If you've read some of my other posts, no doubt that you've figured out I'm an advocate of using LGDs - Livestock Guardian Dogs - to protect poultry and livestock.
We've had our Great Pyrenees, Goliath, for just over a year now, and since his arrival we have not lost a critter to predation.
As we are moving into breeding goats we've made the decision to add an LGD. Goliath is a big dog and unfortunately plays too aggressively with goat kids (we knew this when we bought him as it was the reason he was being sold), though he does just fine with adult goats.
So, with that in mind, we decided that Goliath would continue to be raised with and protect our bucks and poultry, while a new LGD would live with our does and eventually, our goat kids.
Naturally I decided that a puppy would be our best bet - one that was born and raised with goats was the ideal.
I found several in our local ad, the first being a litter of Great Pyrenees puppies. The ad said the parents were experienced livestock guards and were used for sheep. Perfect! So I contacted the owner, and after talking to him via email for awhile, found out that though the adults were used with sheep, the pups themselves were raised in the barn away from the flock because the mother was overly protective and had bitten a sheep while raising a previous litter.
Umm... no. No thanks.
Next we had a litter of Anatolian/Great Pyrenees pups. These were all male and I really wanted a female, but I contacted them anyway. After a few discussions I learned that it was pretty much the same story - momma is too aggressive when she has pups to be in with the stock.
Finally, I saw an ad for Komondor/Great Pyrenees puppies. I had to do quite a bit of reading about the Komondor since I knew very little about them. They are fairly rare dogs, and are actually classified as a sheepdog. Pure Komondors have hair that will cord and are fascinating looking dogs.
So I called the man from the ad and spoke with him at length. He had two pups currently available, and a litter of 10 that would be available the next week. He assured me that all the pups were raised with goats and that he would save me the female that was currently available.
Saturday we made the hour and a half journey to his farm. When we reached the opening for the goat field, our truck was suddenly surrounded by eight tall, lanky, curly white dogs. They hadn't barked even once, but were surrounding us and just watching. The man drove into the field and we followed, parking close behind before getting out. Each of the adult dogs approached to within a few feet and eyed us warily but didn't bark. Once we had shaken hands with their master, they slipped back amongst the trees, shrub, trailers and such to watch over their large herd of goats.
I was enthralled. Their was no doubt that these were working dogs. In fact, a goat kid came up to check us out, and before we knew it there was a dog right there. It never threatened, just watched, and when the kid had fulfilled its curiosity and ambled back to its herd mates, the dog did as well.
It took some looking to find the puppy we'd come for, but she was finally located asleep in a hollowed out tree on the edge of the goat field.
We brought her home and have named her Freya. She is leery of humans but is warming up to us. She enjoys chasing the goats - not chasing per se, but more like running to catch up with them while they are running away from her! When they stop running she lays down, and its clear she just wants to be out there with them.
I'll update the blog as we go and as she grows, but so far we are very pleased with our little gal.
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