# Is a pyr right for us? (Long)



## Rocdoc (Sep 30, 2013)

My husband and I and our 3 kids (5,3, and 10 months) live on his family's ranch in Argentina. It's a pretty large ranch in a very rural area, but the are is not too far from some major roads and crime is the area has been increasing. Crime in the whole country has been getting worse because the econimic situation is getting worse and worse. People are getting kidnapped, cars hijacked, and houses robbed with families still inside them. Our area has always felt safe but these things are getting closer (specifically armed men entering houses on ranches and demanding money). 
Our ranch has a lot of people working on it in the summer but pretty much no one except family around during the winter, and not much of that even. There' a main hacienda area that has 2 large houses, the main barn, service quarters and the "hotel" ( my uncle runs a polo school and my mother in law runs a guest ranch bed and breakfast. They usually hire help from our local town. He thing is even with trusted people working for us hings disappear. It's just the culture- they think we're rich and have no problem stealing. 5 yrs back some one broke into my mil's house and whoever broke in had to have know exactly what they are looking for because of the things that were taken. And hen a few years ago some one came onto the property during the winter when everyone was gone and cleaned out all the Citrus trees on he grounds.
My husband and I just built a house there. It's still on the main grounds, but kind of hidden from the main compound and about 1000 ft away. 
A few times a year my husband has to come back to the states for work and the kids and I stay there. Sometimes it's only me and the kids and my mil. My worry is that someone might try and come to the house looking for money. I would like to get a dog that will 1. Look big and scary (word gets around here fast and people might think twice about even coming, let alone think twice once they see the dog in person). 2. Give me a warning if some's coming so I can get the shotgun out ( I figure if I can shoot a couple shots off BEFORE who's Ed's coming gets too close they might think twice about getting closer and it'll also alet the rest of the ranch). 3. Be safe around my kids ( but doesn't have to be the kid's dog, we have other dogs for that) 4. Not have prey drive (there are sheep, goats, cows, horses, chickens, and barn cats on the property) 5. Tolerate other dogs (my mil has 4 labs that mostly hang out in the main compound area but they will come over to my place too. I also have a female border collie mix and a male Basset +? Mix). 
To make matters even more complicated, h ranch isn't fenced with anything that'll keep a determined dog in (but none of the other dogs roam off of it) and we get a lot of guests coming and going all the time over in the main compound area and in the pastures.
Plus, the kids and I leave for 2-3 months in the winter to be with my husband in he states. My mil takes care of al the dogs. (He only one she takes into the house is my border collie because she can be protective and bark warnings to strangers. But in her old age she's calmed down, and doesn't Bark at all a night anymore. 
I have experience with all types of dogs and am not really worked about dominance issues, I wonder what will happen during the few months I am gone and my mil is in charge?
I was thinking about a Great Dane, a Newfoundland, or a Pyr. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


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## Rocdoc (Sep 30, 2013)

Sorry about all the typos- writing fast and using an iPhone don't go we'll together:-/


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

Pyrenees are not good guard dogs against people. Anatolian would be a better choice. If you don't need a LGD, go for something like a Doberman. They can be great on farms when raised properly and are bred to guard their people.

When I still had two doberman, I regularly brought home small stray dogs and never had a problem when I introduced the new dog. Same thing with cats, goats, and horses.


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## Brighton (Apr 14, 2013)

I have an accidental cross of a Rott and a Grt Pyr, if you came up on my farm and tired to mess with me or my Mama, she would put the hurt on you. Just a straight Pyr is not a good choice, they are "livestock" guardians, not people guardians, granted they may bark enough to let you know someone is there, who shouldn't be.

Get a Doberman or Rott.
Anna


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## Rocdoc (Sep 30, 2013)

Thanks for your help. I'd been reading that the Pyr would see the family as it's herd and then be protective. That doesn't happen? 
I'm nervous about a Doberman or rott with the kids. I've read that they have the highest bite stats? And all the guests that come onto the ranch? Will a Doberman or a rott be ok with that? I know it's unrealistic to ask for a dog that is protective of the family and house but accepts strangers. Can I teach the dog that my house is the area he can be protective of but not the main compound or rest of the ranch?
Thanks again


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

Of course you can teach your dog to be protective of your house only but that will take work and training.... I was thinking of a mastiff of some sort-- something fairly low energy that wont wander like a Neopolitan mastiff-- they arent great with other dogs, but maybe introduce when young (that always helps) and socialize them well...

Heard great things about the Fila but they will bite everyone who isnt family-- why dont you fence off your part of the property (even a low fence just to boundary train your dog) and not worry about it. 
We have a great pyr /anatolian cross and he is definitely defensive but not against people... thats a tough job to have that kind of discrimination.... 
You may want a professionally trained guard dog. But that is a huge responsibility....


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

Bull mastiff maybe, they arent so dangerous but you would never know it. Get a big male, and great with kids too...


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

Do not get a pyr, ours greets everyone as if they were her long lost buddies. Like others said they are not good guarding against people. I would highly suggest a Fila Brasiliero or a Boerbel, both mastiff breeds. Cane Corso's also used to be good guards, but a lot of the mastiff folks are talking about them now being "watered" down because of the pet market. There is another thread in this forum that has this same discussion only the family is living on the border here in the states. Lots of good suggestions there. Blessings, Kat


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## siberian (Aug 23, 2011)

Have you ever looked at tiberian mastiffs


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I would look at Dobermanns and Bouvier des Flanders. Both are family dogs, look serious, and take protecting the family as their duty. They will stay close to home. Dobermanns are easy to train, Bouvier will take a little longer, but both are obedient. With proper training, you can call a dobie or bouv off an attack, some of the very aggressive breeds are more difficult to handle.


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

Speaking from personal experience with Doberman, as long as an adult is okay with the stranger, they generally are. One of mine was reserved but not aggressive and the other greeted strangers like long lost friends if I or my husband was there. They also remembered people they had met before and were fine with them coming around even if I wasn't there. 

If I was not there and a stranger came around, they were on guard. This was especially true when my boys were young. The super friendly one would put herself between my boys and the stranger and growl. She never attacked. Just made sure the stranger knew the boys were protected. She was not trained. That was all instinct.


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## Night_stalker (Sep 24, 2013)

I work with two Pyrs, one full blooded, and another that's about 75% Prys, 25% Swiss white Shepard, and honestly, I wouldn't recommend a full blood Pyrs as a guard dog.

Not because she isn't suspicious or anything, don't get me wrong, she has a habit of barking at any strangers who go near the house, and her barking is hard to miss and sounds intimidating, but because she's just lazy. Literally, she spends 90% of her time either asleep in the living room under a piano, or outside, in a nice flat piece of grass.

The puppy, by contrast, is energetic, friendly, gets along great with the animals (Took her a bit to getting used to the chickens and to stop chasing them), and to top it all off, she has legit scared off a raccoon that I'd missed.

Either way, I recommend either seeing if the local Police Department has any dogs they want to get rid off, or a Rottie.

EDIT, For the record, this is what a Prys sounds like when barking:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DUBC-nPinY[/ame]


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

Night_stalker said:


> I work with two Pyrs, one full blooded, and another that's about 75% Prys, 25% Swiss white Shepard, and honestly, I wouldn't recommend a full blood Pyrs as a guard dog.
> 
> Not because she isn't suspicious or anything, don't get me wrong, she has a habit of barking at any strangers who go near the house, and her barking is hard to miss and sounds intimidating, but because she's just lazy. Literally, she spends 90% of her time either asleep in the living room under a piano, or outside, in a nice flat piece of grass.
> 
> ...


What no way?! 
Our pup does have a sorta soft bark but I thought it would get louder?!
No worries our Bernese Mt dog has a HUGE BARK it just goes on and on and since he is a big fat 120lbs it really resonates (he is like an Opera singer)...
and our giant schnauzer sounds like SHE WILL KILL YOU NOW, she has a really hard loud aggressive bark....
Not sure what to think (but have noticed our Pyr/anatolian pup will approach strangers, the Berner wont, and the schnauzer charges them)....


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