# Sticky  Show us your guard animal



## aleefarms

I know there are various dog breeds and a few other guardians represented on this forum. Pease post a picture of yours and tell us a little about them and if you are satisfied with your choice. I think it will be helpful for people who are thinking about a new lgd.


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## aleefarms

This is my guardians from left to right; Dodge a neutered male, Bullet an intact male, and finally the little girl is Dallas which is only nine months old. They are Akbash and I am very pleased with the job they do. The sheep are St Croix and they are absolutely trouble free. I have had them 2 years and have not needed to worm or trim hooves!


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## Muleman

This is an older picture, but we have an Anatolian x Pyrenees female and recently got a Reg. Anatolian male. Been happy with the female, which is one reason we got the male. At night she camps out on top of the big pile in the picture. I like the fact she a bit taller and athletic, which allows her to move from one pasture or pen to another without issue. She will go up an over a 4' gate with no problem.


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## secuono

Great Pyrenees x Maremma
She's borderline LGD failure, since she rather be as close to the house or me as much as possible, but she still runs off to do her job. =/


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## arnie

heres my mt curs . mabe not the guard dogs that sleep out with the goats in a distant pasture,but they are the livestock gaurdians for my homestead they watch over everything from the bees chickens and rabbits to the goats ,cow ,and I . before getting ginger my first cur here chickens and sweet corn were a waste of time as were goats pigsand calves had to be watched closely till they were big enough not to be eaten by cyoutes now I haven't lost a chicken in years and grow great sweet corn


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## SJSFarm

I have a 4 month old anatolian, Cedric absolutely loves his does! I only have this pic of him- he does love a good belly scritch!


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## citxmech

Here's our Kangal x Boerboel cross, Daisy trolling a fence line. She's more of a general farmdog - but she's absolute murder on rodents and smaller predators. Still waiting to see what she'll do if she catches wind of a coyote, bear, or mountain lion.


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## dozedotz

I really stopped by here to see if anyone has a recommendation on a guardian dog for a couple of small ponies we are thinking of buying for our grandchildren...still interested if anyone does. However, I love to show off our other guard dogs!! LOL! Here is our male Beau who stays with the bucks and our female Bonnie who lives with the does (they are neutered...so no pups). The two little dogs are Bud and Spring and they are absolutely necessary for the kids...not so much guarding as providing Nanny duties...


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## motdaugrnds

The labradore, Cujo, has a great deal of energy and maintains his calm disposition (even when he exerts dominance). He is also great at letting me know when anything unusual is near the homestead; and I saw him charge ready to fight the one time a stray dog ventured inside the fencing. He will also back up the other dog when something is occurring the other dog does not like.

The Karakachan, Valentina, is not hyper at all; yet appears to be ever alert. She has a dominant personality and I've had to maintain a strong connection as her boss. Still she is the one who sees the goats & fowl as her charges. She does not bark much and will not follow Cujo toward whatever he is disliking unless she thinks it is necessary. Still I've seen her charge predators who get too close to my parameter fence; and she patrols this parameter often. She will bark once or twice at any disturbance, then go and check it out. She will also make a combination of noises warning off what she thinks are would-be predators, i.e. a bark/howl/growl that lets me know I need to go take a look in whatever direction she is facing. (Valentina is the one who seems to look right thru me; and the way she acts at times lets me know she is quite aware of what I'm thinking...or maybe she is just extremely good at reading energy and body language.)


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## Eagle1

Here is my coyote and stray removal team.

Chloe - GP age 4









Modi - GP/Karakachan age 2










Puppies from the above 2 - at 6 months
Honey - all white
Skadi - Black and White










And the old girl Leah - age 11 Lab/Border 










Both of the adult LGD came straight from working pastures at 10 - 12 weeks old and cost next to nothing. Around here working dog puppies can be bought for cheap if you are willing to go pick them up in the boonies. BTW boonies are on the way to town from here.


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## Batt

This is a picture of Batt and a montage of his charges.


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## aoconnor1

Well, first is my ancient GSD I rescued 4 years ago. She watches out for my chickens and Guineas when she is outside, but she spends her time where ever I am, and that is indoors or out depending on what I am doing. Her name is Millie, spayed, and she is at least 11 years old.

Second is Pal, he is a 3 year old Blue Heeler/Blue Tick Hound cross, neutered male. He is my guard dog, he runs off all predators including ones that fly! He helps push my horses in from bottom pastures when needed, and he stays out all day working with my ranch hands and watching over the ranch.

Third is Pal and his faithful sidekick Talley, a 3 year old Catahoula Cur. She is the crazy one, but she adores Pal and he has taught her to help him watch out for the horses, donkeys, and birds we have on the ranch. She is a good barker and alerts to pretty much everything, all the time! It's ok, it scares off any would be problems and keep coyotes at bay around here.

I also have a 3 legged GP that is 4 years old, but he stays in and only is outdoors for short periods of time. He is scared spotless of the horses and donkeys, and has eaten a couple of Guineas before I got him to stop that behavior. He will watch the flock if he's out at all with them though, but he just isn't out all that much. If he had all 4 legs he would be an outside dog and would have had a lot more confidence to guard.


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## CAjerseychick

Just regained the ability to take and send pics- so....here is our pack (the doodle is with us only while his owner is recovering from surgery, bit of a yapper though)!
They are farm dogs, homestead guards, the black one is a giant schnauzer(Layla) and she is a good guard dog all around, but needed some work adjusting to farm life(still catches rats). The Black, tan and white one is a Bernese mt dog(Max), he is a great farm dog, and true to breed type (I did not realize that male Berners could be so territorial) and lastly, the white one is akbash- pyr: several generations of them mixed, all working dogs, we actually have to lock him up at night, because while he doesnt live with the goats (you can see them in the background)- he goes into the pasture with them to patrol at night and will literally spend the night patrolling and barking to ward of predators-- his name is Oscar and we love love him- he is great with our child, and the family cats as well (as the rabbits, ducks geese, chickens)...
hope this helps!

oops sorry no idea how to fix the pics... sorry


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## CAjerseychick

I really appreciate everyone who took the time to put up their photos! Nice dogs people!!!


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## aart

Micro Border Collie, chicken herder in training...just kidding, couldn't resist.


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## BackfourtyMI.

We have Karakachan's, here are a couple pictures when they were younger & then a little older.
We absolutely Love them & can't be happier with our choice for an LGD. I could never say enough great things about this breed.
This is our male & female & yes we just had our 1st litter of pup's & mamma is an excellent mother


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## Janis R

The first pictures is of Blackie our GP, he was over 7 years old before he started guarding animals and he is doing a great job.
The black dog is Lady Liberty and she is the guardian of the couch.
We got 2 GP puppies last year and one died and the other kept eating the poultry so we got rid of her.
I am in love with GP so we will continue to have them as LGD, I know other people swear by other breeds but the GP is my personal choice.


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## yarrow

for the past 9 1/2 years we've had a spayed/neutered brother/sister pair of pyrs.. Bob Barker and his sister Lola are hands down the most important *employees* on our farm.. time is just beginning to catch up with them (they will turn 10 in mid-may).. I could never have asked for a better pair of LGDs.. they have been everything I've ever dreamed a guardian dog could be and then more.. SO.. I knew that when the time came.. there would be BIG PAWS to fill.. I had looked around and found no Pyrs that really spoke to me.. when the chance to add Karakachans (from Katie/Backfourty MI) happened.. I jumped on the chance.. as soon as they are old enough to wean not one, but two of her lovely pups will be joining us.. another brother/sister duo (again, both will be fixed).. Bob & Lola will be showing them the ropes (I think of them as Bob & Lola's interns LOL)
first picture is Lola.. Bob..laying up on a big round bale.. puppy pics taken this past week.. (eyes are now open)... the red & white one is the male.. his name is Asen..blk & white the girl. her name is Raya... 

while Bob & Lola are getting older.. they are still spry.. (folks up the road had their older sister.. they lost her last week at the age of almost 15.. she was still on guard duty).. we have seen quite an increase in bear and cougar activity in the area over the last decade (we have never lost a goat to a predator of any kind.. it's been years since so much as a chicken has been lost.. the Pyrs are VERY serious about their job).. 

susie, mo ozarks


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## aoconnor1

I do love the Great Pyrenees! They are so regal looking. My next herd guard will be a GP, they are so cool.


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## kalmara

Asha & "her' sheep


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## kalmara

Juma & his flock


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## motdaugrnds

I'm really enjoying this thread. It just goes to prove there are a great many *real good breeds of LGDs*. Love all the pics.


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## wintrrwolf

This is June. I got her at 8 weeks old in June so ergo the name  Need to get a recent pic because she is gorgeous. 1st pic is at 8 weeks old, 2nd pic is 3 months later, 3rd pic is June now standing next to Monkey my king buck.


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## Bret

Great pictures.


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## Buckles

White German Shepard guarding piglets















Short Hair Husky


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## sportweasel

I love seeing all the different guardians out there. Beautiful group of dogs!

Here is my team of guardians. 
FIRST PICTURE:On the right is Orion (Great Pyrenees) - He works the front lines - always first to charge out and warn off whoever gets too close to his territory. On the left is Artemis (Great Pyrenees), she hangs back by the barn with the livestock and backs up Orion when things get serious. The big dog in the middle is my husband - he also provides back up where needed, like shooting possums out of trees so Artemis can finish them off. 

SECOND PICTURE: Our newest guardian-in-training, Hephaestus aka "Festus" (Great Pyrenees)

THIRD PICTURE: Our porch and couch guardian, Jethro the Basset Hound - when all else fails, he provides comic relief.

We chose the Great Pyrenees breed because of their more people-friendly nature and also because they were what was most readily available locally. We are happy with our choice and love our dogs. I have found most of what you hear about the breed to be generally true - they are a night barking, digging, people-friendly dog. However, we have not had a problem with "roaming", but we have them within a securely fenced 20 acre pasture.

Thanks for letting me share my crew with you!


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## alwaysready

Our family guardians they are Presa Canarios while we have no livestock. Both parents are from working stock our male ( dark one) is trained in personal protection and has passed carjacking and burglary scenario. He comes from a line of hog hunters. Our female (middle) is fierce and very loyal she also baby sits the grandchildren. First dog is their 13 month old son he was recently please with a loving family.


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## purplequeenvt

My gang: Mira (brown face) 2 years, Murphy (all white) 1 year, Misha 10 weeks.


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## CAjerseychick

purplequeenvt said:


> My gang: Mira (brown face) 2 years, Murphy (all white) 1 year, Misha 10 weeks.


the pyrs have it all good looks and working ability!!!! Love em!!!


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## Jreed

X lgd and llama


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## aleefarms

Jreed 

Nice pictures! Can you share your experience on lgd vs llama? Do they share duties or is their any conflict?


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## Jreed

aleefarms said:


> Jreed
> 
> Nice pictures! Can you share your experience on lgd vs llama? Do they share duties or is their any conflict?


I have strong and interesting opinions, I will try to keep them to a minimum. Most small farms with good fences don't need a lgd just any breed of alert dog that barks. LGD on remote pasture and on their own without back up are really a different dog. Good fencing is the key to any operations. A llama is only effective in small pasture well fenced, where a large body will keep a single coyote or pair out of the sheep or livestock. Bringing animals in to corrals that are lighted are also very effective. My guardians dogs are off on contract grazes and fully bonded to stock not people. One stays with the sheep and goats and one patrols, the llama is fenced areas grazing with goats and often close to homes and domestic dogs where the lgd would go nuts.


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## lonelyfarmgirl

We have several, but here is a picture of one of the house guards trained in personal protection, perched in his spot watching me work. He takes alot of worry off my head keeping vermin out of the line fence trees and away from my rabbit barn.... and our best pasture guard. The cow once killed a sick fox. She stomped it to death and flung it into the air. Don't mind the mud. She was standing where the pigs root about.


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## popscott

Say howdy to Gus.....


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## parrotman

You don't have to be "big" to do a job.


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## DisasterCupcake

This is our Tibetan Mastiff. 

She is HUGE and very protective of our property, and everything on it. Honestly she is way too big and ranges too far for our property, which is only 40 acres. 

She would be better suited for about 500 acres in the middle of nowhere. Oh, and someplace cold. She loves it about 20 degrees or below, starts melting at about 50F.


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## vidpro23

here is my Anatolian, Storm that just turned one this month. WAY more dog than we should have gotten for our property. but hoping one day she mellows a bit  great with the family, Good with the goats, but prefers the chickens to stay in the chicken yard and herds/chases them back if they free range (still working on that). SO much energy! we love her! towers over my GSD now


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## ClubMike

Here is a pic of my best friend Bruno, he takes care of security, I got him when I lived in the city. Now we have both made the transition to country life. Bruno is an older dog he is 11 now. He alerts me to everything, including the squirrels, although once in a while he still does catch a squirrel.


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## Foxglove

This is my pack, I have various purebreds and crosses...works for my situation, and yeah my dogs come in the house every so often, and they still manage to chase off and engage predators when necessary. So far I've had no losses.


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## purplequeenvt

Foxglove, What is the pup in the 2nd picture? So thick and jowly! Love it!


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## Foxglove

purplequeenvt said:


> Foxglove, What is the pup in the 2nd picture? So thick and jowly! Love it!


Purplequeenvt....That is my male Spanish Mastiff puppy, the picture below is his sister with the baby in the stroller and the last pic is him at 8 months old with my 9 month old grandson, they are awesome LGD's! His sister rarely leaves my ewe pasture


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## purplequeenvt

Foxglove said:


> Purplequeenvt....That is my male Spanish Mastiff puppy, the picture below is his sister with the baby in the stroller and the last pic is him at 8 months old with my 9 month old grandson, they are awesome LGD's! His sister rarely leaves my ewe pasture


Thought that's what he was. We've got a 16 week old Spanish Mastiff cross pup. He's not as thick as your boy, but he's much thicker than my Pyrs. His feet are almost as big as my 16 month old male Pyr's feet and the Pyr is small dog.


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## Foxglove

purplequeenvt said:


> Thought that's what he was. We've got a 16 week old Spanish Mastiff cross pup. He's not as thick as your boy, but he's much thicker than my Pyrs. His feet are almost as big as my 16 month old male Pyr's feet and the Pyr is small dog.


Wow, there aren't many SM breeders in the US and fewer who have crosses,the gray and white and pure white females in my pics are 1/2 SM, where did you get your pup? oh wait! Did you get him from Bonnie in ID? She has a sibling to my two pups and I know her girl Brisa, had a SM/Akbash cross that would be just about that age.


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## purplequeenvt

Foxglove said:


> Wow, there aren't many SM breeders in the US and fewer who have crosses,the gray and white and pure white females in my pics are 1/2 SM, where did you get your pup? oh wait! Did you get him from Bonnie in ID? She has a sibling to my two pups and I know her girl Brisa, had a SM/Akbash cross that would be just about that age.


He came from someone in Montana. He's Spanish Mastiff/Great Pyr/Polish Tatra/Maremma. He's a good pup so far. Very happy, but not overly exuberant and responds well to correction.


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## Foxglove

purplequeenvt said:


> He came from someone in Montana. He's Spanish Mastiff/Great Pyr/Polish Tatra/Maremma. He's a good pup so far. Very happy, but not overly exuberant and responds well to correction.


Yeah no idea, as far as I know there is only one couple in MT with intact SM's, and another who is selling off her dogs, with what she says is a cross. Would be interested to know who it is as bloodlines are difficult to find. If you feel like sharing can you PM me the breeder? Thanks


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## grandma12703

#1 Babe and Bella -Babe is pyranees and is 8 weeks old (just brought her home and she is doing great). Bella is 1/2 pyranees and 1/2 something. She is doing wonderfully and patrols the pasture very well. 

#2 Cara is australian shepherd and is our herd dog but she also patrols the place.

#3 Bear is our lead guard dog. He is 100% pyranees. He does superbly and seems to train the younger dogs. He's kind of grouchy when he does it but they respond.


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## yarrow

we've had a pair of brother/sister pyrs for the past 10 years.. they are still doing their job well, but I know before too long.. the workload will become too much (we have a nubian farm and are adding a flock of icelandic sheep to the mix).. so we drove up to MI this week and picked up another brother/sister pair (this time we chose to go with Karakachans.. we didn't home until after dark last night.. they are spending today in a stall in the kidding barn.. will start introducing them to the big LGDs tomorrow .. as well as the doe herd.. the red & white one is the male.. his name is Asen.. the black with brindle is the female.. Her name is Raya (they just turned 9 wks today)

susie, mo ozarks


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## motdaugrnds

OMG Does Asen have *blue eyes*? You got a great breed there! Do keep us posted as to how they are settling in. (Hope you start a thread similar to mine so I can watch how another works with the Karakachan.)


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## yarrow

motdaugrnds said:


> OMG Does Asen have *blue eyes*? You got a great breed there! Do keep us posted as to how they are settling in. (Hope you start a thread similar to mine so I can watch how another works with the Karakachan.)


 I'm going to guess that Asen's eyes will end up amber green..they are really nice pups.. I'm excited to watch them grow up and to see how they work with our pair of pyrs..

susie, mo ozarks


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## motdaugrnds

In looking at those pups again, I can already see the same look in their eyes as is in Valentina's, i.e. as though they can look right thru you.....


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## BackfourtyMI.

yarrow said:


> I'm going to guess that Asen's eyes will end up amber green..they are really nice pups.. I'm excited to watch them grow up and to see how they work with our pair of pyrs..
> 
> susie, mo ozarks


I'm guessing his eyes will be true green like his mamma's or that's what it looked like to me when he left.
Those sure are cute pictures Susie! I sure miss them!


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## Jreed

a few current photos


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## Hdunc20

They are nice colours


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## Living4ALiving

Not your typical guardians but Zeus and Venus LOVE our animals and do their best to keep them safe, play with them, and keep them herded!


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## JasoninMN

My duck, he kills dogs, wolves and cougars.(joking)


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## wiscto

JasoninMN said:


> My duck, he kills dogs, wolves and cougars.(joking)


LOL Looks like a knockout punch.


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## aleefarms

This is the latest addition specifically for the Ram pasture. She guarded goats before so I am hoping she doesn't have anything against sheep.


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## aoconnor1

Aw, alee farms, she is beautiful I love my donkeys, they are so sweet and gentle


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## use2bwilson

our nine year old akbash (rescue). He is the BEST!!
and 
our newly rescued 3 y/0 akbash ... she guards the porch and patrols while the male stays with the goats and chickens
and
our herding team ... heeler/aussie mix and heeler/bc mix


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## Bluegrasser

Meet Monty, he's a year old Lhasa Apso, he likes to stay indoors keeping a close eye

on things. The Lhasa Apso was originally bread as sentinel dogs by Tibet monks.


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## Majorpuppy

This Is my baby Major. He will be two next month. He is not a livestock breed as he is the only breed of dog specifically bred to protect their master. Despite this he does great on the farm he is friendly and playful with the horses cattle and chickens. I brought two newly hatched barred rock chicks home this spring and he watched them like his children and would not let anything near them. When they got big enough, they would fly to his back for safety. He unknowingly keeps the animals safe by ridding the yard of any stray creature. Most importantly he is my best friend and although he loves everyone, an unwelcome move towards me he will quickly let you know. I love dobermans and believe I am hooked on them from here on out. Although, they are not a breed for everyone they can acquire serious health issues along with separation anxiety which Is not something to be taken lightly.


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## hippygirl

Bluegrasser said:


> Meet Monty, he's a year old Lhasa Apso, he likes to stay indoors keeping a close eye
> 
> on things. The Lhasa Apso was originally bread as sentinel dogs by Tibet monks.
> 
> View attachment 49086


"heart of the wolf, heart of the wolf...yep...that's the ticket...heart of the wolf, heart of the wolf"


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## joefarm77

This is Doc our Great Pyrenees at Smokey Acres Homestead watching over the ducks


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## Karenrbw

Lexi, our 16 month old Australian Shepherd. She is following the lead of her big sisters and has adopted the chickens. They are all her responsibility and she spends most of her day out at the cool, keeping an eye on things. She is especially hard on foxes.


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## Sourdough




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## aleefarms

We had 8 pups born today on Friday the 13th to a first time mom. They will hopefully become guardians someday


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## wintrrwolf

June bug (Anatolian year and half old) with our new GP 12 week old pup Ghost. I think he is going to be very very big!


all that stuff on the ground is his collections of interesting items...


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## grandma12703

Two of the best.


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## RenoHuskerDu




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## [email protected]

Being that we have lots of critters here and raise them for meat. Have two packs of guard dogs and the system works really well. Have a pair of rotties and pit bull Gruff out at night and a pack of five terriers out a good part of each day. So no varmints are allowed and all critters and me are safe. Dogs are all well trained and highly socialized. Farm critters are in large fenced in areas and dogs patrol parimeters. most dogs are rescues and we do well with the very aggressive breeds. Never have any problems with them. Lots of exercise, boundaries and rules. Will send photos or email me at. [email protected] apex.net Sjp


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## KeeperOfTheHome

This is our pitbull, Captain America. Ok, so he'd rather be falling asleep on the couch than chasing the mouse that I can hear in the ceiling... Sometimes I'm thankful that pitbulls have such a reputation for violence, because Cap's reputation and my gun are the only things guarding this house!


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## MrsDouglas

These are our LGD - Great Pyrenees. 



They were born April 24th, 2015 and this picture was taken Jan. 11, 2016. This brother-sister duo are fantastic at keeping predators away from our farm. We have not seen a single coyote here, or anything else, besides a turkey once in awhile. Just as we read about, they each have a unique roll they play. Leia is the one that will hightail it up into the hills if they get a whiff of anything and Luke hangs back and keeps guard over the farm. We have no regrets with our choice of guard dog.


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## gerpsych

Hi, This is Cosmo and Lola. Two white german shepherds. They are effective guard dogs in that they make a lot of noise if anything or anyone strange appears. They manage to hide their mild tempraments quite well on initial presentation


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## confederatemule

Shelly is my guardian animal. She will get the job done.


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## ODINSWORN




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## tree-farmer

The first is Attila, a kangal/pyreness. She is 3 months.

The second is Maya. Not an LGD but havent seen a coyote near where we keep the animals since the month we moved in. She is a newfoundland/german shepherd/husky/wolf. She really mothers the bummer lambs.

We have another german shepherd/wolf I don't have a good pic of on my phone. 9 months. Also a pet but she's good at guarding the house.


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## romysbaskets

This is Axil, our son's guard dog. There is no other way to describe this deceptive sweet guy....He is extremely obedient but very very protective.


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## spiritbear

This is Boss and he's just training to be one. He's 10 weeks old today. He has all the makings of being a good guardian and herding dog though.


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## ODINSWORN

romysbaskets said:


> This is Axil, our son's guard dog. There is no other way to describe this deceptive sweet guy....He is extremely obedient but very very protective.
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 52578



English Shepherd? I like his coat. We are looking at getting a second to back up Deano pictured above with his **** kill. I have full confidence in his skill at dispatching the small vermin. But I worry his bravery borders on foolhardy with the coyotes. He's a tough bugger, but Chuck Norris not withstanding, multiple opponents is a tall order.


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## Canyonero

Black-mouth curs, both rescues, him from a private party, her from our local shelter.

He's a hunter, she's a herder. We let them roam our place; they're territorial, stick to a radius of about 1/2 mile, and recognize neighbor's boundaries.

Nothing comes anywhere near our house anymore.


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## D-BOONE

The first line of defense was to arm the locals


And if they make through them they got the best backup

HE DONT LIKES IT WHEN YOU DISTURB HIS BEAUTY SLEEP
:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:


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## romysbaskets

ODINSWORN said:


> English Shepherd? I like his coat. We are looking at getting a second to back up Deano pictured above with his **** kill. I have full confidence in his skill at dispatching the small vermin. But I worry his bravery borders on foolhardy with the coyotes. He's a tough bugger, but Chuck Norris not withstanding, multiple opponents is a tall order.


Axil is Border Collie, Aussie and Sheltie. His coat is silky soft but he does lose hair like my little guy.  He is smart as a whip, learns more tricks then we ever teach him. He opens doors which is cute and takes my dogs leash in his mouth to walk him around.


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## barnbilder

I decided to forgo the modern notion of what a livestock guardian dog is. George S Patton believed that defense was never as effective as attacking. Napoleon was kind of fond of this strategy, too. So I went with some of the heritage American livestock guardian breeds.

Of course, this isn't for everyone. It requires quite a bit of training, and some fancy tracking systems, and often quite a bit of walking. Helps to not live in a subdivision, too. The closest thing you can come to scrambling some jets in response to a marauding varmint.

Here is a picture of one of my favorites. She is a Trigg.


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## Twp.Tom

This is "Mendell", he is mild mannered, but when the fox comes around, he goes into chase mode*


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## Foxglove

Ah barnbuilder.....while they're out "attacking" who is home guarding your livestock? Also I'm interested in hearing where the made up term "American Heritage Livestock Guardian" comes from. Holy crap, this is right up there with the "Spanish Ranch Mastiff" and the "Colorado Mountain Dog.....if you want Livestock Guardian Dogs, they are bred to stay home and guard the flocks, that's the job description, if you want a hunting dog get a hound, and for the love of god, take a course in genetics before breeding the two and expecting to get the "best of both worlds" it's the same thing people try to do when crossing a herding dog and an LGD, and it's a fairy tale that usually ends up badly for everyone involved, especially the poor, confused dog.


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## Laura Zone 5

My JRT's, 8 year old female litter mates.
Right now, I live in a tiny apartment. They have adjusted to the noise and smells, but if someone stands too close to my door, for more than 10 seconds? They go ballistic.

They are my first alert; absolutely the smartest dogs I have ever owned.
I love this breed and I am pretty sure, I will own Jacks for the rest of my life!!!


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## barnbilder

Foxglove said:


> Ah barnbuilder.....while they're out "attacking" who is home guarding your livestock? Also I'm interested in hearing where the made up term "American Heritage Livestock Guardian" comes from. Holy crap, this is right up there with the "Spanish Ranch Mastiff" and the "Colorado Mountain Dog.....if you want Livestock Guardian Dogs, they are bred to stay home and guard the flocks, that's the job description, if you want a hunting dog get a hound, and for the love of god, take a course in genetics before breeding the two and expecting to get the "best of both worlds" it's the same thing people try to do when crossing a herding dog and an LGD, and it's a fairy tale that usually ends up badly for everyone involved, especially the poor, confused dog.


 Usually, varmints are nocturnal, unless they have been allowed to get completely out of hand. This means you can unkennel the pack on a track first thing in the morning with no fears of leaving the homestead unguarded. 
I would never dream of crossing the poorly built, easily overheated, mutts with silly made up names and stories to go along with them into my line of performance bred hounds. Triggs, Julys, Plotts, Redbones, Blueticks,and Walkers as well as the various Cur breeds have had a pretty good track record as offensive livestock guarding dogs in this country for hundreds of years. Some of the cur breeds will do everything a LGD will do in terms of staying on the place and co-habitating with livestock and guarding, and you can tell them to get in the truck and take them hunting. I had several that would stay with the chickens and goats until you walked past them with a gun, and then they left with you to go hunting.

Sure you can pay an arm an a leg for a fancy dog that will die about the time it quits eating chickens, with the idea that it's incessant barking will magically remove predators, but where is the fun in that? A dog from the local animal shelter that barks from a fenced yard will be almost as effective. In many cases, the people that are breeding LGDs didn't have a predator problem to begin with, outside of hearing coyotes, and they blame the lack of predation on their dogs, and sell pups accordingly. When in fact, their homestead has never had a predation problem and likely never would due to the way it is situated. At least with hounds you can see animals in a tree, to kill or not, (if you make them climb a tree and have their picture taken, often they decide not to be so brazen in the future!) You can have fun with friends and neighbors and family in the process. 

In areas that the hounds get a chance to run, the random backyard barking dog or fancy LGD is WAY more effective, the local predators see domestic canines as a threat and not so much as a food source.


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## Foxglove

barnbilder said:


> Usually, varmints are nocturnal, unless they have been allowed to get completely out of hand. This means you can unkennel the pack on a track first thing in the morning with no fears of leaving the homestead unguarded.
> I would never dream of crossing the poorly built, easily overheated, mutts with silly made up names and stories to go along with them into my line of performance bred hounds. Triggs, Julys, Plotts, Redbones, Blueticks,and Walkers as well as the various Cur breeds have had a pretty good track record as offensive livestock guarding dogs in this country for hundreds of years. Some of the cur breeds will do everything a LGD will do in terms of staying on the place and co-habitating with livestock and guarding, and you can tell them to get in the truck and take them hunting. I had several that would stay with the chickens and goats until you walked past them with a gun, and then they left with you to go hunting.
> 
> Sure you can pay an arm an a leg for a fancy dog that will die about the time it quits eating chickens, with the idea that it's incessant barking will magically remove predators, but where is the fun in that? A dog from the local animal shelter that barks from a fenced yard will be almost as effective. In many cases, the people that are breeding LGDs didn't have a predator problem to begin with, outside of hearing coyotes, and they blame the lack of predation on their dogs, and sell pups accordingly. When in fact, their homestead has never had a predation problem and likely never would due to the way it is situated. At least with hounds you can see animals in a tree, to kill or not, (if you make them climb a tree and have their picture taken, often they decide not to be so brazen in the future!) You can have fun with friends and neighbors and family in the process.
> 
> In areas that the hounds get a chance to run, the random backyard barking dog or fancy LGD is WAY more effective, the local predators see domestic canines as a threat and not so much as a food source.


Oh absolutely! Because a high prey drive is what ALL LGD's should have! It's especially awesome when that fabulous, all purpose guardian dog/hound participates in the nightly lamb races by chasing down the little buggers and chewing on them until someone shows up and pulls them off (or shoots them). Hounds that don't bark are a pretty interesting premise as well, since using their voices are a big part of what they're bred to do....or maybe you debark them and that's why you need the tracking devices? You seem to have made a lot of presumptions with no basis in fact regarding dogs and specifically LGD's for someone who clearly knows nothing about their use. Although I will agree most backyard LGD breeders don't know what they're doing either. You said yourself, that you need tracking devices and long walks to find your dogs....I don't know many ranchers who have the time or inclination to go traipsing off across the countryside trying to find dogs who should be with their livestock in the first place. Most I know would just go ahead and move their sheep and leave that useless animal behind. I guess my point is there is no such thing as an all purpose dog, believe it or not, that's how purebreds came about in the first place. If you have a hound that you have to shock the ever lovin' crap out of to turn it into a guardian dog, even if it does resonate with the cheap crowd, that's still a pretty dishonest representation, no matter how you try to sugar coat it.


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## roadless

My sweet girl, Charity, last name Case. 
She is back in Massachusetts on a friends farm, I miss her terribly, but it just wouldn't be fair to bring her here.


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## barnbilder

Foxglove said:


> Oh absolutely! Because a high prey drive is what ALL LGD's should have! It's especially awesome when that fabulous, all purpose guardian dog/hound participates in the nightly lamb races by chasing down the little buggers and chewing on them until someone shows up and pulls them off (or shoots them). Hounds that don't bark are a pretty interesting premise as well, since using their voices are a big part of what they're bred to do....or maybe you debark them and that's why you need the tracking devices? You seem to have made a lot of presumptions with no basis in fact regarding dogs and specifically LGD's for someone who clearly knows nothing about their use. Although I will agree most backyard LGD breeders don't know what they're doing either. You said yourself, that you need tracking devices and long walks to find your dogs....I don't know many ranchers who have the time or inclination to go traipsing off across the countryside trying to find dogs who should be with their livestock in the first place. Most I know would just go ahead and move their sheep and leave that useless animal behind. I guess my point is there is no such thing as an all purpose dog, believe it or not, that's how purebreds came about in the first place. If you have a hound that you have to shock the ever lovin' crap out of to turn it into a guardian dog, even if it does resonate with the cheap crowd, that's still a pretty dishonest representation, no matter how you try to sugar coat it.


Yep, it's pretty obvious that you don't know a lot about dogs. I didn't say it was for everyone. By all means, if you want to go out and spend a bunch of money on several livestock guardian dogs in a quest to find one that will actually stay and protect your stock, that is your business. I'm just pointing out what works for me, which is the same thing that worked for many generations in this country. Proactive livestock guardians. Housed separately from livestock. When need arises, a marauding predator's worst nightmare. In the case of the cur breeds, they can do anything that a LGD can do, and pen stock on command, as well as leave to go hunting, on command, with no shocking whatsoever. I had a blackmouth cur that would bed down with the sheep and keep an eye on the chickens, break up rooster fights, and you could say "get him" and she would completely dominate the rankest wayward bull. She would set tooth to a bull and then gently nudge lambs into a pen. Wouldn't herd anything unless you said the word. Walk out with a gun and she would be by your side, ready to tree bobcats and ****, but never leave the place when left alone. But there would be bodies to dispose of if something ventured in. You have a very narrow minded outlook as to what some of these breeds were developed for. Must be a LGD salesman.
Never tried to put a hound in with livestock, there are some that would probably do it, but their principal duty is to be set on the track of a predator, and tree or bay it. Mine are quite good at it, in fact I have used them to catch persistent predators in instances where LGDs have failed. I have no use for a dog that I can't use for a task. And having a dog, even kenneled, that barks when something comes around, that pees when you walk around the perimeter will do most of the good that LGDs will do in most of the instances that they are used in. I have seen plenty of them, have seen some that did good work, many of them were actually a bigger liability than the predators they were supposed to be keeping away. Most of them have way too much hair to be effective for most of the year in many parts of this country. Most are way bigger than they need to be to be healthy and effective for the long lifespan you would want one to live, once you found a good one. A 40 pound plott is more dog than most 100 pound LGDs, and not nearly as prone to heatstroke when the chips are down. 
Sure, if you only have a three acre pasture, the popular LGDs are right for the application, but many times aren't warranted.

I'm a little undersold on LGDs, because of some of the things I have seen as one employed in the work of catching predators that have gone to the dark side. I am really not opposed to other people having them. Just pointing out that great grand pappies canine of choice for protecting livestock is still in use today. I just came here to share a picture, didn't know I would be attacked by the highly insecure LGD people that must lurk here. Sorry.


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## tree-farmer

barnbilder said:


> Yep, it's pretty obvious that you don't know a lot about dogs. I didn't say it was for everyone. By all means, if you want to go out and spend a bunch of money on several livestock guardian dogs in a quest to find one that will actually stay and protect your stock, that is your business. I'm just pointing out what works for me, which is the same thing that worked for many generations in this country. Proactive livestock guardians. Housed separately from livestock. When need arises, a marauding predator's worst nightmare. In the case of the cur breeds, they can do anything that a LGD can do, and pen stock on command, as well as leave to go hunting, on command, with no shocking whatsoever. I had a blackmouth cur that would bed down with the sheep and keep an eye on the chickens, break up rooster fights, and you could say "get him" and she would completely dominate the rankest wayward bull. She would set tooth to a bull and then gently nudge lambs into a pen. Wouldn't herd anything unless you said the word. Walk out with a gun and she would be by your side, ready to tree bobcats and ****, but never leave the place when left alone. But there would be bodies to dispose of if something ventured in. You have a very narrow minded outlook as to what some of these breeds were developed for. Must be a LGD salesman.
> Never tried to put a hound in with livestock, there are some that would probably do it, but their principal duty is to be set on the track of a predator, and tree or bay it. Mine are quite good at it, in fact I have used them to catch persistent predators in instances where LGDs have failed. I have no use for a dog that I can't use for a task. And having a dog, even kenneled, that barks when something comes around, that pees when you walk around the perimeter will do most of the good that LGDs will do in most of the instances that they are used in. I have seen plenty of them, have seen some that did good work, many of them were actually a bigger liability than the predators they were supposed to be keeping away. Most of them have way too much hair to be effective for most of the year in many parts of this country. Most are way bigger than they need to be to be healthy and effective for the long lifespan you would want one to live, once you found a good one. A 40 pound plott is more dog than most 100 pound LGDs, and not nearly as prone to heatstroke when the chips are down.
> Sure, if you only have a three acre pasture, the popular LGDs are right for the application, but many times aren't warranted.
> 
> I'm a little undersold on LGDs, because of some of the things I have seen as one employed in the work of catching predators that have gone to the dark side. I am really not opposed to other people having them. Just pointing out that great grand pappies canine of choice for protecting livestock is still in use today. I just came here to share a picture, didn't know I would be attacked by the highly insecure LGD people that must lurk here. Sorry.


I do agree, the territorial marking seems to be half the battle in keeping the coyotes away. Our farm is crawling with them, I often see them on the hay fields and forested areas, but they don't come near our pastures.
And I agree as well that a dog doesn't have to be an LGD breed to guard your animals. This one's mother is husky/wolf but she is smart and very trainable. I'm sure some people think we're crazy, probably the same people that think we're crazy for free ranging our chickens but we've had no problems.
And if it works, go with it.


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## barnbilder

Looks like she is getting the job done tree-farmer. I'll take what a dog is doing right now over what a dog's ancestors did 6,000 years ago any day. Many of the famous ancient breeds were only as good as the hand of the Basque sheepherder they were raised under, not all that distinct genetically. 

One thing I have noticed in working with animal damage cases, speaking of the "just marking territory is half the battle" thing. Sheep that are familiar with dogs, any dogs, act a lot differently towards a canine than those raised without canine interaction. It is my observation that there is a lower incidence of the onset of coyote predation in herds that have frequent non-threatening dog interactions. Collies, farm mutts, makes no difference. Coyotes need a good flight response to be able to attack effectively until they gain a good deal of experience.


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## Foxglove

barnbilder said:


> Yep, it's pretty obvious that you don't know a lot about dogs. I didn't say it was for everyone. By all means, if you want to go out and spend a bunch of money on several livestock guardian dogs in a quest to find one that will actually stay and protect your stock, that is your business. I'm just pointing out what works for me, which is the same thing that worked for many generations in this country. Proactive livestock guardians. Housed separately from livestock. When need arises, a marauding predator's worst nightmare. In the case of the cur breeds, they can do anything that a LGD can do, and pen stock on command, as well as leave to go hunting, on command, with no shocking whatsoever. I had a blackmouth cur that would bed down with the sheep and keep an eye on the chickens, break up rooster fights, and you could say "get him" and she would completely dominate the rankest wayward bull. She would set tooth to a bull and then gently nudge lambs into a pen. Wouldn't herd anything unless you said the word. Walk out with a gun and she would be by your side, ready to tree bobcats and ****, but never leave the place when left alone. But there would be bodies to dispose of if something ventured in. You have a very narrow minded outlook as to what some of these breeds were developed for. Must be a LGD salesman.
> Never tried to put a hound in with livestock, there are some that would probably do it, but their principal duty is to be set on the track of a predator, and tree or bay it. Mine are quite good at it, in fact I have used them to catch persistent predators in instances where LGDs have failed. I have no use for a dog that I can't use for a task. And having a dog, even kenneled, that barks when something comes around, that pees when you walk around the perimeter will do most of the good that LGDs will do in most of the instances that they are used in. I have seen plenty of them, have seen some that did good work, many of them were actually a bigger liability than the predators they were supposed to be keeping away. Most of them have way too much hair to be effective for most of the year in many parts of this country. Most are way bigger than they need to be to be healthy and effective for the long lifespan you would want one to live, once you found a good one. A 40 pound plott is more dog than most 100 pound LGDs, and not nearly as prone to heatstroke when the chips are down.
> Sure, if you only have a three acre pasture, the popular LGDs are right for the application, but many times aren't warranted.
> 
> I'm a little undersold on LGDs, because of some of the things I have seen as one employed in the work of catching predators that have gone to the dark side. I am really not opposed to other people having them. Just pointing out that great grand pappies canine of choice for protecting livestock is still in use today. I just came here to share a picture, didn't know I would be attacked by the highly insecure LGD people that must lurk here. Sorry.


Whoa.....and I thought you didn't like all those cute stories that LGD people have about their dogs! Those were some ADORABLE stories you just shared! I don't know where you get the idea that LGD's are prone to heatstroke, or that most only weigh 100 lbs. my largest male is 38" at the shoulder and 220 lbs., I live in the high desert in NV where our temps regularly go well over 100 degrees in the summer and he can move from one pasture to the next in seconds, so far no one has shown any sign of heatstroke, so who the heck are you talking to?? I could tell many stories and provide photos of LGD's protecting their flocks and killing large predators, (not skunks and raccoons) in the process, although if you ever once had bothered to do an ounce of research on LGD's you would know that they are primarily non-lethal protection. Unfortunately, there is a huge cartel of idiots, who are trying to convince people otherwise.....apparently those are the one's you've been listening to. Also you completely missed my point, which was there are no such thing as "all purpose" dogs, even though I know there is yet another growing cartel of genetically misinformed jackwagons trying to peddle their Plott Hound/Pyrenees crosses all over Craigslist and Facebook, have you even seen this or is your head so buried in the sand that you only see what you want? Now if you'll excuse me I have a German Shepherd/Papillon cross that is going through Schutzhund training this morning, then it's off to her therapy dog group this afternoon :rotfl:


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## barnbilder

Why would anyone cross a perfectly good plott hound on a pyrenese? That would be stupid. Bring your giant dog to the southeast in the summer time, I will show you how he can die of a heat stroke or lay in the shade while coyotes carry off a flock. All I know is what I've seen personally while doing damage control on farms. And what I've read published from scientific research. I ignore all of the blogs of experts that are trying to sell overpriced, genetically deficient garbage to unsuspecting people. The biggest problem that the LGD breeds have is that we can't effectively cull the roughly 25% to 50% that necessarily need to be culled, and always have been. At one time their ancient breeders would have killed the unfit and threw them in a ditch, now they sell them for 400 bucks, and I can understand the economic and moral considerations, just saying.

I have never advocated using a hound to hold a defensive position, I advocated using a hound as a cavalry unit. Of which they can be quite effective. I can drop a well trained hound on a coyote track, and with a gps collar grid waypoints and lace every fence crossing with snares and find the denning area and pretty much completely eradicate sheep predation in an area. With some good recall training, they can be controlled to one property, if needed, or they can keep on running to gun. I certainly don't advocate tainting good hound blood with any of the LGD breeds.

Curs are a different situation entirely. They can perform very much in the capacity of territorial defense dog. You seem to be a self proclaimed authority on canines, have you ever reared a black mouth cur in a farm setting? Have you ever had a well trained hound? From your comments, I would venture a no. If I paid 600 bucks for something that had less than a fifty percent chance of operating beyond 5 years and had a 25% chance of not working period, I would try to be pushing them on everyone else, too. Because fact is, the only way you can get LGDs to pencil out is if you do puppy sales along with their protection duties.


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## Ross

Please remember this is a thread for photos. Sure some comments are expected but if you want to start a discussion please start a new thread! TBH some great points are lost, buried here!! Thanks!!


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## grandma12703

Love our pyranees.


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## Foxglove

barnbilder said:


> Why would anyone cross a perfectly good plott hound on a pyrenese? That would be stupid. Bring your giant dog to the southeast in the summer time, I will show you how he can die of a heat stroke or lay in the shade while coyotes carry off a flock. All I know is what I've seen personally while doing damage control on farms. And what I've read published from scientific research. I ignore all of the blogs of experts that are trying to sell overpriced, genetically deficient garbage to unsuspecting people. The biggest problem that the LGD breeds have is that we can't effectively cull the roughly 25% to 50% that necessarily need to be culled, and always have been. At one time their ancient breeders would have killed the unfit and threw them in a ditch, now they sell them for 400 bucks, and I can understand the economic and moral considerations, just saying.
> 
> I have never advocated using a hound to hold a defensive position, I advocated using a hound as a cavalry unit. Of which they can be quite effective. I can drop a well trained hound on a coyote track, and with a gps collar grid waypoints and lace every fence crossing with snares and find the denning area and pretty much completely eradicate sheep predation in an area. With some good recall training, they can be controlled to one property, if needed, or they can keep on running to gun. I certainly don't advocate tainting good hound blood with any of the LGD breeds.
> 
> Curs are a different situation entirely. They can perform very much in the capacity of territorial defense dog. You seem to be a self proclaimed authority on canines, have you ever reared a black mouth cur in a farm setting? Have you ever had a well trained hound? From your comments, I would venture a no. If I paid 600 bucks for something that had less than a fifty percent chance of operating beyond 5 years and had a 25% chance of not working period, I would try to be pushing them on everyone else, too. Because fact is, the only way you can get LGDs to pencil out is if you do puppy sales along with their protection duties.


Apparently, you aren't paying attention....check out Fort Lonesome Farm Dogs and Tattooed Homestead pages on Facebook, they're both peddling Pyrenees/Plott crosses. You can denigrate something you know nothing about until you're blue in the face, and it still doesn't make you right. I lived in Rossville GA with my dogs and never had one drop dead, or even look mildly ill in the heat, so you're argument is still invalid. Of course you keep referring to breeders with high priced garbage so again, it sounds like you hang out with exactly what you seem to be implying I am. I'm still trying to figure out where your proclivity to high and mightiness comes from, as your statements regarding LGD breeds are so totally ignorant. If you're referring to the Livestock Guardian Dog Project, sponsored by the Coppinger's close to 40 years ago, most of those premises have been invalidated. If you're referring to the so far incomplete studies being conducted currently by the USDA, I'm sure you know about how inappropriate their choice of breeds are as well as some of the methods being used. Of course as with anything our federal government is involved with, these studies are being run by bureaucrats who don't know anything about dogs, and who have not done a very good job vetting the people and/or breeds they are using, for example, using Eastern European breeds who are characteristically not white, and suggesting that the handlers paint the dogs white as apparently the sheep involved in the study only like white dogs. As for breeders, there are good and bad ones, just like with any breed and unfortunately you don't always get what you pay for as everyone wants to hop on the breeder bandwagon and make a buck. Quite honestly your spiel just sounds like another instance of some guy trying to reinvent the wheel, hounds have never been meant to guard, they hunt, if they're barking is keeping the skunks and raccoon's away, fabulous, however when they leave to go chase a varmint your stock is still left unguarded when the big predators show up. This was the point I was trying to make in the first place, a point you chose to ignore, and for some reason decided to take offense at.


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## barnbilder

Your point is pointless as you've missed the point. Turn appropriate hound(s) loose and said varmint is no longer part of the equation. Large predator, small predator, makes no difference. Livestock protection through predator eradication. Has worked for eons.
As per admin instructions why don't we leave this thread as a place for posting pictures.


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## Jreed

barnbilder said:


> Usually, varmints are nocturnal, unless they have been allowed to get completely out of hand. This means you can unkennel the pack on a track first thing in the morning with no fears of leaving the homestead unguarded.
> I would never dream of crossing the poorly built, easily overheated, mutts with silly made up names and stories to go along with them into my line of performance bred hounds. Triggs, Julys, Plotts, Redbones, Blueticks,and Walkers as well as the various Cur breeds have had a pretty good track record as offensive livestock guarding dogs in this country for hundreds of years. Some of the cur breeds will do everything a LGD will do in terms of staying on the place and co-habitating with livestock and guarding, and you can tell them to get in the truck and take them hunting. I had several that would stay with the chickens and goats until you walked past them with a gun, and then they left with you to go hunting.
> 
> Sure you can pay an arm an a leg for a fancy dog that will die about the time it quits eating chickens, with the idea that it's incessant barking will magically remove predators, but where is the fun in that? A dog from the local animal shelter that barks from a fenced yard will be almost as effective. In many cases, the people that are breeding LGDs didn't have a predator problem to begin with, outside of hearing coyotes, and they blame the lack of predation on their dogs, and sell pups accordingly. When in fact, their homestead has never had a predation problem and likely never would due to the way it is situated. At least with hounds you can see animals in a tree, to kill or not, (if you make them climb a tree and have their picture taken, often they decide not to be so brazen in the future!) You can have fun with friends and neighbors and family in the process.
> 
> In areas that the hounds get a chance to run, the random backyard barking dog or fancy LGD is WAY more effective, the local predators see domestic canines as a threat and not so much as a food source.



A black mouth cur is a very hard dog to beat on a homestead ...


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## grandma12703

grandma12703 said:


> Love our pyranees.


 We have two full blood and two 3/4 pyranees X 1/4 lab/anatolian mix. All are raised with and amongst the sheep, calves, pigs, goats, chickens, geese and ducks. All do their jobs. We live where there were coyote problems until we got here with these guys/gals. We also lived deep in the woods a few years back and never had predator problems due to the dogs. Love these dogs. Granted we do condition our dogs to the animals before we just throw them in there with no observations but so far after 30 year of pyranees dogs no problem.


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## GoatGirly

We just started our farm a couple years ago, and here is one of our Great Pyrenees. We love this breed!


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## klcardella

We have 5 LGD's. We have 155 acres, with 70 in pasture. We have bear, mountain lions, and tons of coyotes. Without multiple dogs, we could not raise sheep.

We have a rescue Maremma mix, 3 full Maremmas, and 1 Akbash. The rescue mix, Krieger, is wonderful. He was thoroughly vetted with poultry, goats, sheep, etc., and we have never had a problem with him chasing/killing anything. We added the Akbash as a puppy with him, and she was a little more challenging. Lost of couple of chickens to play before she got the message it was a BIG no-no. No problems since she was a pup.

Photo 1 is of our Akbash, Falphie, and our Maremma pup, Thor, in training. He is MUCH bigger now at one year, but still in training. He is great with the chickens, but still gets too excited about running lambs 

Photo 2 is our 2 adult Maremmas, Ghost and Lady. They are the best, and would not trade them for the world. Stay where you put them, and are very bonded to the sheep while being very friendly to us.

Photo 3 is our rescue mix, Krieger and our Akbash. The Akbash is more of a perimeter dog. She pretty much goes where she wants, or where she is needed. She is also great with the babies!

Photo 4 is the pup Thor at 8.5 months old chilling with the sheep.

The last photo is our Akbash again keeping an eye out.

Love, love, love these dogs. They have gone above and beyond!


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## kan-green

Here is our new pup, she's Great Pyrenees and Australian shepherd mix. We are hoping she is the solution to our predator problem. Completely new to raising animals so we will learn together. She loves her kitten and patrols our property like she knows it's hers.


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## farmrbrown

Our newest rescue from doggy jail........
Hard to see the scale of size from the angle, but he's probably going to be about 100 lbs. and get put his head on any countertop to see what's for dinner, LOL.

Mix of an Anatoly and Dogo.


ETA:
One little habit I'll have to keep an eye on surprised me this morning........
That nice, warm rump I was patting as I was waking up this Sunday morning - wasn't my wife's!
ound:


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## dltasig7

Trainer (Left) and Trainee (Rt). My 7 month old "puppy" in the pic where I'm holding him!


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## MrsDouglas

Beautiful dogs!


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## krackin

I love dogs so much. Some day I may be as good as they are.


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## goatfeathers

This is our first LGD's! 11 weeks, born in pasture and stayed with goats. Mom is 75% GP and 25% Anatolian, Dad is 75% GP and 25% Karakachan. I don't know how to rotate the photo!


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## Boer2222

My kangal with pup


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## Boer2222

Another of the pups


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## Boer2222

The sire


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## Mike CHS

We got Maisy just 4 days ago and she settled right in with our flock of 10 bred ewes on the first day. She is a little over a year old and came to us because her previous owners got out of sheep.


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## nobrabbit

We are hoping that little Miss Rosebud will be a good protector or at least a very noisy alarm for our sheep. She is only about 7 months so she has some more growing to do before she is on the job full-time.


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## vicker




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## Cat Hill

My Texas Heeler, Sam, at 10 years old. At 15 now, he's still protecting my chickens and helps herd the cows when needed.


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## Cat Hill

My friend, Ann, recently imported a pair of Sarplaninac pups, unrelated. She plans to raise pups at some point but these pups are in training and will be ber guardians on her farm 

https://scontent.fden3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15032049_10210825977063577_3716456622835003722_n.jpg?oh=543a7f509cfffa624f5e9ca6e1fb56f8&oe=58C84BDA


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## edwardcharette

Mine are dogs who stay with them without attacking mine yet repel predators


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## ttaylor7

We have worked with several breeds in cooperation with a livestock guard dog research project -- Transmontanos, Karakachans, and Kangal Dogs -- all imports. In addition we have raised and used Turkish Akbash Dogs and Kangal Dogs for over 3 decades.


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## gila_dog

Here's Jessie, our homestead watchdog. She's blue heeler and is always on the job, watching and announcing any visitors of any kind. She won't attack anything but rabbits and coyotes. She just lets me know something is going on and I deal with it. She also marks her territory by peeing here and there and I think that keeps a lot of nasty things like raccoons and coyotes away.


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## manolito

These are rescue dogs a Kelpie and a Heeler the wife is working them on a group of Barbados sheep. 

They run off most predators and the kelpie has one Bobcat to his credit. When the lions are hunting they keep to the back porch I consider that smart. We lost eight Ewes to a big Tom last year. Unfortunately getting a predation permit from California is getting harder and harder. The State Biologist said try playing loud music at night. He may be a city person what do you think.


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## prinellie

I would like to get a dog to guard the chickens which are in a pasture with the 2 jersey cows but the cows, I don't think, will tolerate the dog.... is there any possible way to make this work?? Thanks...


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## Maura

Electric fencing. Our pasture had 3 and four strand electric wire, which kept in our sheep and donkeys. Chickens were not phased. Most dogs would not cross the wire (or the donkeys). Small dogs will jump between wires and are good at avoiding kicks. Portable electric netting offers a second barrier, essentially two fences. Even jumpers are reluctant to jump two fences. The portable electric (3&#8217; tall) has holes large enough for a small chicken to get through, but the taller (4&#8217 poultry netting has smaller holes, which I think also serve to be visually confusing. Raccoons, fox, opossums, all kept out of our electric fenced area. I could even move el netting to our lawn and contain sheep and donkeys and keep dogs out.


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## oldasrocks

This one chase me around the house.


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## oldasrocks

This one guards the dinner plates


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## SpringCrkFarmTN




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## SpringCrkFarmTN

These are two of the four llamas we use as our sheep guardians. They do an amazing job for us!


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## alidbond




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## topothemountain

Our search for actual LGDs began after losing a piglet to a bear, poultry to coyotes and various winged predators, and... the final straw... one of my Arabian horses to a cougar. So I read and researched, when finally I did the most sensible thing and just looked around at all the other farms around us at what kind of guardians they had. Bar none, the most used LGDs around us are Great Pyrenees and I had liked what I read about them, so I found a farm that had both parents there, witnessed how they worked and picked up two female puppies (10 weeks old) from them. Later we added a male dog from another farm that helps protect our girls from "unwanted advances" by would-be suitors as well as backup for them.
Since adding them to the farm we've lost nothing... nothing.. period. Unless you count the guineas that packed up and left on their own. 
We'd been told that you shouldn't interact with LGDs in order for them to bond with the animals and not just be pets. Well, I don't know about how others are, but ours bonded with the animals as well as us and guard us all. They are amazing animals and I can't say enough about our beloved Pyrenees. I'll never be without them on the farm again... even if I had no animals to protect, they are gorgeous dogs with wonderful personalities and I just adore them.


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## Mike CHS

I posted a picture of our Great Pyrenees quite awhile back but yesterday we brought home an Akbach puppy. We went to the Tennessee Katahdin fall meeting and sale but didn't find any sheep we wanted so the pup made the trip even more worthwhile.

His sire is almost 140 pounds and his dam is 110 pounds so he should be a big boy.


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## greenTgoats

Guard puppies


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## 50-45-1

We have free range chickens, and as all chicken owners know, Everything eats chicken! Our Australian Shepherd named Momo has been the best guardian dog we have ever known. He has chased down all kinds of muraurding varmints and rescued so many of our chickens he is worth his weight in gold to us. He even ran barking below a red tailed hawk that had one of our banty hens in his tallons and we watched as the hawk dropped it. The hen survived. Mo is 13 now and still tries to do his work, but with physical ailments much slower so a couple years ago we purchesed a pup for him to train to take over the job.


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## JohnP

We got these a few months ago. Ad and person getting rid of them said both were full GP but obviously one's not. The Old English Sheep dog looking one was crammed in a cage so it was hard to tell what he was until we pushed him out into the back of the truck. He was smaller than the GP a few months ago but even then had bigger paws.


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## 50-45-1

JohnP said:


> We got these a few months ago. Ad and person getting rid of them said both were full GP but obviously one's not. The Old English Sheep dog looking one was crammed in a cage so it was hard to tell what he was until we pushed him out into the back of the truck. He was smaller than the GP a few months ago but even then had bigger paws.
> View attachment 73002


They still look like they could get the job done! Beautiful!
Mine are all mix breeds, none have one drop of guardian breed blood, and do an awesome job.
Our dog Momo had to be put to sleep last fall, but he trained 2 others.
5 yr old blue healer/border collie, MICK
2 year old australen shepherd/pit bull, ZIP
These boys learned by watching Mo at work and imitate him.
Also we have a 7 year old german shepherd/black lab, her favorite thing is chasing butterflies


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## AB1

aoconnor1 said:


> I do love the Great Pyrenees! They are so regal looking. My next herd guard will be a GP, they are so cool.


We have one as well. Got him from a friend several months ago. He’s 3 and man what a dog. Really good for our farm. Although he’s a big big roamer.


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## LT2108

our 10 month old GD


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## Irish Pixie

She may weigh five lbs and wear a sweater, but she's a guard dog. She saved us from the UPS man the other day. He was kinda shady.


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## Jonathan Thornton

Great post!!!! Maximum of you put the details of your animal with pictures.


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## Pyrpup2016

There is a great group on Facebook - Farie kennel. She is a professional trainer, who specializes in LGDs. Read the files that she's posted on her site for very good training/mindset. She goes against a lot of the accepted training methods, but reminds us that we are the shepherd and need to have a close relationship with our dogs - no throwing them out with the stock with no guidance on what we expect from them. It's well worth exploring!!


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## todd_xxxx




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## JRHill02

We have Catahoula dogs in the woods. I've always had G.Sheps through my life but now this phase. I miss my G.Sheps but after 5 years, Catahoula dogs are a good choice for a forest dog with livestock. I won't go into all the reasons why except for this: _I've never had a potato dog_. Bubba, the big guy, robbed a potato from the pantry. He carries it all over the house. He doesn't chew it - he carries it carefully. Lord forbid his sisters get close. THIS IS HIS POTATO. This is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.


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## JRHill02

Bubba. Male Catahola with the bone. Sisters are standing.









Dad, now in doggie heaven:


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## Chew

Female catahoula. Best dog I've ever had.


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## JRHill02

Chew said:


> Female catahoula. Best dog I've ever had.


80#? Just a beautiful gal. Tail, haunches, stance.... And the *eyes.*


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## Chew

JRHill02 said:


> 80#? Just a beautiful gal. Tail, haunches, stance.... And the *eyes.*


Pretty close. Probably 77 there. She's a blood trailer. Finds a lot of deer and hogs every year.


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## Forcast

My huge male cat seems to do a good job. Unless it the she fox...she pees on him!


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## IceFire

Just got our Anatolian Shepherd pup. Just got him Sunday, and he's already going out with me in the mornings when I go to feed. He's 9 weeks old and 25 pounds already. Meet Thor!


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## Henacynflin

This is our two Cadi and Brân. Both hard working muts


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## JRHill02

Chew said:


> Female catahoula. Best dog I've ever had.


Chew, I see from the picture background that you may live in an area with neighbors. How does that work with her needs for high activity and needing to be involved with everything she sees or hears? And other dogs?

I agree with the tracking skills of a Catahoula. But I have learned not to have more than one out at a time 'cause the chances of a command to come back 'might' be obeyed. If two or the third are in the chase, they are gone - to try to out compete the others. Together they will ignore collars set to high and are quickly out of range. Besides, I hate shock collars but one with GPS would be cool. Those are too expensive.


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## Chew

JRHill02 said:


> Chew, I see from the picture background that you may live in an area with neighbors. How does that work with her needs for high activity and needing to be involved with everything she sees or hears? And other dogs?
> 
> I agree with the tracking skills of a Catahoula. But I have learned not to have more than one out at a time 'cause the chances of a command to come back 'might' be obeyed. If two or the third are in the chase, they are gone - to try to out compete the others. Together they will ignore collars set to high and are quickly out of range. Besides, I hate shock collars but one with GPS would be cool. Those are too expensive.


Good points. She has kind of moved into the late adult phase at 8 years old but she was in puppy phase for 2 to 3 years. I had to get on a bike, attach a leash, and wear her out for several miles to keep her occupied.

That plus the training blood trails and frequent bowhunting of deer and hogs helped. 

We spend half of our time in the country on 21 acres. Will be moving there permanently later this year. I would say if you don't have the time or energy to exercise these dogs until they almost fall over then you probably shouldn't get one.


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## JRHill02

Chew said:


> Good points. She has kind of moved into the late adult phase at 8 years old but she was in puppy phase for 2 to 3 years. I had to get on a bike, attach a leash, and wear her out for several miles to keep her occupied.
> 
> That plus the training blood trails and frequent bowhunting of deer and hogs helped.
> 
> We spend half of our time in the country on 21 acres. Will be moving there permanently later this year. I would say if you don't have the time or energy to exercise these dogs until they almost fall over then you probably shouldn't get one.


All ours will be 4yo July 4th. They have somewhat settled down, thankfully, unless there is something that gets their attention. So your pup works in civilization - cool. I have to ask: You are on a bike. Your dog sees a fluffy squirrel. Do you get dragged to the tree with the bike trailing somewhere behind?

Note: We don't trim toe nails. Front ones are wicked an the back ones worn short. I've never trimmed a Catahoula nail. Whether dragging an owner or excavating a ground squirrel hole I'm not sure I've seen dirt flying further. Cataholas have webbed feet. Picture a duck. They swim. They climb trees. They like you because they own you.


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## HDRider

This is Rolo and Loki. They are Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd siblings. Loki took the look of the Anatolian and Rolo the Pyrenees. He is about 130 pounds, she is maybe 90. She is speed, he is strength. Their team work and instincts amaze me almost every day.


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## JRHill02

Lots of hair! Beautiful pups.


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## Danaus29

I still have a picture in my mind of @Chew, hanging onto one end of the leash, dog in tree on the other end, squirrel setting out on a tiny branch and the bicycle laying busted up on a sidewalk.
If I was an artist I would try drawing it.


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## Chew

It only took once or twice for me to learn my lesson and drop the leash when she found a target!


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## JRHill02

Now there is a guard, er, critter. It certainly guards against the DW ever doing windows. I think its really cool, outside. After I took the picture it hid itself. Its a really passive critter.


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## 012345

Blueberry loves dogs but things this of intruders:


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## JRHill02

012345 said:


> Blueberry loves dogs but things this of intruders:
> 
> View attachment 114584


Wonderful picture with the tongue. Ohh, they need to eat too.


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## Danaus29

JRHill02 said:


> View attachment 114583
> 
> 
> Now there is a guard, er, critter. It certainly guards against the DW ever doing windows. I think its really cool, outside. After I took the picture it hid itself. Its a really passive critter.


Arggggg! I ran face first into one of those last week. I don't know why they think they need to build a web right across my walkways! Luckily for her, she found a better home site. Either that or a bird had a huge lunch.


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## Forcast

Bean


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## Settler

Anatolians have worked well for me, particularly the males. Females have had more problems around poultry. Have been using them for about 10 years.


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## Obie




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## Montanarchist

Guard cat, off duty


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## GTX63




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## Orchardsmith

What a great thread! Thanks to everyone for posting your beautiful guardians! Still miss my Pyr from the Border Leicester days.


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## Alice In TX/MO




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## GTX63

You have always struck me as a non filtered smoker.


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## Alice In TX/MO

That isn’t me.


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## GTX63

I meant the guy.


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## starrynights

Here's my guard animal...


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## oldasrocks




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## oldasrocks

She carried a double 12 gauge. Don't let looks fool you.


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