[AlpacaTalk] Re: Guard llama question
<<< The first time we heard Max bellow, WOW! He almost scared me
off and I KNOW he's a pussycat. LOL! They are awesome dogs, for sure. I
am hoping to add an Anatolian or A/Pyr X to our farm sometime. I am looking
for a LGD that can be left with poultry. My two have a job with the alpacas
and so far, have attempted to chase the chickens when they get into the
pasture. My "free ranging" hens aren't TOTALLY free with these two dogs, so
they stay clear of them. BUT, I would like a dog that can be in the
barnyard with the goats and chickens. I panic and drive too fast when I am
trying to get home before dark. We have been lucky with no missing chickens
for awhile but I don't want to wear out that luck. A dog patrolling at
night would be peace of mind. Now, finding one with experience around
chickens is another story. I did inquire about a dog through one of the
rescues but nobody every responded. He was 6 years old and a mix but had
been around chickens.
Happy Thanksgiving. Give the dogs the giblets!! >>>
I am on a couple of different LGD and Pyr lists.....they are full of
rescues in need of a home; tons, way too many of these awesome dogs in
need, desperate need.
If they didn't answer you my guess is your inquiry got lost somewhere
along the way, the various rescue folks are overloaded, out of money,
and the dogs just keep showing up in Animal Control. I just got a GSD
from animal control and there were 3 Pyrs in there that one day which we
made arrangements to be moved to Pyr rescue in FL. One was an
especially beautiful, large, very regal girl I would have given anything
to be able to take, but I am not fence ready darn it. I am so happy
with the 2 boys I have with my alpacas that I now plan to get 2 girls
and put a girl/boy pair out with the horses and keep a girl/boy pair
(neutered of course) in with the alpacas and birds....less potential for
fighting with that configuration. Once I can get that horse fence
rewired. These dogs are escape artists and need plenty of room - they
are genetically predisposed to guard and cover very large areas. You
do not want to turn them into house dogs. That was the hardest thing
for me as I have always raised my GSDs in the house and felt bad about
leaving a dog outside all the time. But that is where they are at
home. If they bond with you they will "guard" you, but not so much your
livestock. You want them to love you but you want them to bond with the
livestock...
aggressive and don't make the best human guard dogs. However there are
lots and lots of rescues out there that *were* house pets and these are
the ones you can obtain for your very own snuggly cuddly teddy bear :-).
I joined the ranks of LGD owners earlier this year, quite reluctantly.
I did *not* want to take on more animals to care for. mouths to feed,
dogs to train. But you may recall our coyote and bobcat population was
coming closer and closer and in fact had a couple of attacks last year
from bobcat. I put up hotwire, but still was not sleeping at night; I
could hear them shrieking and screeching all night, quite close, and all
around. I was up several times each night doing my "walk about". It
was nerve wracking. I finally got 2 Pyr pups. They have been out with
the alpacas at night since they were 3 mos old......out of necessity.
They are now 7 1/2 mos old. I have not heard a coyote or bobcat
since the first night they were out here. Except for one night I put
them back in their pen (in the pasture) because they were escaping and
it was too late for me to make any repairs. The very next evening I
heard coyotes close by.
They are worth their weight in gold and I cannot imagine how I managed
so long without them. I love them hearing them circle the pastures
barking all night. I have a chain link gate separating the 2 pastures
that always had a hole in the bottom that the chickens use to go back
and forth; now the dogs use it to access both pastures....
thru that small hole is beyond me, but they do. They still have to
stay in their pen in the daytime tho because they still chase chickens.
They are after all only pups and will be for at least another year; they
like to romp and chase and play. The chickens, ducks, and guineas are
just too tempting. But I work with them - not as often as I want to or
should, but whenever I can - by bringing them out a bit early - one at a
time - before the chickens are put to bed for the night, on leash and
walk them into the birds. If they so much as twitch they get a
correction - hollered at in my biggest booming voice and hauled back to
their pen. It didn't take but one or two times of doing this. Now
when they are on the leash they don't pay one bit of attention to the
birds. Now I just need to do some more work with them off leash. That
and age will take care of the bird chasing I am sure. Early on I was
leaving them out with the birds in the daytime because we had fox
walking the fence line in broad daylight so it was a judgement call -
who are the birds in the most danger from....the fox or the dogs. The
dogs had already proven to me they were not interested in killing, just
playing;; the fox I am sure had quite a different agenda. One morning
I found one of the miniature ducks had flown out of her pen; I finally
found her in shock huddled up next to the fence in the wooded area in
the back. A quick exam showed she had been mouthed and had some
feathers missing and some scratch marks across her back, but no puncture
wounds. Put her in her pool and a few hours later she was fine. A
thorough look around and assessment of the situation told me that the
dogs had had some fun with her (at her expense) and could have easily
killed her but did not. I was very impressed. My GSD would have killed
that bird in a heartbeat :-(.
They are awesome incredible dogs, extremely intelligent. I am a German
Shepherd dog lover all the way, never thought I could love and admire
another breed like I do the GSD, but these Pyr have won my love, my
heart, and my undying respect. Like GSD, I will never be without a
couple of Pyrs. The various Pyr rescuers vet and love, nourish and
care for, and evaluate and try to place in good homes. They can tell
you if a dog is trustworthy around chickens. If you would like, I will
ask on the lists for you. Where are you located? I know a pair were
just brought in in SE MO; and I know a pair of girls are still sitting
over here at Animal Control waiting for rescue to come pick them up.
They are all over just waiting for a chance to prove what awesome dogs
they are.
Warmly, Janice in NW GA
posted by Chaddo at 7:13 AM
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