# LGD pros & cons



## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

What are the pros and cons of a LGD? I'm thinking about getting one but I have to make a good plan for my parents and to help me consider it too.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Pros; if he/she has been raised with working parents.
LGDs have minds of their own. Will access perceived threat & act accordingly.
You will likely never lose livestock to predators.
A good dog will keep others away from a birthing doe.

Cons; they do bark a lot. They dig deep holes when it is hot outside.
Slow maturing, should not be left unsupervised for several months.

They are not raised like regular house dogs, discipline much more harsh. You must be alpha.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

The parents are working dogs! And the breeder says that they don't bark unless there is a predator


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## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I have Pyrs, and good fences are a must. They're roamers. They aren't obedient like other dogs, they contemplate commands and then decide if it is best. Independent minded. They love to dig, particularly when it's hot. 

You have to set them up for success. Don't leave an immature (under 18 months) unsupervised for hours with the livestock, especially small squeaky kids. I put my puppies in with my standard lamanchas and bucks first. My 10 year old Princess gets them to respect goats. Then i put them with the does and kids. 

They eat a lot. They bark, it's part of how they repel predators.

I still hear coyotes, but I haven't seen one on my property since I brought home my first LGD. My females will also chase off ravens, hawks, and other predators in the air. 

And, get a breed that is an LGD. Great Pyrenees, Anatolian, Maremma. They don't have the prey drive of other breeds. I have 13 dogs, rescues, mixed breeds, but they don't live with my goats. I bought from people who have working dogs, and know their lines.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

The breeder does Anatolian Sheperds. My mom is terrified of dogs so it has to be sweet but not too sweet that it wants to jump on us or not watch my goats.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Pros - 
Good with kids
Mellow and laid back
Excellent protectors

Cons - 
Stubborn and hard headed
Have to be taught what to guard and what to guard against - we lost several chickens to our Pyr before training him otherwise

I suppose barking a lot would count as a con, but that is how they protect their herd. 

They are very independent dogs, not at all living to make you happy like other dogs.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Pros:

-You should have zero losses to predators with a well trained, well bred LGD.
-They're like an alert system as well. Should bark when someone or something is on your property.
-Most are very good with their family members. Usually quite loyal and sweet.


Cons:

-They eat a lot so are usually quite expensive.
-Most are prone to digging.
-Requires very secure fencing.
-Prone to escaping and roaming. One of my Pyrs would patrol 80 acres.
-Expect lots of barking. Some bark as needed, others bark all night long.
-Most require a lot of training, time, and patience if raising from a puppy.
-Sometimes they might chase or play with the stock. 
-Seems like nearly everyone breeds their LGDs. So a big complaint for me would be lack of selective breeding. You have to be really careful who you buy from. Did they breed just because they had a male and female or did they breed because they are really top notch LGDs and would cross well and compliment each other. There are a lot of dud LGDs out there that just don't have the instinct. I also see more LGD mixes than purebreds.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Her dogs are top notch! They raise the puppies with their goat herd and I can't remember if they had chickens with them also. Money isn't the problem just unnecessary barking


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Something else to consider with these big LGDs is health testing. Does the breeder have OFA or Penhip hip and elbow evaluations done on her dogs? If not, has she had them checked and x-rayed at her vet? Not uncommon to have hip or elbow dysplasia in these bigger breeds.

Also, when you go to see the dogs, make sure they're actually living with the stock and not chained up or contained somewhere else. That's a big red flag. We went to one breeder who had her dogs all cabled in the pens. Obviously they were not good with the stock or were escape artists. Not what you want to see. I want to see the dogs actually living WITH the goats.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

All great points. While growing they will eat you out of house & home but when mature eat surprisingly little for their size.
The first dog we had scared away a cougar when about 7 mos. We have had zero predators.
Dog #1 ate almost a whole chicken. A few weeks later only part of one. After some firm NO EAT CHICKEN he never touched another. Fact I even brought him raw chicken fat & in a happy voice "Want some chicken?" He cowered.
Current dog will chase chickens out of the goat feed but has never hurt one.


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## Madgoat (Jan 8, 2017)

*"discipline much more harsh." *I have to disagree with this, at least for me and my dogs. I can only speak about Anatolian's, my foundation dogs were smuggled out of Turkey during Desert Storm so I had the "real" deal as far as temperament. What makes these dogs amazing is that they THINK for themselves, they aren't "fetch" dogs. They are trainable but you CAN''T force anything. They are so smart, so self reliant, yes they bark, yes they roam, and yes they dig. But once you experience the Anatolian you will be hard pressed to find a better pet and guardian. Once you see them "stalk" an intruder, it will make the hair stand up on your neck. 
Mine lived outside, but had perfect house manners, I took them in the trucks, perfect as long as no one came up to the vehicle! lol I took them horse camping with me, never slept better, and could be in a group around the fire and no one would know I had a dog with me. My male went with me when I rode alone, the whole way! When my husband went with me, he would follow us awhile then peel off and head back home. They don't waste a lot of effort needlessly.They love "high" places to peruse their domain. They aren't attack dogs, but they will kill any animal that ventures onto the property. And they will "hold" a human until you say it's okay. I could go on and on. Good luck.


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Sounds like you have a great option for a breeder so that's good. But training is needed 

There was a breeder that had Great Pyrenees. Came to their farm one day and baby or babies just born had been partially eaten as I recall. 

Also there were a coupe of their dogs Great Pyrenees that kept getting out of their fence and running away. 

We had to build a well built fence and hot wire when we moved here nearly 4yrs ago. Coyotes have only dug under once that I've seen. Never since. And our goats are safely put in barn ea nite so have been doing fine so far. 

But I understand why people have them. When trained right I think they are great!!


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