Our experience with a pure bred Great Pyre echoes much of what has already
been said about their inbred instincts to guard (not herd) a flock of
animals (good for both sheep and goats). We got ours as a puppy and
raised him as any other dog until he was about a year and a half old. The
website for Pyres says their guarding instinct doesn't really kick in
until they are about 18 mos. old and that was sure our experience. Now he
lives exclusively with the sheep and took to guarding them within a few
days of being let out with them. He never tried to attack or chase any of
them but indeed seems to have a deeply inbred (over thousands of years)
instinct to protect them. We have one ram that doesn't much like him and
will occasionally charge at him but even that does not deter him -- he
just moves back and gives the ram his space without trying to atack in
return. We have coyotes, bobcats and even the possibility of bears in
our area and Sebastian keeps them all at bay. These huge white dogs are
fantastic -- scary as hell to anything or anyone who doesn't know about
them -- but as gentle and protective as any mother with their charges.
Ours certainly has lived up to the title gentle giant. Don't expect
too much from a puppy (under about 18 mos) but by the time they are 2
years old, you should have a fantastic one-of-a-kind guardian for your
sheep. There are some good websites about pyres with a lot more detailed
information. (e.g., http://www.greatpyrenees.com/). They have become
one of my favorite dog breeds and even if we didn't have sheep, we'd buy
some just to keep our pyre happy!!!
Paul Novia Sharkey
Quakers Acre
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Guard Dogs (Cecil Bearden)
2. Re: Guard Dogs (William Buchanan)
3. Re: guardian dogs (Carla Amonson)
4. guardian dogs (joa...@lazylamb.biz)
--
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:07:54 -0500
From: Cecil Bearden crbear...@copper.net
To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info
Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Guard Dogs
Message-ID: 4a8d2e8a.4000...@copper.net
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
my advice is to put her with other guard dogs. I had a
Pyrenees/anatolian cross. He never quit chasing the sheep. Without
another dog to imprint on, I do nto think the guard characteristics ever
come out. This one was always trying to herd the other dogs. Never
could stop moving them. He had to be put down last week. He started
wasting away and not eating. We found a tumor around the base of his
esophagus, preventing him from swallowing food. While I was sad over
this ordeal, I learned a valuable lesson. I will not have a dog on my
farm that I cannot lift. It is just too difficult to get them to the
vet if needed. I have 2 discs bulged in my back. I am looking at LLamas.
Also, I noted that the coyote that came up here was attracted by my ewes
crying over the lambs I had sold and taken away. I also have a few that
mama and baby will stand at each side of the flock and cry for each
other and not make a move. These animals are going away for they
attract predators. My advice is to also cull noisy animals, they cause
problems.
Cecil in OKla
blueberryfarm wrote:
We lost a ewe this spring to coyotes so we bought an eight week old
Great
Pyrenees. I have been taking her (Greta) to the shed where I feed the
sheep
occasionally (they are pasture sheep) to acquaint her to the animals. I
stand in the corner and let her hide behind me if she wants. The sheep
are
very interested in her and stare at her She will usually venture out
after
a few minutes and a couple of sheep will come up to her and touch noses.
The first few times Greta licked the faces of several of them. But
today
one of the ewes ran up to her and butted her. I hope that didn't ruin
her
for guarding. She is now ten weeks old. I am training her to the usual
commands (come, sit, stay).
My question is about the transition process from puppy to adult guard
dog.
We have no grown guard dog to nurture her. Am I starting too early? Is
there an established practice for the transition? I have looked on the
web
but so far found little help.
Thanks for any advice.
Jerry Kirby
Windmill Farms
Picayune, Mississippi
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