I can’t tell at all what they are lol. The breeders claimed they are LGD which I really didn’t think was true, but I figured I could ask some people anyway. They were just taken away from the livestock yesterday. They’re now housed with two Husky’s for the time being.


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## Wcd (Jan 12, 2020)

Lily6 said:


> Thank you. That was the kind of reply I was looking for. I think I’ll wait until I can find an actual livestock breed so I’m not leaving anything up to chance. Thank you all for your reply’s!


You are welcome, I was kind of on the fence as to respond or not, sometimes things being typed can fail to covey true intent. Our family is one that loves our pets and does our best to care for them.


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## Lily6 (Feb 19, 2020)

Wcd said:


> You are welcome, I was kind of on the fence as to respond or not, sometimes things being typed can fail to covey true intent. Our family is one that loves our pets and does our best to care for them.


I was on the fence about it and your comment definitely solidified some of my fears. I’m very grateful of course! I’m sure something else will come along and I don’t want to make a spur of the moment decision that I’ll regret.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I’m sure you’ll find a great LGD. If it makes you feel any better, we were debating getting one and I was dragging my feet. I used to have a bunch of them (Great Pyrenees) many years ago and they were great but I’d read so many horror stories about all sorts of LGDs recently and I was just wondering if we got super lucky with ours. After a ton of research that only made me more leery, I decided on trying to find a Maremma. Then I sort of stumbled across a dog, not at all what I thought I wanted, and exactly what I needed. I knew very little about Komondors and that’s what I ended up with (a Komondor/Pyrenees mix). He’s a heck of a guardian. I bet you that you’ll come across the one who is right for your farm in no time.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Those babies have some hound in them with those ears and the longer noses. But they look big and they are really fat long noses so I would say a hound possibly GP cross. Either way I would not use them as a LGD BUT as mentioned they might be great farm dogs and protect on the other side of the goat fence. 
If they are hound cross, the one down fall to hounds are their noses get them in a lot of trouble. If your friend keeps them she will want to do something to keep them from following their nose long distance. I loved every single one of my hounds but I had to keep a very close eye on them as well as a shock collar on them to get their attention when they would start to go off. My last hound I bought a underground fence and that did great with him.


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## Lily6 (Feb 19, 2020)

FizzyGoats said:


> I’m sure you’ll find a great LGD. If it makes you feel any better, we were debating getting one and I was dragging my feet. I used to have a bunch of them (Great Pyrenees) many years ago and they were great but I’d read so many horror stories about all sorts of LGDs recently and I was just wondering if we got super lucky with ours. After a ton of research that only made me more leery, I decided on trying to find a Maremma. Then I sort of stumbled across a dog, not at all what I thought I wanted, and exactly what I needed. I knew very little about Komondors and that’s what I ended up with (a Komondor/Pyrenees mix). He’s a heck of a guardian. I bet you that you’ll come across the one who is right for your farm in no time.


Thank you! I’m sure something will pop up at some point!


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## Lily6 (Feb 19, 2020)

Jessica84 said:


> Those babies have some hound in them with those ears and the longer noses. But they look big and they are really fat long noses so I would say a hound possibly GP cross. Either way I would not use them as a LGD BUT as mentioned they might be great farm dogs and protect on the other side of the goat fence.
> If they are hound cross, the one down fall to hounds are their noses get them in a lot of trouble. If your friend keeps them she will want to do something to keep them from following their nose long distance. I loved every single one of my hounds but I had to keep a very close eye on them as well as a shock collar on them to get their attention when they would start to go off. My last hound I bought a underground fence and that did great with him.


She’s planning on giving them away to new homes, but I’ll be sure to tell her that I doubt they’re the breeds she thinks they are. It was a favor to one of her friends/neighbor who couldn’t care for them.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They need to be given away as pets, not LGD.


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Is an LGD just certain breeds? Or can they be any dog who lives with and protects cows, goats, sheep etc.? I always thought an LGD was ONLY like a Pyrenees or Anatolian or any dog breed bred to protect livestock but now I’m not sure.


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## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

KY Goat Girl said:


> Is an LGD just certain breeds? Or can they be any dog who lives with and protects cows, goats, sheep etc.? I always thought an LGD was ONLY like a Pyrenees or Anatolian or any dog breed bred to protect livestock but now I’m not sure.


You are correct! LGDs are _very_ specific breeds. It’s a dog type, not a job title.


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

CountyLineAcres said:


> You are correct! LGDs are _very_ specific breeds. It’s a dog type, not a job title.


Ok that makes more sense now. My LGD is Pyrenees/Aussie. Are Aussies considered LGD’s?


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## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

KY Goat Girl said:


> Ok that makes more sense now. My LGD is Pyrenees/Aussie. Are Aussies considered LGD’s?


No, they are herding dogs not LGDs.


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

So since my goat guardian is part herding dog and part LGD which one would she be considered?
She’s the best goat dog we’ve ever had. Any other pure LGD we’ve had didn’t do they’re job.


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## Calistar (Jan 16, 2017)

I'd just call her a farm dog. Most people don't want herding dog breeds mixed in their LGDs since herding dogs are bred to chase livestock. You never know if the dog will take after the LGD side or the herding side of its pedigree. That's not to say that a mixed breed won't make an excellent guardian, but if I was looking for a livestock guardian dog I would never knowingly buy one that had herding blood in it. Like a previous poster said, only a dog from one of the guardian breeds is truly a livestock guardian dog, even though some people use non-guardian breeds to guard livestock.


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Millie takes after her guarding side more than her herding side. She does make the goats stay close to me when we are on walks. If a goat doesn’t follow close to me she will walk up beside them and lick their face to make them pay attention to me leaving them. 
We knew her and her sister were Aussie/Pyrenees when we got them.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

KY Goat Girl said:


> Is an LGD just certain breeds? Or can they be any dog who lives with and protects cows, goats, sheep etc.? I always thought an LGD was ONLY like a Pyrenees or Anatolian or any dog breed bred to protect livestock but now I’m not sure.


There are many more breeds than those two but yes, there are only certain breeds that are LGDs. Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherds are probably the most popular in the USA. But there’s also Maremma, Komondor, Kangal, Akbash, Karakachan, Gampr, Tibetan Mastiff and probably a dozen or so more I can’t think of right now.


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## CountyLineAcres (Jan 22, 2014)

KY Goat Girl said:


> So since my goat guardian is part herding dog and part LGD which one would she be considered?
> She’s the best goat dog we’ve ever had. Any other pure LGD we’ve had didn’t do they’re job.


Like said previously, she would just be a working farm dog. Mixing LGDs with a different dog type is not recommended, as there’s no predicting which personality you’ll get. Glad it’s worked for you, though! It’s great she protects your herd.


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

Definitely not LGD's like the others have said. 

By far my favorite LGD breed is Maremma for our needs. They don't wander like great Pyrenees. It's harder to find them in the states and most time have to get on a holding list and once the list is full the breeder will breed for a litter. 

I would pass on these.


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## Lily6 (Feb 19, 2020)

DDFN said:


> Definitely not LGD's like the others have said.
> 
> By far my favorite LGD breed is Maremma for our needs. They don't wander like great Pyrenees. It's harder to find them in the states and most time have to get on a holding list and once the list is full the breeder will breed for a litter.
> 
> I would pass on these.


Thank you! I’m definitely passing on them!


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## Lamancha Lady (Dec 13, 2011)

If they are 3 or 4 month old in the picture they definitely have to have some LGD blood in them. Standard dogs are not that big at this age.They look like they are 40lbs. They my have other breeds mixed in to them other than the two she told you. My dog is 1/2 Anatolian X 1/4 Great Pyr 1/4 Karakachan. This picture was taken the day we got her, she is just 4moths old and 50lbs. You can always have a DNA test done.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They look older than 3-4 months. I suspect your friend was totally lied to.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I would pass on them, not LGD at all.


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## Emrcornerranch (Jun 13, 2020)

I agree with others saying the dogs are older than 3-4 months. My mom's Great Dane puppy is 11 weeks old (about 3 months old) and weighs about 24 lbs. She is still very small looking. These dogs in your pictures look much older for sure! 6 months maaaybe. There's still a puppy look to them, but they are approaching full size in a way a 4 month old dog would not be.







This is a 3 month old Great Dane with a Cocker Spaniel near her. Glad you decided to pass on the dogs.


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## Lamancha Lady (Dec 13, 2011)

Look at the teeth if they still baby teeth then you know they are under 5 months


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