# Goose the Farm Guardian



## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

*WARNING: THIS IS PIC HEAVY!* Feel free to add pics of your pups. 

I figured this forum didn't have enough pictures, so here's my contribution.

This is Goose. The Komondor/Great Pyr we acquired when we traded off our geese for a goat and they threw in a free puppy. Our original plans were for him to live in the pasture with the goats, but the goats took up with the horses and the horses don't like the dogs. So now the horses guard the goats, Goose guards everything else and just does several "patrols" around the pasture. He has access to the whole farm, even the pasture, he just doesn't lounge in the pasture(he lounges where the horses can't get to him, they're naughty). He still walks the perimeter several times a day and I'm sure at night.

His favorite animal to guard? The cats. The grey kitten in particular is "Goose's cat". As a pup he would be laying in the front yard, look around and realize the cat wasn't there. He would then get up, go down to the barn, find the cat, and carry it by it's scruff to wherever Goose wanted to nap. We panicked the first time we saw it, but the cat never ran on release. We still stopped the mouthing behavior, but now he's "trained" the cat to follow him anyway. She sleeps in the midst of his fluff, you'll see them snoozing in the shade(in winter). 

He does an excellent job of come flying in if ever the chickens make a ruckus, as when the redtailed hawk took a swoop at someone. He woke from his sound sleep and proceeded to 'scare' the pair of redtails away with his barking. He keeps the neighbors dogs out and he keeps strangers on the outside of the gate.

He is a work in progress as he is only about 9 months old and still very much a pup. 





































I'll have to get some pics of him today, he grows like a weed in summer. He has never been in the house, he's looking at our inside dogs through the glass door. And I know most of you have working LGDs as well, but still feel obligated to say he does have plenty of places to get out of rain and snow, he just doesn't use them. LOL


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

Okay, pictures from today. He is 9 months in these pics. The pictures where he is sprawled weird on the ground are the ones where we are working on "laydown". He does laydown, but it turns into a sprawl on back and wiggle and crawl on your belly, pretty much anything but stand or sit. He is a silly goose. He hasn't reached that 2 year old adult behavior(can't wait for it). 






















































((Note "Goose's Cat" on the other side of the fence))


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

*Here's a question, I get asked a lot but can't really answer..*

How much more do they grow after 9 months. I have a feeling he may be done growing "up" and will just grow "out" until 2 years. Or is that not right? Just curious, it's not important, but I get asked a lot.

I had a dream he grew to the size of a large pony. Weird, I know. I dreamt he could easily rest his head on top of the 4ft fence(while standing on all fours). Hubby said we would have to hire a guard for Goose, because someone would steal him if he was that big.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

What a darling!!! And the pic with the kitty is priceless


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## longshadowfarms (Nov 27, 2002)

We have no idea how old ours last Pyr was when we got him, but estimates were about 2 yrs and he definitely grew for at least another year after we got him, possibly even 2 yrs. He didn't grow a lot taller by that point, but he filled out a lot. That said, he was quite likely malnourished in his first home plus he was also extremely tall already - well over the standard. We couldn't get him to go indoors at the vet (or anywhere else for that matter) so we couldn't get a weight on him to figure out if he really was getting bigger that second year we had him. Your Goose is adorable! It will be interesting to see how his coat turns out as he matures.


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

Thanks. I'm hoping that his coat takes more after the Great Pyr. We picked the puppy that had a coat most like that of the father(the GP). Some of the other pups had already started matting up at 15 weeks. The mother(Komondor) had been partially shaved to accomodate her litter. She didn't have a corded coat, rather large matts. 

Goose's matts only a little bit as the sandspurs get in it, but periodic brushing gets it out easily. Although it has continually grown and his coat is probably about 8 inches long, which make me worry that he may not shed if off, although his coat has not twisted or become curly which would indicate he's develop cords. But we'll see.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

Gawd, he's cute!! But I don't envy the grooming he's going to require.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

wolffeathers said:


> *Here's a question, I get asked a lot but can't really answer..*
> 
> How much more do they grow after 9 months. I have a feeling he may be done growing "up" and will just grow "out" until 2 years. Or is that not right? Just curious, it's not important, but I get asked a lot.


They grow until at least two years. My pyrs are still getting taller and filling out more at that age.


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

Wolf Flower said:


> Gawd, he's cute!! But I don't envy the grooming he's going to require.


It's actually not too bad. Major grooming was why I didn't want the Komondor coat with all those dreadlock cords. For the most part, he'll lay down and pull the stuff from his own coat. If he gets to looking rough, I'll run the slicker brush through him for a few minutes, it seems to do the trick pretty quick. I really don't do high maintenance grooming. Of course I say that and my heart breed are GSD who seem to blow those coats forever. I can honestly say he is less grooming than the GSD. LOL

I'm glad to hear that he will continue to grow up and out until 2 years. I'm interested to see how big he'll get. I'll be glad to report to those who ask, that yes he will get taller AND wider.


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## Linda J (Oct 13, 2002)

He looks so sweet, and I love his kitty too.


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## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

He looks really sweet and by the looks of it, his coat seems to shed off the mud and dirt too. A good thing with a white dog! My chow mix who is ancient now also has a double coat that nothing seems to stick to.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

> I can honestly say he is less grooming than the GSD. LOL


He might be NOW, but there will be more and more coat as he gets older. Once his adult coat comes in it tends to change texture, and the softer puppy coat will want to tangle with the new hair growing in. Glad you are getting him accustomed to grooming now, that will make it tons easier cause you've got a lot of it ahead of you.  Hopefully his adult coat will be coarse and hard and easy to work with. The softer coats are the ones that get into trouble with matting, stickers, etc.


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

that is just too much cuteness! Tucker has his own cat too. They sleep together and he will let that one cat eat with him most days. Its nothing to look out and see them curled up together. Tucker guards chickens too. Although he does NOT like them getting around me! He'll be 2 in April and there has been LOTS of growth since he was 9 months. I'm seeing now that he is filling out though. He is already a massive dog!


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

Good thing he's a sucker for slicker brush!

He's funny to watch with the cat. We bought him some rawhide toys, so he wouldn't destroy other stuff in the night. He was chewing and licking on his new toy and the cat snuck up to see what goody the dog had. He stopped and looked at her and then "bopped" her on the nose with his big ol' sniffer and she gave him the most condenscending look bopped him on the nose with a paw and ran off. 

I'm usually not a fan of drama, but I love my farmyard drama.


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## sticky_burr (Dec 10, 2010)

gah yall make me want one now :S a big fluffy pal to work with


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Oh my goodness! He looks so much like our Brawn that I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes. WOW...if he just had a black patch over one eye!

Brawn was 120 lbs. when he was killed. He wasn't quite three years old and we're pretty sure he would have filled out more.


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