Our new Livestock Guardian Dogs. Oh yes, they love the garden too!

[cityfarmer]

How adorable. Predators beware.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Absolutely adorable!

Are you going to train yourself or hire someone who trains them for a living?

vfem, I am certain at this point that I am untrainable!

OK, back to being serious... You actually don't train LGD's. Correction if they play, chase or harrass livestock of course. But they are not your normal kind of dog. Not herders, not sit, roll over, shake kind of dogs. What they do is instinctual for them. They bond with their charges (animals and people) and then they watch, guarding, watching, listening, even when they appear to be asleep, it is with one eye open. If a percieve threat approaches, they spring into action.

So in that respect we are spending every non working moment with them allowing them to bond with our animals and explore our farm. Even on 2nd day there, you could see that their insticts were too much for them to ignore. Playing was fun, but sitting and staring at the animals, laying down and watching them and sniffing around the animals area was taking up most of the pups time.

It will be interesting for sure as these breeds of dogs are so independant. In a sense, we will have to train ourselves, to just "let them be" and do what they were born to do.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Thanks to you all for the comments. We think they are squeezable and so cute too! Primo, you just want to pick up and hug as ninnymary says because he looks just like a little teddy bear. And Wisdom is very effectionate with both us humans and our 11 year old black lab.

I have the world of confidence in these two dogs. High expectations and faith that they will be all that we are hoping for. Yes...I have set the bar very high for them.

 

[Jared77]

Pyrenees fan here. Grew up with them and my parents still have 1. Apollo is about 140lbs of lean watchful instincts. Great dog. They were always in the house. However it was in the suburbs, so we were their charges, not any livestock. I wouldn't trade my Goldens for one but I really like the breed. About every hour they get up and roam the house and yard to keep an eye on things. Even in the middle of the night. Its really something.

Biggest thing is making sure you have good fences to keep the dogs in check. The woman we got our one boy from had a large flock of sheep and the dogs did a fantastic job of watching over them. However they would get a bit overzealous and chase predators all over the county leaving their livestock behind till they got older and settled in more and really stayed home. Its a learning curve for them too about how far is far enough to chase so they don't leave the stock exposed.

So long as you continue to interact with them they will accept your pressence and still watch over your livestock. And keep those dogs OUT of the house!!! You want to spoil them? Give them a smoked cow knuckle, or venison scraps. They'll be all about that and they won't lose any focus on the livestock they are bred to look over.

The breeder even showed us and antique old LGD collar that had metal spikes that stuck out of it for the dog to wear to protect its neck from wolves and other large predators. It was REALLY cool. The leather was all cracked and brittle but you couldn't mistake its intent.

I'm SUPER happy for you. You'll never imagine the place without them!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

I hear ya Jared and thank you for the encouragement!

It is funny you mention the antique collar. I never knew what the purpose of the spiked collars were until just recently in doing some research. I always thought that in movies they were used just to make the dog look tough. And I'm sure in movies, that's what they are used for. But in real life...they have a purpose. I never knew!!

Apollo sounds amazing! peteyfoozers, dogs have been such an influence in my deciscion to get LGD's. I am very thankful to all of you who share your experiences, stories and knowledge of the breeds.

 

[rebbetzin]

.... About every hour they get up and roam the house and yard to keep an eye on things. Even in the middle of the night. Its really something.

My Cane Corso, "Spartacus" does that same thing. It can get a bit much at times letting him out just so he can make sure everything is still "OK" in the backyard.
In Italy they are a good all around "Farm Dog".. so this must be his "guardian" instincts coming through.

I want a GP my grandparents had one when I was a kid. They are great dogs!! I would like yo have one so I could make some yarn from it's undercoat.

 

[desertlady]

Handsome pup!!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Just getting back from a week of vacation and spending time bonding with these two. They have certainly given us hours of entertainment and love. Our boy is quite a clown. As you can see from the picture, he is also a multi-tasker. Guarding the herd while sitting in the doggie spa! (he reminded me immdediately of peteyfoozers dog Cider from her blog)

Our girl is very independant and a collector of things such as, water bottles, sprinklers, buckets and anything she can get her mouth on. She is also a good climber.

 

[lesa]

Oh, they are even more adorable!! What nice partners to have in your farming endeavor!

 

[ninnymary]

Oh, you sure tempt us! Stubbornhillfarm. No, I don't need a great pyrenee...no I don't need a great pyrenee....no....(sigh)

Mary