# Need advice. Getting a lgd or 2



## critergiter09 (Jan 4, 2012)

I've been looking for a Great Pyrenees for a while! Finally this morning I was able to located a 8 month old male pyrenees raised with livestock. Also I found free puppies. The mom was a Great Pyrenees but the dad was a wondering hound mix. Should I take a chance on the hound pyrenees mix. They are 7 weeks old. I'm thinking about getting the 8 month old full pyrenees and one of the puppies. Would it be best to get another male puppy or a female? If I get a male will they both fight each other or work as a team? If I get a female. Which one should I have fixed? Or should I leave them fertile and just separate them?


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

The mix could be a great dog or could be a disaster in the making.
I would pass.
The Pyr is going to be your true LGD. What kind of stock was he raised with?
If you get two dogs of either sex it's best to have them fixed. 
We have 2 male Anatolian & they get along well for the most part. The passive one stays close while the other gets in anyones face.


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

You should probably get them fixed if you dont want them breeding. Its so hard to separate them while the female is in heat!


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## critergiter09 (Jan 4, 2012)

The 8 month old has been raised with large breed goats and with chickens. Do you think he would accept our Nigerian dwarf herd? How would we go about bringing him home? Just put him in with the goats and supervise? Or should we chain him up inside the goat pen for the first few days. I am really scared about putting a dog in with my goats. When I was really young my grandparents had goats and a pack of stray dogs got in with them and killed them. 
And our goat lot has 3 sections. 1 acre for male goats. 1 acre for female goats. And then 1 acre fenced in that we kept our family dog in to scare of predators. The dog was a mixed large breed!! One of our young doelings got out of the girls pen and ended up in the pen with the big dog. We heard the girls crying and ran down there to find him pinning her to the ground and chewing her. We got rid of him. I am so scared of putting a dog in there but it seems our only choice. Last night at 3 am a pack of coyotes were in a neighboring farms cow field howling up a storm!! It's just down the road from us, and with winter moving in and less food for the coyotes they will be hungry and my babies are not a snack!!!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

The adult dog you could try, but i'd for sure pass on the hound mix pups. When/if you bring the pyr home, you'll want to keep her separate from the herd, but she should still be able to interact with the goats and get used to them. A chain link kennel in the goat's pen would be good or something similar. She should be supervised when she goes off leash in the pen with the goats.

If you were to get a pair, a neutured male and spayed female are ideal. I wouldn't leave either intact if you don't plan on breeding.


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## DesertRose (Apr 12, 2013)

I got my first Anatolian in the spring of 1990. I've had between one and five since then depending on the number of stock I was running.
Please do not get mixed guardians. They ARE a disaster waiting to happen.

The hound is a hunter/chaser and at some point it will come thru. The worst thing would be for you to get comfortable and trust that dog. And, the goats will too. Then, to have that dog possibly turn on the goats that trust that dog ... The carnage and horror could be really, really bad.

I have sold several show quality goats to people who thought they could trust their dogs. Most of those goats never made it thru the attacks.

I am not saying all dogs are like that BUT there are breeds of dogs bred for the hunt and the chase ... that is what they do. That is why I will never allow those kinds of dogs on my ranch ... period.

My own herding dogs are never allowed in the barn without me ... EVER!
My female, 8, has never ever attacked any of my stock but she is a herder. That is what she lives for. My goats know what she is and that when she is around ... they stay bunched and alert.

When the guardian barks a certain bark all the goats go on alert. If outside they run inside. If inside those laying down will stand and gather together with the others. They know and they know they can trust him anywhere in the barn. With them and with their babies. The babies will run after him and sleep on his back. The older does are never upset or worried by this.

There are huge differences between breeds of dogs. When looking for two new Aussie pups a few months back I checked the shelters. But, there is NO for sure when getting pups from a shelter. I finally found a local breeder who had the papers and both parents on her place. I do not care about the papers cause I will not be breeding this pair BUT the papers at least give me some comfort that the breed I get to work, as herders, will be what I need and want in my dogs.

Please use the correct breed of dog for what you need. I hate to hear horror stories about dogs tearing apart some stock that people love and care for ... when the dog is only doing what it was first bred to do.

Good luck!


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## critergiter09 (Jan 4, 2012)

Thank y'all for all the help. I'm kinda nervous about getting the 8 month old pyrenees even though he is with livestock. I would hate to pay a good chunk of change for him and then him not accept my herd or hurt any of them. I just keep thinking "well they are getting rid of him for a reason" me not knowing what the reason is, we would rather pay the same price for a younger puppy and train it to guard our goats and raise it with them. If we are able to find a reasonably price full pyrenees puppy at what age do you recommend letting it stay in the pasture over night?


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## critergiter09 (Jan 4, 2012)

And another question. During the time when the does kid would we need to remove the pyrenees and put he or she with the male goats or will the pyrenees accept the new babies being born and not think of them as something new in the pasture and kill it? I've read somewhere that lgds will sometimes help does clean the kids, would this be a myth or sometimes happen? I know our dachshund will follow the baby goats around in the house when we have bottle babies. She will clean their faces after their bottles, clean their little bootys (ewww! I know! No more kisses from the wiener dog!) after they potty. She is really motherly to them.


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## DesertRose (Apr 12, 2013)

Ok, I will tackle this one by telling you what happened to me ...
I was raising sheep in NE WA state. I had a grizz come in and steal three auction lambs right out of their pen. 

Someone told me I need a LSGD so I started looking. But, the cost was so high and I just could not afford the expense. BUT, I was losing all that years profit.

I found an ad and called it. Really nice lady and she told me to come out and look anyway. My oldest son and I went out and the lady introduced us to the spayed female Anatolian. 

I told the lady I loved the dog but just could not afford her. She told me that was alright that she did not want to keep the female cause the dog had some health problems and she had had to be spayed. She wanted pups to raise and sell so ... she gave the dog to me. I was so shocked and thankful.

This female had been raised around goats and sheep and I felt safe letting her in with all my stock that very first night.
She was my very first dog. An excellent animal and took her job very seriously.

I had NO problems with her until lambing season. One of the ewes was due but not for a week or so. So, she was NOT in the lambing jug when she did lamb. The female guardian stole all three lambs from her!! When the ewe went to get her lambs the female went after her. Just chased her away but ... it was still a problem. 

When I entered the barn that morning the female started to growl at me. That went over like a lead balloon and we soon settled that problem.
When dealing with one of these dogs YOU MUST BE THE ALPHA!! 

I called the breeder of the dog and spent a few hours going over and over the whole problem. 
She gave me all sorts of excellent info. One of the main things she told me is that this breed of dogs MUST never be fed anything over 18% protein. All adults must be kept at 18 or lower for their main food.

This breeder was one of the main people to bring this breed to America. 

A short while later I received another female, a rescue, that had been very badly abused by her former owner. She was a very small 9 month old long haired sweetie. I placed her in one of the ewe pens for the night but left her tied in the corner. Every time a ewe would get near her she would cry and try to get away. I was really worried so even though it was very cold my oldest son asked to sleep in the barn that night.

Next morning he came to the house with a big smile on his face. She was fine and had stopped being upset by the sheep around 3 am. She just suddenly layed down, rolled over on her back and stayed that way while the sheep came up and smelled her.
This is the dog that ran toward rifle shots, and chased lightning bolts across the fields! She was a super dog and the two females tackled a mountain lion together once and won!

My best advice for you ... get the dog. Keep her in the general area of the stock BUT not right in the same pen. Give her time to adjust. You will be able to tell right away, meaning within a few days, if she will do her job or be a problem.
Watch your stock and how they act towards her! If they are always staying away from her ... it might not work.

These dogs have been bred to do this job. Give her a chance to work for you. Just keep an eye on her and the stock.

Good luck!


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## critergiter09 (Jan 4, 2012)

I wow! 
Were you able to get the babies away from her? Did she steel them just to be motherly or did she kill them? The 18% protein thing- does more protein make them aggressive or anything?


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## DesertRose (Apr 12, 2013)

She stole them away. She would have kept them but they were so hungry and they kept going under her belly looking for an udder. Then, she would jump and move away. The ewe kept trying to get up close enough to feed them but the dog wouldn't allow it.

The breeder explained to me about how slow an adults body converts the food. Too high of protein is like too much booze or hit of dope. They just can't handle it ... as adults.

Once a week I place feed into the five gallon bucket for my male. He is allowed to eat for all the nighttime hours. Due to the chickens being loose
I cover his feed bucket during the daylight hours.
Each morning he gets goat milk and one egg for breakfast. He waits patiently while I do the milking.
At the end of each week there is usually food left over in the bucket. I just toss that to the chickens.

When they are young they eat and eat. As adults they eat about half than the puppies do.

I have noticed over the years they can predict bad weather! Just pay close attention to how much the dogs are eating. If they suddenly eat a lot and demand more ... you had better prepare for some crappy weather coming your way! I've had this happen so much that during the winter I just look into the bucket each morning and take notice! So far it has never failed.

As I get older I have been thinking more about calling it quits here on the ranch. But, I have these dogs and I know they do not belong in someone's backyard, a rescue or put down just because I am a little tired. 
They have given their best and their all for their job ... they deserve my best also.


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## awshucksgoatfarmvt (May 11, 2012)

*Sarplaninac pups THE BEST LSG out in Colorado*

This breed is one of the very best,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the brother to Mollygeita has sired some totally awesome pups that are posted on here a while ago. Check them out


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## awshucksgoatfarmvt (May 11, 2012)

Never heard about the protein factor, one must always be the Alpha when it comes to a dog to keep life balanced. I do like the advice that was given, my Molly wants to play with the goats every once in a while and chase them, all I have to do is shake my head no. Some times she looks towards my office to see if I am watching her, I use the shock collar on her only to give her a vibration at the lowest there is and believe me she stops what she is doing. Give the new dog a chance to prove herself........good luck


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## motdaugrnds (Mar 20, 2013)

*...what I'm doing...*

I have my first LGD this year. Valentina is now a little over 8 months old and has just completed her first full heat cycle. I brought her home shortly after she was weaned (8 weeks of age). My first goal was to keep her safe while she explored our 6-acre homestead. (She was not permitted to be with the goats/fowl without supervision and/or periodic checks.) Her "puppy play" with goats, goat kids and fowl had to be corrected without dampening her spirit! She has now been free to roam over the entire homestead and freely goes in and out of the barn. All goats and fowl free-range; so she has access to them all day long. Only the fowl are locked up at night.

Do I trust her? Not at all! She is only 8 months old and is showing signs of wanting to think before obeying. This is a real good thing for an LGD; however, it also means I need to stay alert to what actions follow her thinking. I suspect I will not fully trust her until she is completely mature...maybe at 2-3 yrs of age!


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## dobe627 (Oct 16, 2007)

I agree with desert Rose about the food and weather. My pyr does the same thing it seems.


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