Livestock guardian dog questions from a newbie

[jambi1214]

I am newer to raising sheep but have expensive dog knowledge. However, I got 2 akbash last year and although amazing in so many ways, we struggled with aggression with our pets and keeping these dogs on the property. We no longer have them. With that being said, I know I needed a LGD for my sheep as we do have coyotes. I knew a male was out of the question due to aggression. We got a Anatolian/Pyrenees/Akbash female raised.with the sheep.Raised her a bit differently in the sense she is a working dog. She was wild as a puppy so did have to separate her for a bit with lambing. But she also would get out of any fencing we had and the sheep were following. My husband wanted to get the electric fencing but I was terrified. I also was certain the dog would get out. 3 weeks later, can't thank him enough. The sheep and got have not got past the fence once. The dog got shocked one and I was at a distance to teach her and be there. She won't get near it and is now safety and happily on 5 acres with sheep I don't have to put in barn at night. Saving me cleaning work and just extra steps. My dog is happier and pasture is protected. I would suggest electric fencing to anyone with sheep and a LGD dog as they are known to be tougher to confine to smaller areas (we have 6 acres). It was also much less expensive to do then other fencing options, can be moved since we used mostly electric step in posts, and newer sheep will not learn to escape.

 

[Baymule]

That’s a happy post!

 

[Ridgetop]

While you refer to your Cane Corso as your "personal" dog, LGDs are also personal dogs. They bond to the family as much as to the flocks. The old way of thinking that you keep the LGDs in the pasture with minimal human contact so they only bond to the sheep has been disproved over the last 30-40 years. Current thinking shows that LGDs will bond to both sheep and owners equally. Most LGDs prefer being outside, not because they don't care as much for their humans, but because they prefer being outside for guarding duties. Our GDs will come inside for several hours in the evening after the sheep are put up for relaxation with the family. These are large dogs, ranging in size from 115 lbs. to 170 lbs. and are very quiet in the house. After a few hours with the family, they ask to go back out for nighttime patrol. They are so quiet in the house that if something causes them to bark, we all nearly have heart attacks! LOL

Cane Corsos are dominant dogs. I am not sure what "bite sports" are, but if your dog has been trained to bite on command, and has "severe dog reactivity" you probably should not consider an Anatolian. Anatolians - whether dogs or bitches, can be aggressive with their pack mates. Surprisingly, I have seen several Anatolian fights within our pack that left no open wounds but were surprisingly vicious. Anatolians have very thick skin and coats which protects them from a lot more damage than other breeds. However, if your Cane Corso decides to oppose a dominant Anatolian you will have a recurring problem even after the argument is concluded.

Electric fencing will keep the sheep in. You need to make sure that the ground under the electric fencing is kept clear of weeds grass brush, etc. for the current to work properly. Standard electric netting will not always keep a Pyrenees contained, since they can easily clear the 42-48" height if they choose. You can train a puppy to respect the fence and if they never find out they can jump over the fence, you will be fine. Anatolians are less likely to jump out since their stye of guarding is different from Pyrs.

Most Pyrs work by keeping an area clear of predators. Pyrs decide what that area should be. Our first 4 Pyrs decided that the open 100 acres behind our 6 acres needed protection so they would patrol that area too. Outside our fences. The only ties we could count on our Pyrs to be consistently with our goats/sheep was during kidding/lambing when they remained near the newborns for the first month. Then they returned to their normal "drive away all predators in the 100 surrounding acres" mode.

Anatolians work by keeping predators away from the flock. Anatolians remain near the sheep, patrolling the area. They will remove their sheep from a danger zone to a "safe" place and return to deal with the predator. Having chased off or killed the predator, they come back and lead the sheep back to the grazing area.

I have seen both types of behavior myself, as has my husband, and our children. Two distinct types of guarding behavior, both are effective i their own way. What you need depends on your circumstances. Do you live on a large property requiring far ranging protection? Remember that while your Pyr is acres away from the flock a predator can sneak in on the other side for a kill. If you have a lot of predators hunting and living in close proximity a far ranging Pyr may not be the right choice. Will you keep enough LGDs to provide that type of protection? Pyrs will usually get along with other pack members more amenably. Anatolians not always.

Do you live on a smaller property, with closer neighbors that will not appreciate your LGDs protecting their property as well as yours? Do you want the LGD to remain close to the flock for protection? The another breed might be better for you. This does not mean an Anatolian, there are other LGD breeds that might work better for you. Since you have a large breed dog that is aggressive to other dogs I would not recommend an Anatolian. While you might be able to order your Cane Corso to stop a attack immediately, the same will not hold true for the LGD. Anatolians will continue the fight until one dog submits. Or is dead. Thousands of years of breeding have made them this way. Their genetic code will not allow them to stop at your order.

Finally, while many people have Pyr/Anatolian crosses and it has become a popular cross for LGDs, I don't approve of it. Pyrs and Anatolians have different guarding mechanisms, and you never know what wil come out on top. A Pyr/Anatolian that remains with the sheep can be a good result of that cross. A dominant, aggressive Anatolian that roams is a danger. Breeds have become established to conform to certain behavior and training patterns over centuries in order to perform certain jobs. Cross breeding is a guessing game.