# How many is too many?



## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

So any one who has read any of my posts knows that I have two great LGDs~ a Great Pyr Tater and an Anatolian Cricket. Cricket had puppies~ I've been considering keeping ONE puppy giving me THREE LGDs or trading selling a pup and using the money to buy a similar quality male Anatolian pup. But I've also been considering selling all the pups because I have those two LGDs~ AND three other dogs~ a yorkshire terrier, and mid size mongrel and a rottweiler. I got through a LOT of food every month~ vet care becomes an issue~ vaccines are pricey~ and the flea/tick and heartworm meds every month....wow....I DO NOT need another dog!!

BUT.....

Something took off with two of my three geese last night!! I still suspect a human something but my friend Carol has a very plausible idea that it was an animal something....an animal something BIG to take off with TWO full size MEAN geese in one night!! Now~ there was no dog in with those geese~ or in the pen next to those geese AND the electric fence was off. So....well my fault.....BUT I'm still just so MAD!!!

Now I'm considering keeping one of the female pups AND buying an unrelated male pup. That would give me 4 LGDs, a rottweiler, a mid size mongrel and a yorkshire terrier......

I don't keep THAT much livestock~ I only have 25 acres....

How many are too many?


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

It's a personal decision as to how much is too much. Personally, I think 4 LGDs is a lot. You're dealing with 4 very large dogs that need to work together, and may or may not get along with each other. But some people have a lot more than that and manage it just fine. If you feel you are pretty strapped for time, energy, and patience already, you've probably got enough critters.  But if you have the wherewithal to manage 4 LGDs plus the other dogs, no one but you can tell you it's too many.


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## RJMAcres (Sep 9, 2009)

We have 4 pyr's.
Works out nicely for us.


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## Goatress (Feb 4, 2011)

Yes, it was your fault, you set that up, at least you are honest and admit it.
My friend in MT did same boo boo. One night he brings in all his Kangals and other dogs.

Next day nary a chicken or turkey left. All gone and / or laying there dead. Total carnage! The coyotes were that close and had obviously been staking his place out, waiting for him to make the mistake you did. Wiped him out.

Why would you buy an unrelated male pup? I'd keep two of your pups back and raise them up with mother and don't ever have it so there are no dogs near your stock. If you are regularly going to breed pups, consider your ***** out of the picture for guarding for the times she's incapacitated with pups and raising them in early stages. She can't nurse and guard too. So that only leaves you one working dog.

Yes it is expensive. That's why I don't own 'pet' breeds in addition to my working dogs. Maybe you should re-evaluate keeping pet dogs....? Just a thought. I know, tough decision!!!! :~(

I am over-dogged but I also breed them, which is why my pack is so big....and I have never lost a single thing here unlike neighbors who had no guard dogs, and lost goats to coyotes. Also have some creepy druggie types moving into area and am feeling a lot safer with a pack of dogs that will make anyone think twice about coming in uninvited.

Sorry for your loss of geese!


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

We have 100 acres and I am upto 4 Anatolians. Two mature ones and two young ones. My feed bill is high but I figure I'd rather buy the food then have to deal with injured or dead goats, chickens, turkeys, etc. I also don't have any "pet" dogs. I had a border collie for a couple of years but she went to a neighbor's farm to work his cattle. She is happier and so am I.  We also breed so there are times when one of my females is unable to work and the other three can take care of things while she is on maturity leave. 
My Anatolians work good in teams. I do not loose livestock either. And, like Goatress, I do not have any creepy people driving down my farm road either.


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## FoxyWench (Jan 22, 2010)

i did want to say, while im not sure if this is the case with ldgs but MOST dog agression comes from intact female dogs to other intact female dogs, so if your keeping back a female to keep intact also, be prepared for more work on your part as a just in case.


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

see, thats the thing I havent decided if we will ever breed Cricket again or not~ and the only male in her litter was sold before we even bred Cricket!

yes, my fault. You can't imagine how mad I am!
No I can't give up the pet dogs~ we stopped having childred and got our dogs....our pet dogs are not so much pets as family members. The mongrel is my dog she sleeps in my bed with us, the rott is my husbands and he has wanted a rott for SO LONG! The yorkie is my sisters and while I'd happily feed him to my LGDs she keeps a pretty good eye on him since I threatened to dip in bacon greese and send him out to play with Tater and Cricket.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I wouldn't get another male since you already have a male on the property. One male is enough, and you want to avoid issues.

As far as how many is too many? As many as are needful and that you can adequately support. If you cannot feed them or get their needed injections then that's too many.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

as long as you can feed and care for them i am a firm supporter of its your time and resources so use them how you want, none of us can tell you what you have is more than you should have, i would keep enough to adaquatly protect the property,


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

Cheryl aka JM said:


> see, thats the thing I havent decided if we will ever breed Cricket again or not~ and the only male in her litter was sold before we even bred Cricket!


I assume the reason you'd want an unrelated male is to possibly breed to Cricket again, yes? If you're not sure you want to breed again, I wouldn't purchase another male at this point. If you feel you need more LGDs on patrol, keep a pup or two and let Cricket school them. You can always sell the pups later if you change your mind, and a started guardian dog is more valuable than a green pup.

As another poster pointed out, intact females can be quarrelsome with each other, so you might want to consider having Cricket and her daughters spayed if you don't intend to breed.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

Cheryl aka JM said:


> ....wow....I DO NOT need another dog!!
> 
> BUT.....
> 
> Something took off with two of my three geese last night!! I still suspect a human something but my friend Carol has a very plausible idea that it was an animal something....an animal something BIG to take off with TWO full size MEAN geese in one night!! Now~ there was no dog in with those geese~ or in the pen next to those geese AND the electric fence was off. So....well my fault.....BUT I'm still just so MAD!!!


Re-reading the original post again... 

You didn't lose your geese because you don't have enough dogs, you lost them because the dogs weren't able to patrol that area. If you can split your two dogs up so that one can be in where the geese are, it seems that would solve your problem, unless you need two in the area they are now. In which case, I would simply let Cricket raise a pup and teach her the ropes. If you decide you want to breed, you can always go out to a stud dog--you don't necessarily need another male on the property if you don't need another dog.

Sorry you lost your geese.


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## Goatress (Feb 4, 2011)

_No I can't give up the pet dogs~ we stopped having childred and got our dogs_

LOL I hear that a lot! Grin.....whats funny is when your children start collecting dogs too!


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> How many is too many?


6 is too many..........I have 5


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I know a family who has 8adults plus all the assorted puppies that go with that. But they have over 200 sheep too.


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

Thanks all~
I think we've decided to keep one puppy. I've got three major pasture areas~ two of them border the ravine where the wild things live (technically some of that is my property too....but its got a lot of straight up and down and would take me years to figure out where exactly where my property line is and fence it~ so it's where the wild things live.) Tater and Cricket prefer to work together and do an excellent job~ so sometimes when its been a long time since I had a loss I get lazy and let both dogs be where the goats are. This time I have more excuses than just lazy me (puppies and my broken hip!) but I could have insisted tater work that pen. We moved Cricket and the puppies to that pen last night. I'm going to let the Dairy goats over there for Cricket to watch and to teach the puppies, and they will also be watching the free range poultry. Carol found more feather piles so apparently I've been losing free range hens too  I'll keep one of the puppies so we can have one dog for all three major pasture areas and even if one is down for some reason or another I can keep at least one dog in each area the borders the ravine.

And that only makes for 6 dogs.
Thats not too many.....right?


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

Goatress said:


> _No I can't give up the pet dogs~ we stopped having childred and got our dogs_
> 
> LOL I hear that a lot! Grin.....whats funny is when your children start collecting dogs too!


They haven't yet~ but they are both still in College. They do encourage us ruthlessly though! I have to admit I really wanted a puppy. But I also really wanted my geese!!


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Goatress said:


> whats funny is when your children start collecting dogs too!


And they still bring them home to you at times too! "Mom, can you take Mandy for a couple of weeks while we go to Florida?" "Mom, will you keep Teddy while we go on our honeymoon?"

I have finally had to start saying no because the LGD will kill strange dogs. So, if they stay here they end up having to be crated a lot which the kids don't like.

I just had one kid ask if we would take their dog permanently a couple of weeks ago because they think it is too hyper for the baby. I had to say "No, put it in the paper and give it away"......... "but then we won't see him ever again".......

I really don't think they have an idea of what the male GP would do to a strange dog that showed up here, especially a male dog.


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## Goatress (Feb 4, 2011)

My son just bought a male Dobe, 8 wks old, already told him he won't be able to come here, although he could kennel him in town while he comes to visit and help out a few times a year. But the risk is too great bringing him here, too many males.


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