Dogs can help ranchers and predators co-exist? Watch this video and learn how it works! Ranchers who struggle to coexist with large predators are finding new hope in old dog breeds. While these Old World livestock guardian dog breeds have successfully defended livestock from predators for thousands of years in Europe and Asia, they remain relatively unknown in the American West. Explore how they work for one family, and what it means for the maintenance of large predators, like the wolf, on the landscape.
The Great Pyrenees is a large, thickly coated, and immensely powerful working dog bred to deter sheep-stealing wolves and other predators on snowy mountaintops. Pyrs today are mellow companions and vigilant guardians of home and family.
Frequently described as “majestic,” Great Pyrenees are big, immensely strong mountain dogs standing as high as 32 inches at the shoulder and often tipping the scales at more than 100 pounds. These steadfast guardians usually exhibit a Zen-like calm, but they can quickly spring into action and move with grace and speed to meet a threat. The lush weatherproof coat is all white, or white with markings of beautiful shades of gray, tan, reddish-brown, or badger.
The sheep-guarding Great Pyrenees originated in the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural border between France and Spain. He’s known by different names: Great Pyrenees in the United States and Canada, the Pyrenean Mountain Dog in the United Kingdom and most of Europe.
His ancestry is believed to date back ten to eleven thousand years to dogs who originated in Asia Minor. His ancestors are thought to have come to the Pyrenees Mountains sometime around 3000 B.C. There the breed was developed to create a dog who would aid shepherds.
At first, the Great Pyrenees was considered to be a dog owned by peasants. But in 1675, the Dauphin in the court of King Louis XIV declared that the Great Pyrenees was the Royal Dog of France. This prompted the French nobility to acquire Great Pyrenees and use them to guard estates.
The first Great Pyrenees to be imported to North America went to Newfoundland, Canada. There the breed is attributed with creating the Landseer Newfoundlands, after crossbreedings between the Great Pyrenees and the Newfoundland.
Throughout the 1800s, the breed gained popularity throughout England, Europe, and the United States. He was introduced into the St. Bernard’s breeding program in Switzerland in an effort to reestablish the numbers of dogs at the famous hospice where the St. Bernard originated. In the Pyr’s homeland, however, the breed began to deteriorate due to unscrupulous breeding practices.
The two World Wars took a toll on all dog breeding; luckily several Great Pyrenees were imported to the United States before the European continent was effectively closed due to World War II. After the war, breeders began efforts to restore the breed to its former glory, and today the Great Pyrenees is a much-loved and admired dog.
Videos
Let’s spend 24 hours watching my livestock guardian dog, Toby. Our guard dog watches over our ducks, geese, chicken. This video shows an LGD working directly with poultry
On the pastures of Apricot Lane Farms, a flock of sheep roams the land. As the adults graze and the lambs frolic, another creature keeps a watchful eye over the contented group. Meet “the guardians.”The Great Pyrenees almost blend in with the sheep they protect, but the dogs’ instinct to keep their flock safe clearly stands out. In this Super Soul Short by filmmaker John Chester, he offers a glimpse into the dynamic relationship among his farm’s animals
Basics of raising guardian puppies. Guardian dog puppies are a great asset to a farm that needs predator protection. For more grazing tips, check out my books on our website: greenpasturesfarm.net.
Guardian puppies love living with their sheep flock. By starting our guardian puppies with daily sheep exposure, paddock moves, electric fencing and learning how to eat from guardian dog sheep proof feeders, these pups have a great start in life. Pups need to learn to travel the terrain and find the natural water sources within the paddock. Check out my books for more grazing tips for your farm on our website: https://greenpasturesfarm.net/books/
Highly attuned to their partnership with man, livestock herding and guardian dogs are powerful and essential forces in the balance of nature and predation for today’s Wyoming rancher. Farm to Fork Wyoming is back with a new episode centered around the life of a working dog.
From ducks and lambs to chickens and alpacas, Virginia farmers turn to livestock guardian dogs to protect their animals and their livelihood.
Both the MASSIVE Caucasian Shepherd or Ovcharka and The Great Pyrenees or Pyrenean Mountain dog are famous for their HUGE SIZE and ferocity while working. Both defend flocks of sheep from WOLVES and BEARS…..but which one is the ultimate flock guardian and the most powerful? Anneka revisits the UK’s largest Caucasian Shepherd Maximus and one of the largest male Pyrenean Mountain Dogs Jacko and examines size, weight, ferocity, niceness to strangers, trainability and the ability to be dangerous to both humans and animals. Anneka also revisits the question to whether either of these breeds can kill a wolf or bear or is it all tales and fables….
Our Great Pyrenees puppy dog , 8 months old meeting our new sheep for he first time. He behaved beautifully.
Today I’m talking about my opinion of the Great Pyrenees Livestock Guardian Dog. I’m no expert on the breed, but I’ve seen quite a few and I’m really fond of their personality, physical characteristics, and disposition. Obedience Training a Great Pyrenees puppy requires a proper understanding of the dogs behavioral tendencies, patience, consistency, and most importantly, persistence. If one takes into account the origins of the breed and the subsequent behavioral conformation, proper obedience training is simply a matter of setting appropriate goals and putting in a little bit of extra work!
Anneka meets one of the largest flock guardians in the world – The Pyrenean Mountain Dog or the Great Pyrenees. This giant mastiff runs at hikers to defend his flock, as well as chases off wolves and bears. But what is he like as a pet and inside the home? – We will tell you everything you need to know. We visit top Pyrenean expert Sandie of Kricarno Pyreneans and Anneka gets to be squashed by a 64KG (141lb) male dog and find out if these working dogs can be kept as loving companions… Kricarno Pyrenean Mountain Dogs: http://www.kricarnopyreneans.co.uk/
This is a video about the dog breed Pyrenean Mountain Dogs, from the www.naturallyhappydogs.com website.
