# How to choose an LGD from a litter



## earthkitty (Mar 3, 2011)

When and if I decide to get an LGD for my sheep, what behavior traits do I look for in the litter to choose the best puppy?

I know what traits I looked for in my Lab when we wanted a good family pet, and the breeder chose my Newf for me. 

Do I want the smallest, the biggest, the most playful, the most dominant, the most submissive, etc? Or is it best for me to explain my set up and needs to the breeder and let them choose the dog?

Thanks for any input, novice or expert. I just want all the information I can get.


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## citxmech (Dec 26, 2011)

earthkitty said:


> Do I want the smallest, the biggest, the most playful, the most dominant, the most submissive, etc? Or is it best for me to explain my set up and needs to the breeder and let them choose the dog?


If you trust your breeder enough to purchase one of their dogs - their opinion shouldn't be discounted. IMHO, Being high on the pick list is essential - so depending on how the breeder assigns the picking order - I'd try and make sure I was as close to the top as possible to ensure maximum selection.

Generally, runts tend to be more aggressive. Depending on the breed, apparently males or females might be more dominant (Kangals are definitely more male-dominant) - so you'll want to get specific info on your breed. The biggest pup might have nothing to do with ultimate size - which also has little to do with temperament or guarding ability anyway. LGD puppies are a bit different with their reaction to standard temperament tests, e.g. they may not show much tendency to "retrieve" or react to a thrown toy, for instance. 

What breed are you considering? Is this going to be a single dog? Will you add more dogs later? Will the dog be with livestock 24/7 or will it be expected to be good around housepets/children? How much room do you have? How many sheep? Are you planning on basic obedience training? Lots of variables here.


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## earthkitty (Mar 3, 2011)

We are leaning toward Anatolians for our farm and will get two as we have a very heavy predator load. Coyotes on all sides, and they have even come into the yard to try and bait our Newfoundland out.

Our LGD will be fenced in with the sheep, but we go in and out with our sheep so will be socializing and training the dogs as we would with any other puppy.

We are in the process of building our flock, so I think that getting a puppy now would allow us time to train it so that by winter it could be out with the sheep. Right now we only have three sheep, but will be purchasing more ewes in the next few months, which will hopefully bring our flock to about ten. I know by winter the dog(s) would still be young, and we will be locking the sheep up at night in the barn so will not be depending solely on the pup the first year.

Initially they will all be in about five acres, then next year we will begin to move them to a back pasture of ten acres for rotational grazing.

We have about a three year plan to get this all done.


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

Your plan sounds really good to me. I got two male Anatolians and let my breeder choose them for me, with my input. We talked for weeks, I got lots of pics and good descriptions of personality. In the end, we picked one who was a serious focused pup and one who was a bit of a goof but very friendly. They grew up with exaclt the same personalities they had a little pups. They are both excellent guardians at 10 months of age. Isaac, the goofy one is a bit more submissive to the sheep but also the better watch dog of the two.


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## CornerstoneAcre (Mar 10, 2011)

Congrats on your soon-to-be LGD. 
We have Great Pyrenees and just love them. I am NOT an expert by any means. Our adult male was already a "trained" guard when we got him at age 3. Our 12 week old puppy we got at 6 weeks from the breeder. Here is how we chose her (and she is AWESOME btw). First and foremost we knew we wanted a female just due to I like females best (we got this puppy as our first - the adult male came later). We then took the breeders suggestions to heart and narrowed it down to two. (There was an adorable runt but she was way to sweet and liked humans better than her goats). Out of the two we determined that one was a bit more dominant and cared next to nothing for human companionship. On our farm we want our dogs to be "pets" somewhat as I spend TONS of time with the goats and dogs. Both the girls prefered the goats to people, BUT the one we chose was still interested in humans a little bit. For a good LGD I think they must have that attachment to their charges. 
I would suggest the following: 1) listen to the breeders recomendations 2) plan on spending a bit of time watching the puppies the day you go to chose (let the breeder know you want to do that so you don't interfere with their schedule too much) 3) Make sure they come from a working home where they have been around livestock
NOTE: as far as #3 goes - it isn't a total necessity (but is a pretty darn good idea). We do have a 7 month old that was not raised with livestock but with some work he has become a great guard (but he does have the 3 year old as a mentor) I still won't put him in with my newborns, but maybe someday.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Be familiar with how puppies of your chosen breed normally act. Most puppies with play with each other and will come running toward humans. You don't want the one that hides. It can be hard to determine which one is more dominant or submissive because if you watched them all day you'd see one stealing another's toy, then later another one stealing a toy, etc. You want a puppy that seems to act the way these puppies should act. Anatolians have a problem being tied up, even for a few minutes and you must never tie the puppy/dog out. You want a puppy that has been handled by humans from at least four weeks old and on. The puppy will need to be _exposed_ to sheep by sixteen weeks old, so don't fret if you like an older puppy or are unable to get him or her at ten weeks old. There is still time. I like your set up, but you will want a place where the puppy can get away from the sheep. This is where you can also feed him. Most people use a creeper type of fixture where the puppy can get into the place, but the opening is too small for the sheep.


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## Laurie J (Mar 9, 2005)

We have two Great Pyrenees. The oldest is almost 8, and when we went to go look at the pups at 6 weeks, we chose, on the advice of the breeder, the pup who paid the LEAST amount of attention to us. Most of the pups came over to play with us, and the female we chose paid no attention at all. She was busy going around the fence line (she was born in a lamb pen and had never been out). We weren't buying her to be a family pet, and we didn't want a dog that expected us to entertain her. We brought her home, small as she was, in a kennel in the back of our truck. She went directly to our barn and spent the first month of her life with our bummer lambs. Husband said "we're doing this right", so there was no interaction, other than bringing her food. She had to bond with the sheep before she bonded with us. Hardest thing we've ever done! When the bummers went out in the spring, so did she, and she bonded well with the rest of the flock. That summer we spent some time with her, and she's been the most fantastic dog ever! She is a big love, but she had to realize her job was to guard the sheep, and she's done a wonderful job. Summer before last, she started to act her age (LGD's age faster than small dogs), and she couldn't keep up with all of her duties, so we brought home a pup almost a year ago. We were a little more lax this time....pup came home in a box in our lap, a little more interaction with us. Honestly, I think we should've been more strict like we were the first time. Our year old Great Pyr comes down into the yard to see what we're up to, and we're trying to break her of that. If you're looking for a livestock guardian, I wouldn't choose a pup the same way you'd choose a family pet.


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## Rock (Jan 5, 2009)

I think if you are working with a breeder you *trust *and know they produce the stock you want. Then you should go to great lengths to explain what you are looking for in a dog and what you expect it to do. Then rely on their judgment of pups in the litter _(or if you have to wait for another because they say what your looking for is not available in this litter or has already been assigned to someone else)_ 
*Lets face it all puppies are cute*:bowtie: but not all will be a good fit for each situation. I learned that if you sit after clean up, have a cup of coffee and watch the interaction of the pack of pups with each other on a daily basis. You will see patterns develop, who is dominant, who is high drive, who is laid back, if there are any that need culled. Most times a prospective buyer does not have the luxury/ability to spend time watching the pups everyday for a couple weeks before they are ready, so the judgment of the breeder is very important. _(If on the other hand you are close enough to be there everyday. You can learn a great deal about the litter and maybe swap some chores for some of the dog cost!)_
Again I can't overstress about communicating with the breeder, make sure they know and understand. When I see people are reserved about talking to me about their needs in a dog. I tell them the reality of it all, Great Breeder:bow:= I pick up dog poop everyday of my life:teehee:, not intimidating now


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

I always want the most laid back puppy of the litter. The one who goes off by itself and lays down and watches what is going on. Remember - a LGD's life is hours and hours of boredom interspersed with minutes of shear mayhem. You got to find one who likes the boredom.


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## MonsterMalak (Apr 15, 2011)

I agree with YuccaFlatsRanch. The pup that chooses to lay somewhere and watch.

But the main thing to avoid is the pups that are always playing, or chasing things. Have had them make great dogs when grown. But takes extra work.


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## horsepoor21 (Mar 14, 2007)

MonsterMalak > What Deavor one of them who played all the time ? He is still an active boy , yesterday I looked out the window to watch him chasing his own tail in circles for a good ten minutes .LOL


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

When mine were younger, Eli was more watchful and Isaac was the playful one. But Eli is also the one that ended up chasing the sheep. Eli and Isaac don't chase their own tails, but they sure like chasing and biting each other's tails. It's so funny to watch them. It's how they catch each other....they bite the tail and when the lead dog whips his head around, the "tail grabber" goes for the throat. They play hard like this for hours. I guess it's a testosterone thing because they didn't used to play hard. They played very little, and then rested in the shade. But the sheep have learned to ignore the blur of dogs streaking by them and the dogs don't try to get the sheep to play too, so I guess it's fine.


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## horsepoor21 (Mar 14, 2007)

My Maremma has learned she can take (un-neutered) Deavor down in seconds if she bites him between the legs ..... OUCH !


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