# New here, just got my first LGD



## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

I am doing my research, well I did a bunch before but now I'm serious. So I wanted to say hello. We bought our first Pyrenees/Anatolian 12 week old boy yesterday. We have great fencing for the goats but I hope it's good enough for him. So far he is very bonded with the goats and I spent the better part of the day introducing my one year twins to him. It went great. The breeder told me not to let them pick him up because he will get too friendly and it will be too much. What are your thoughts on my kids and the type of interactions I should let them have? 

Lisa


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Good for you!
They are SO *hard to resist! Cute widdo balls of puppy love.
But self control is a must.
Our 3/4 Anatolian/Pyr got a few pats when young but we never over did it. We now love on him, he comes to us on his own. He is bonded with his goats but we are part of his routine.
Best wishes!*


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## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

Thanks Nancy, it's weird but there is a ton of differing opinions on socializing LGD's and family. This is such a big responsibility too, I feel like I can't mess up or it's going to be bad for everyone.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

I hear you. It's a delicate balance. You want the dog handle-able and to come when called but you don't want him all over you either, especially a pup. I have heard it said that when they try to follow you out of the enclosure it's a sign to back way off. 
At this point, I would make it clear to your family that this is a working dog & not a pet.
Hopefully someone with much more experience has some info for you.


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## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

The breeder told me to put him in with my boer kids, I only chose one and in a large dog run adjacent to another large breed mix pasture. It was my decision only because I've been reading people don't actually allow them access to goats full time until 1+ years. She said let him loose in a kid pasture but everything I've read said no. Nothing against her, I just want to be sure I'm doing things right. Plus the human kid thing as I mentioned is different from what I've read. Facebook groups also have opposite opinions! I am going crazy! I hope I did the right thing in purchasing this pup for our farm  
He is a cuddle bug, but I know he is different from our other dogs and should be treated so. He sure does love the goats, even the ones that want to kill him. Ugh


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## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

Nancy do you feed yours inside the goat pasture? So far I can't keep the one young goat out of his food bowl. I figure it can't hurt him because he is going to the freezer soon but this won't always be the case and I'm also wondering if the pup will be tolerant of other goats in his bowl. I've had a black lab pull the face off a goat for getting to close to his empty food bowl.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Having him separate for now is the best course of action. It took a good 8 mos or so before our first dog was ready. He was not allowed in full time until about then. During part of the day he was on a long chain next to them.
One day he jumped fence to be with them. I took him out, secured him & 5 minutes later he jumped back in. That was when it dawned on me that he was ready to work.
The 2nd dog was much younger, born in a goat pen. He was about 14 weeks when the owner delivered & took him right in with the goats & never ever a lick of trouble. 
What I am saying is they are all different.
Listen to what every one has to offer & make your decisions based on your own instincts, set up & how your dog behaves.

Just saw your post. No, dog food is no good for goats. If he is the only one I would tie him up till dog finishes. Some folks build an area for dog to eat that goats cannot access.


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## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

Thank you so much, I am a worry wart in this family. I appreciate the response. This pup was raised in a goat pen too but I bet mom was there to ward off dangers. My (of topic) goats killed a goat that got stuck in a feeder just two weeks ago. They aren't tolerant of the young or old, it's sad. I do have a separate pen of sweet tolerant boers though so ill work with them first.


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## LadySecret (Apr 20, 2013)

Don't let your kids pick him up. Don't let the pup get into anyone's lap. Don't let him jump up on you or anyone else. Don't let him put his weight on anyone. Give him some love everyday for a few minutes. More than that and he'll want to guard your family and not the goats. 

I bring my LGDs up to the house to feed them. I've got two and at around 4 months old they started fighting each other over food and growling at the goats when they came near while eating. So to put a stop to all of that, the biggest comes in the house to eat while the smaller one eats on the back porch. Big guy doesn't get let out until the other one is heading back to the goats. This keeps them from fighting, keeps the goats from eating dog food, and I know exactly how much each dog is eating. It also, gives me a few minutes everyday to look them over for injuries, fleas, ticks, ect. Giving meds is a breeze as coming up to the house and being handled is just part of their routine.


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## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

Ok thanks for the advice, no more picking up! He doesn't jump but I'm sure that will be next. Are your males intact? My husband wants two LGD's but I don't need fighting and since I am a newbie with them I don't think it's wise.


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## LadySecret (Apr 20, 2013)

My males are brothers and I got them neutered at 5 months old. They play fight with each other the way all dogs do but serious fights are only over food. So I feed separately. I've had dogs my whole life and I've never been afraid of breaking up a dog fight until I got these guys. Their fights were so ferocious and they were only pups. 

I don't recommend intact LGDs to beginners. They will be more focused on their job and less aggressive with each other if they are spayed/neutered. 

LGDs work best in pairs. I've heard that a male and female pair is the most harmonious but I don't recommend different genders if your not going to spay/neuter. You'll have puppies in no time. Male with male is second best with two females having the most fights.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I have an intact male Anatolian. He's a sweet-heart. He was easy to train...mostly. But we kept very close when around the goats. He was in a pen in the goat barn...so with but separate as a pup. Then we would keep him with just one (mellow) goat, then 2... And stay close by. He then went on a zip line lead so the goats could always get away if he got too wild. We had one doe that was pretty hard on him too- she hurt him once by butting him


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Ours is also intact & by far the better dog but it could be just his temperament. He did fine with the neutered elder who I'm sure ran to the goats for protection during thunder storms.:razz:


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## LadySecret (Apr 20, 2013)

I wouldn't want to give the impression that intact LGDs can't guard and guard well. But spaying/neutering causes less hormonal fluctuations. So pairs of LGDs get along better and are more focused on their charges and not pack dynamics.

The other issue is confinement. LGDs are well known for being difficult to keep on your property. If your LGDs is intact, they will want to breed at certain times. My big guy has cleared a 6 foot chain linked fence when he really wanted out. If he were intact, I wouldn't be able to keep him away form my neighbor's many female dogs when they are in heat. At the least, I'd end up with mixed breed pups that would be difficult to find homes for. At worst, my dog would get run over or shot by my neighbor.

LGDs are amazing dogs but things can go wrong with them. Spaying/neutering will give a beginner the best odds for success. That's all I meant.


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## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

Oh I am getting him fixed as soon as he is old enough. I have read enough to know I don't want to ever deal with hormones. I have enough for everyone lol! 

Thanks for responding! I can see this is going to be a tough learning experience for me, totally different from our house dogs. I hope I can do it right.


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

We got a brother/sister pair at 13 weeks old. They're about 7 months now and were fixed a month ago. They were born and raised with goats, but they were chasing and wanting to play with my does too much. Then the male started jumping the fence and the female would follow. They didn't go far, but it was a hassle. They now live with the bucks with electric around the top until we can get it run around the entire pasture. The bucks have done a good job at keeping them from chasing.
My kids are 5 & 8. They pet the dogs and know not to let them jump. The dogs are friendly with my kids and with neighbors that we bring in the pasture. They will however bark at any animal, neighbors goats and cows and our cats if they're near the fence line.
When we took them to the clinic, they were scared to death but friendly to the staff.


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## goatylisa (Dec 29, 2012)

Thank you for sharing! It freaks me out that I may have to electric fence all my pastures. I suppose I'll just have to deal with it when the time comes. I bet he would jump to come closer to the house. He seems to love our house dog and I can see that being a problem in the future. He really loves the goats but my house dog is the only one who plays with him. I am not sure how I am going to tackle that but maybe just our home perimeter fence being hot might work. There isn't any houses within 3 miles of here so that's not a concern (yet). Great to hear about your young kids too. I have big dreams of this working lol


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