Great Pyrenees dogs

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

We live in (hot) South Carolina and have been breeding Great Pyrenees to work with our goats. We have pups but I am not sure how to get them to stay with the goats. They want to stay up at the house with the children all of the time. How can I cange this? Also, now I am starting to think we may have chosen the wrong breed. It is so hot here I feel sorry for them.Is there a herd protection dog that can handle hot weather better than these?

-- Renee' Madden (RM6PACK@aol.com), June 22, 2000

Answers

hi also raise them. i start out with allowing the pups to grow up in the barn,i then try to sell them or get holds on them when they are about 5 weeks old. then find out what the people want them for pets or stock. from what i have learned they realy cant do both. pets are with the family and stock are with the stock. it is realy hard with small children they need to understand the dogs job. our male is for the stock he eats with them and sleeps with them they are his family our female is in the house sometimes and will guard the kids. she realy could careless about the goats. i find they are one or the other. we live in md. and in the summer we realy have to watch the field dog he must have shade all day and alot of water,what ever you do not bring them into air conditioning foer a long time then send them out. do not shave them they will sunburn badly.i would like to talk to you if you would like to share papers i have a 1 yr. daughter of mine who is realy turning into a great dog but can not find a stud around here what comes from any type of working lines. i will also be having a litter due in oct. and will be raising them with stock unless people buy them for pets. forgot to mention the pups that are going as pets should be raised with as much people contact as possible and be remove from the goat herd. need help just e mail

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), June 22, 2000.

Renee, I love Great Pyrenees and would like to get a pair one of these days in the near future. I have raised these dogs and they can tolerate the heat pretty well. the female needs to raise the puppies out in the barn near(not with) the goats. If you raise them at the house, they will bond with you and the children instead of the goats. anatolian shepards are the only short-haired livestock guard dog I can think of at the moment but I bet there are more. Don't give up on the Great Pyrenees they are wonderful dogs and do a great job. karen

-- Karen Mauk (dairygoatmama@hotmail.com), June 22, 2000.

Renee, you hit it right on. I have had Pyrs for years and love them completely. Our male who was the stock dog was recently killed and I doubt if we can ever find another dog regardless of breed that could come close to being as good as he was. Our female is the family dog but protects the chickens, turkeys, and quail as well. She is wonderful with small children and the entire family is crazy in love with her. Here in Missouri we have very hot and humid summers and I make sure that she gets plenty of water and shade, we also have a small stream that is feed by a spring and when she gets too hot she just lays in the water for awhile. Renee is also correct, you do not want to shave them as they will sunburn quickly and the undercoat is slow to grow back for winter. We just keep her well groomed (A rather long drawn out process because she thinks the brush is a chew toy)and she seems to do fine.

You can't go wrong with this breed as long as they are trained and everyone knows what their jobs are.

-- Jim Tanner (tanner_jim@hotmail.com), June 22, 2000.


We have always used Rhodesian Ridgebacks with our goats. They are truly wonderful dogs, both with the family, mothering the babies, and guarding. They are the true goat guardian breed, originating in Africa where they were bred to protect the Boers, hunt in packs, and even bring down lions. You would want to get two, and you would want to stay away from the resuces. Rescue dogs are usually only sold to folks who want them as couch potatoes, and are actually offended at the idea of a working dog, though we have a 13 year old Brandy who is still doing great. With any big dog you will need to have their hips certified, they have slick coats and a beautiful red/brown and are never dirty, and have a ridge running down their back like a cowlick. They are large, have a good bark, and we have never lost any stock to any animals (I wish I could say that our problems in the Naitonal Forest was some sort of exotic wildlife like cougar, or coyote) but it is not it is always someones dogs. It is actually a beautiful yet terrifing site to see your dogs kill another animal, you worry for your dog, yet they systematically kill it, they circle one at 12 o'clock and another at 6 o'clock, always going for the throat and the hind leg. They also know who belongs on the place and who doesn't and have never bitten anyone, though they have kept lots of folks from getting out of their cars! :) Even though we are fenced tight, we have no front gate, they learn very quickly with just a few commands not to leave the place, and will not even on a dead run chasing a cat or dog go past the front opening. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 22, 2000.

I have been raising and breeding Great Pyrenees for 12 years, mostly in hot, dry South Central Texas. The coat not only keeps them warm in the winter but also insulates against the heat. However, once they get up there in age they don't seem to shed their hair as easily, with the result of it getting matted. That's when they should be clipped, not "shaved". Since there is a definite need to provide shade, the danger of sunburn is really not that great. Anyhow, my goats do not spend the hottest time of the day in the sun either; they, as well as the dogs, find a cool shady resting place. The only short-haired dog is the Anatolian which, however, is a lot more aggressive that the Great Pyrenees. I personally prefer a non-aggressive, peace loving dog that I can turn my back on knowing it will only go as far as necessary to ward off any predator, human or otherwise. I cannot agree with Rhodesian Ridgebacks being the perfect goat dogs. My dogs will not necessarily kill an intruder if there is no aggression on his side, they will only pin him to the ground, unable to do any harm. If aggression persists, however, they will do what it takes. I also found that the puppies need very little training if they result from good working stock, not just registered Great Pyrenees. They need to learn the word "no", they need to come when called, and that's about it. Working stock's instinct usually is so strong, they turn automatically to protection of the goats and whatever else is on the place. I found that some people seem to misunderstand when a dog is not right there with the goats at all times. They don't need to be. They are still on guard. We seem to underestimate their capabilities. I know I still do, even after all these years. They still surprise me.

-- karin macaulay (kmacaulay@co.brazos.tx.us), June 28, 2000.


I HAVE THREE PYRENEES. RAISED FROM PUPPIES THEY WILL BOND TO WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH. IN OUR CASE IT WAS US BUT THEY ARE VERY PROTECTIVE OF THEIR TERRITORY AND WILL NOT LET ANOTHER ANIMAL OR PERSON ON THE PLACE. I HAVE KNOWN PEOPLE TO SHEAR THEM LIKE SHEEP AND EVEN SPIN THE HAIR LIKE WOOL. WE SHEAR OR EVEN CLIP WITH SCISSORS AND IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE. IF YOU DO IT AT THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER THE HAIR HAS TIME TO GROW BACK BY WINTER. GOOD LUCK, PYRENEES ARE THE PERFECT DOG! TERISA

-- Terisa (pbandjallen@jcn.net), March 10, 2001.

I have a 3 yr old Pyr that tolerates the heat very well as he and the goats don't stay out in the sun in the summer. I don't shave him, but clip his hair short at the beginning of the summer and it grows back nicely by late fall. The breeder we bought him from raised 20 to 30 of these dogs each year. He raised them with the sheep and the goats (non were allowed in the house). They bond with what they are raised with, but the key is to keep them locked in with the goats. Our dog was kept with an older non agressive doe until he got the idea that the goats were the family. But we pet him and groom him and love him too. He is always on duty even if not always with the goats. One thing about him is he picks the highest point on the farm and watches from there. If ANYTHING is heard or is different, he charges off, barking and generally letting us know that something isn't right. He won't allow any other dogs, coyotes, etc. on the property. He chases them off, using force when necessary. All in all, one the of the best guard dogs we have had. Prior to getting him, we were losing goats each year to wild dogs and neighborhood dogs. We have lost no goats or other stock in the past two years. Their coat does insulate them from the heat as well as the cold, so don't worry, just provide shade, water and the dog will do fine. I don't think it is any worse on them than on any other long haired breed of dog. Our dog goes to creek and lays in it when the temps rise, other than that, he just goes about his business watching the farm. Good luck with your dog.

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), March 11, 2001.

Hi I am so happy I found this site, I have 2 very large grt.pyr. and you can either have them for stock dogs or pets not both, Peeka Bo Dog is going on 5 years old and he has been with the goats from day one, at night I would put him in a small area fenced off from being harmed, but near the goats, in the barn and durning the day, kept him with the goats in the field it did not take long to bond, a couple buts from the lead goat, stoped the playing and told him that was not the thing to do, he is bonded with my goats and will not leave them, and I have his son in my yard to protect my chickens and ducks and other odd things and his name is Badger and does a great job, I have pictures of them and brief statements of them listed at this address; http://home.talkcity.com/MemoryLn/donnatillotson/buckyscomfort.html Thanks DOnna

-- Donna TIllotson (tillotso@leru.net), August 08, 2001.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ