Great Pyrenees Livestock Guardian Dogs

Reader Contribution by Troy Griepentrog
Published on December 2, 2009
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Livestock guardian dogs don’t just protect sheep and goats, they can also protect poultry. If you’re considering buying a dog to protect your flock, check out Great Pyrenees. Here’s what two owners of Great Pyrenees had to say about the dogs’ ability as livestock guardians.

Protects Anything in Her Territory

I have not shut my layer hens in the coop at night for years because our Great Pyrenees, Pearl, lives on our three acres with them. We have now added a Border Collie that keeps the squirrels up the trees and the snakes moving on. Pearl considers squirrels and snakes beneath her notice, and she taught the Border Collie not to chase hens.

Pearl was of normal adopting age, about 7 or 8 weeks, when we got her. She had been raised outdoors with parents that lived with goats and chickens — even though they didn’t have any kind of training. It took us about a year to get the three acres fenced where she lives with the goats and chickens full time. During that year, as she grew from a puppy to an adult, she came and went with me from inside our house to the chicken yard, gardens and pastures. She doesn’t care about the chickens, and wouldn’t mind if they all went away, but just because they live in her space, they’re protected. Like my other dogs, she also barks and jumps into the air if a hawk or other large bird flies too low.

Gwen Roland

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