> we are thinking of a guard dog, but we have three house dogs. Wont it > be lonely out there? and will it attack the house dogs when they go > outside?
I went to a seminar about herd guard dogs at a Fiber Fair (alpacas, llamas, mohair goats, etc) and these issues were addressed. The problem with having house dogs can definitely be an issue but sometimes can be worked around if you get the dog as a puppy and start training it to accept the house dogs from the beginning. But they felt it was asking a lot to expect the dog to differentiate between good dogs and bad dogs. Also, they said these dogs are raised to do a job and are not cuddly pets to bring indoors. Some of the breeds are not wired to need huge amounts of human interaction and are happier being outside. The herd becomes their social group. I can't imagine having a Pyr in Florida, though. I would hesitate having one here unless it was in the mountains. The ones I have known really suffer in the heat. Also, a point they made very strongly is that just because they are a certain breed doesn't mean they know how to do the job or are suited to do the job - you need to look for dogs within the breed that have parents that are doing the job. A favorite of the group seemed to be the Anatolian Sheperds. Laree
