# Seriously, how much do they bark?



## nobrabbit (May 10, 2002)

We have 15 pastures; 6 acres in the rear are barb-wire fenced with a mix of pasture/woods; the front acreage is divided into 3 lots with one bordering the road. The one that borders the road has neighbors on either side. 

We rotate sheep in the 3 lots and we have calves in the pasture/woods area. Pastured turkeys are going to be added to the rotation soon also. The 3 lots are woven wire along with 3-strands of solar electric. The problem is we have lots of loose dogs in our area plus coyotes. I feel like it's only a matter of time before something gets in our sheep despite our efforts. I would like to get a guard animal but am worried about (from what I've read) the excessive barking bothering the bordering neighbors.


----------



## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

Depends on what type of LGD you get. Mine only bark when there is something near their paddock. Or when coyotes start yapping. If they dont bark how will you know there's something out there?


----------



## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

nobrabbit said:


> We have 15 pastures; 6 acres in the rear are barb-wire fenced with a mix of pasture/woods; the front acreage is divided into 3 lots with one bordering the road. The one that borders the road has neighbors on either side.


GPs bark all night long every night until about 3am. They don't bark when you put the flock and them into a building or if you keep dogs in the house at night. But that kind of defeats the purpose.

My 2 anatolians we've had also barked, but not constant. A lot of barking though from the anatolians too. Not sure about other types of LGD.


----------



## nobrabbit (May 10, 2002)

Well, I have to be considerate of the neighbors so barking at something is fine and what I want, but nonstop barking every night would be hard on the neighbors. Donkeys have been suggested also as guard animals but I have seen several abuse calves and hesitate to put them in with the sheep.


----------



## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

My anatolians bark when there is something that bothers them...i.e. they hear coyotes, see something like a raccoon or opossum, when someone comes down the driveway, or the see another dog even in the distance. I do not consider it "non-stop" barking. They will bark at my neighbors until Mr. Sam, my one neighbor, says "Trooper shut up", then Trooper shuts up because he knows Mr. Sam. I will say that my male was barking at something at 3:00 am this morning, but I live with it because I have never lost a goat kid or other livestock to predators. But as far as them just barking for the heck of it, they don't.


----------



## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

If your sheep are just in the three lots with 3 strands of hot wire over woven then you might not have problems with predators providing you don't have holes underneath. Then it doesn't take long for a dog to dig a hole. Keep your fence line checked well for dig spots or holes in the woven wire. Pay attention to any extra dog traffic around the pens. Hard to see in the summer, but in muddy areas or winter you can watch for regular paths. The fence in your 6 acre lot will not hold a lgd if it's just barb wire, and of course won't keep out predators. Pyrs are notorious for being escape artists and barking for hours at night. Mine sleeps all day, and barks at coyotes , but his barks are quiet and there is always a reason. 
On a small acreage like that you would probably be fine with a donkey or llama. I found them effective with small groups of sheep, but not so much in larger groups of over 25.


----------



## horsepoor21 (Mar 14, 2007)

We have a guard donkey and I believe he is as loud at night ,maybe even worse ,than our dogs.LOL I had him with our sheep outside my bedroom window ....won't do that again !

Our Maremma barks alot , but there's alot out here to bark at :happy2: Not sure about our Kangal yet , so far he's very quiet .


----------



## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

My Akbash only barks when there is something to bark at. Pyrs are notorious for barking all night long whether there's something there or not. It's part of their protection style--barking a warning to any predators within hearing range.


----------



## nobrabbit (May 10, 2002)

Thanks for all of the insight guys----I really appreciate it!


----------



## Goatress (Feb 4, 2011)

Everything barks around here to some extent some more than others. Introduce yourself to your neighbors and talk to them about LGD's. Maybe they'll welcome your dog with open arms if it keeps predators away. I also make sure I keep my neighbors in fresh eggs (for free) my way of saying thanks for putting up with barking.


----------



## EscapingToronto (Jun 27, 2011)

My German Shepherd will only bark when there is something around.... Since he was 3 months old. And it's quite the bark.


----------



## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

We have two GPs.. male and female, plus 7 coming 3 week old pups, the male is in our chicken lot which is not quite an acrea.. he doesn't bark a lot unless there is something around the chickens. The female has free roam of our property and of our MIL's next door-total of 63 acreas. She is our barker and she barks all night long. We also have neighbors on the right of us who have 3 GP who are with their goats(this area is probably a little over an acrea). They too dont bark much. Both our male and the neighbors GP are enclosed with fences. 

My thinking is because our female has more territory to roam and guard her need for barking is more, whereas our male and the neighbor's dogs have limited area and don't have to be concerned with anything outside of that perimeter. 

The funny thing about our female is she will be laying on the back deck sleeping and if you peep thru the blinds of the back door and she sees you, she precedes to jump up and start barking like she has been awake all that time guarding the place.



Hi, I'm Cheryl  Nice to be here, looking forward to learning and reading.


----------



## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

Hi Cheryl welcome!!


----------



## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

Goatress said:


> Introduce yourself to your neighbors and talk to them about LGD's. Maybe they'll welcome your dog with open arms if it keeps predators away.


Or not.

Pyrs bark ALL night, EVERY night and if you can get your fence high and tight enough to keep them home then you probably don't need them. They really, really, REALLY like to bark and roam (and kill things)
Other breeds might not be so bad, but as dearly as I love dogs, GPs are the same as coyotes in that if they are on my ground they are shot on sight before they kill something. I give pits and chows more leeway - that's how many bad experiences I have had with GPs.

_I feel like it's only a matter of time before something gets in our sheep despite our efforts_
Can I ask why? Have you heard the sheep running at night, or heard strays or coyotes barking in the pasture? Have things been digging at your fence? Knowing what kind of predator/load problem you have will help you narrow your search.

From what you've written, it seems as if a mini-donkey in with the sheep and a good farm dog is all you need.
Donkeys freak out dogs. I don't know what it is - but even when the donkey and the dog know each other, they still keep an eye on each other and most dogs bolt for cover when they hear a donkey bray.

What would be most likely to get into your poultry are possums and *****. Any decent farm dog can take care of those, or at least make enough of a commotion for you to finish the job with a 22. It's pretty easy to teach a dog to hate *****. 
Walk your dog along the fence line daily and there will always be fresh "Keep Out" signs for all wandering canines.


----------



## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

We're new to LGD's but have a 7 month old puppy who is 3/4 Anatolian and 1/4 Gr. Pry and he is wonderful! He only barks for about an 1/2 hour around 10 pm-thats when the coyotes start yipping from the preserve about four miles away. He has this giant dog bark and he is still just a puppy and I've actually seen a coyote running through the field right next to our farm and we had a bottle baby goat kid screaming her head off for me and that coyote just kept running! I was so worried when we got him that he would be a all night long barker but he isn't. He only seems to bark when he has to and we are so grateful for that!


----------



## ericburns4 (Jul 4, 2011)

If you are so concerned about barking of the dog, try Basenji it is also called the barkless dog and it has normal temperament and is a hunter dog, but most of the hunter dogs have been trained to be a herd dog. It&#8217;s a bit bigger than Australian Cattle Dog.


----------



## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

ericburns4 said:


> If you are so concerned about barking of the dog, try Basenji it is also called the barkless dog and it has normal temperament and is a hunter dog, but most of the hunter dogs have been trained to be a herd dog. Itâs a bit bigger than Australian Cattle Dog.


A barkless small dog would not be much good as a livestock guardian dog, who's roll it is to protect the flock from coyotes and such.


----------



## melco (May 7, 2006)

We have a pair of GP. The barking is usually when they see or hear something they are concerned with. They dont bark all night although there are nights it seems that way. :0
I wouldnt trade my girls for anything and I would do it all over again.


----------



## Judy in IN (Nov 28, 2003)

Since I've moved Zeus home with the sheep for the winter, he's been barking a LOT! (anatolian)

We were out feeding the bottle calves the other night. HHubby asked me if he should put Zeus out with the sheep and shut the barn door or not. 

Once I stepped out of the barn, I could hear the 'yotes yipping across the creek. I told him, "Oh YEAH!"

I sure am glad we've got protection! I sleep much better.


----------



## westbrook (May 10, 2002)

I have a Princess BarksALot and a Princess BarksEvenMore! these 2 girls are so funny.. one on one side of the canyon and one on the other... they bark at a noise and then bark at each other... not realizing they know each other!
Then the Bark-A-Thon starts.

talk to your neighbors.

and then the howling......:shrug:


----------



## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

My Anatolian Shepherds are just turning 6 months old. They are brothers. Eli never barks at all. I never hear a peep out of him. Isaac started barking about 2 months ago. He'd bark at night, but not excessively. He would bark at every strange sound though, in his surprisingly deep mature voice. He would not bark for long though, just long enough to alert me and to make his presence known. Now he is more selective about what he barks at. If he hears voices in the dark (neighbor is 300 yards away), he alert to that or if a strange animal walks down the drive he barks pretty frantically. I am really pleased with the level of his alertness. He does not sleep in a dog house but prefers to curl up out in the pasture where he can keep an eye out. Compared to a rottie I was fostering last year who barked all night at EVERY distant sound, I am thrilled with him. That rottie would not bark at real threats....she'd go hide behind a tree instead.


----------



## PennyJ (Mar 31, 2008)

My Anatolian/GP cross are not constant barkers. When they bark, I know _something_ is going on. I love them!


----------



## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

Whatever dog you choose, talk to the breeder before you purchase to see if barking a lot is in their genetic lines. Maybe it's more of a genetic thing than a breed thing? It's been a couple of months since I posted last about our Anatolian/Gr Pry mix barking and he still only barks when he needs to. It's a very loud deep bark and so it carries his message through very clearly- if you mean to cause us trouble, best stay away! So far we haven't been bothered by coyotes, foxes or those two legged predators who seem to think that a stolen goat or sheep taste better than what they can buy. I've seen coyotes running in the field next to us when we had a goat kid screaming her head off when I was weaning her off the bottle so unless coyotes are deaf to the screams of baby goats they know what we have. Now if I could only stop the racoons from stealing goslings? Darn geese lay eggs too close to the fence line and the racoons just steal goslings right out from under them without having to even come into the fence line. 

Penny-we had Denali neutered last week. He is doing fine and we love him dearly! Thank you again!!!


----------



## PennyJ (Mar 31, 2008)

Olivia67.....please check your inbox


----------

