My Livestock Guardian Dog Protected Her Territory

Every morning we get up, get dressed and get out to walk.

Most mornings Kiah will circle the pond, check the woods, and get a good overall sense of the conditions by sniffing here and there. Generally, it’s pretty mundane.

Because we have been following this routine for several months, she usually goes ahead of me, running down to the building, and I follow at a more leisurely pace. Then I sit on the porch and wait for her to finish her ritual and come collect me, then we walk back up to the house together.

Intruder Alert

This morning I was just nicely starting down the drive when I hear dog barking I don’t recognize.

Two black dogs come out from the woods heading across the dam and Kiah is running to intercept them. What the hell.

I’m too far away to be much help physically and there is no way I can catch up to her in time.

Visions of vet visits dance through my head.

My mind is racing at this point, two against one is unfair odds and even though I trust my Livestock Guardian Dog totally, we’ve never faced something like this before and I’m not sure what her exact reaction will be.

Perfect Instincts

The only thing I can do is yell at the intruding dogs to try to scare them off. I lower my pitch and increase my volume and start yelling. I’m moving around the end of the building and have yet to get a good view of what’s going on. I take comfort in the fact that at least I don’t hear an all-out dogfight.

By the time I round the corner of the building, Kiah has the two dogs moving toward the corner of the property while she stays at the foot of the dam. (Good girl!)

As she sees me coming up on the porch, she moves forward to drive them farther along.

There is a slight dip in the landscape and from where I’m watching it looks like the two dogs are holding their ground just over the lip of this hollow.

I whistle for Kiah to return to me and as she turns away from the dogs, they start running toward her! Again I yell for them to “get outta here”. Kiah turns back toward the dogs as she hears me yell and again moves them toward the edge of the property.

This happens about three times before the dogs give up and leave, exiting through the woods at the far corner from where they entered.

The Beauty of A Livestock Guardian Dog’s Instincts

This was amazing to watch.

Kiah never engaged with the dogs, only barked them off the property. Not a single drop of blood was shed.

I don’t think she would have been happy had I tried to approach the intruding dogs. It was suggested that I carry a large stick with me during our morning walks but I don’t believe that Kiah would let me get close enough to effectively swing a stick in defense. Every time I have moved toward her when she was “guarding” she has moved further away.

Thinking that through it makes perfect sense. She is supposed to be protecting me so having me running into the thick of things just makes it more difficult for her to do her job.

Kiah is smart enough to know that when I began yelling again, she should check her flank. Each time I yelled, she spun around and faced the oncoming dog who then turned around and started to leave again. Three times this happened and three times she turned. She had already located me and knew where I was. I wonder if she knew I had the high-ground advantage and it was safe for her to turn her back to get to where I was.

She didn’t come right back to where I was either. After she was sure they had left, and yes, she watched them go without giving further chase, she checked the dam and the woods where they had entered, giving it a good sniff to make sure everything was okay.

Once satisfied, she came over to collect me and we walked back up to the house as usual.

A Possible Payback To The Dogs And Their Potential Owners

I didn’t mention that as I approached the building there was a definite odor of skunk in the air. Hopefully, one or both of the dogs got sprayed and they will be taking that back home with them. Normally I wouldn’t wish skunk on someone, but really people, keep your dogs on your own property.

What’s Going Through My Worried Thoughts Now

Before I had Kiah in a one-acre fenced yard and anything that wished to challenge her had to climb a fence to get to her. At least it offered some protection.

With an open field like we have now, I wonder how in the world I would challenge an actual predator. The neighbors have cattle and have lost a calf here and there to coyotes.

We don’t keep prey animals so, fingers crossed, coyotes won’t be a problem. The good news is her behavior indicates that she won’t give chase. That’s the biggest risk factor as coyotes will lure a single dog away and toward their pack. The results can be devastating.

Kiah is an indoor, semi-non-working Livestock Guardian Dog and I don’t want to put her at risk. She has been by my side for over 5 years and as each year passes she impresses me more and more.

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Great Pyrenees: A Dog Barking Machine!

You bought a Great Pyrenees probably because you saw something cute and fluffy like this:

And now, six months later, you’re lying awake listening to the deep resonate barking coming from your backyard and wondering what you did.

What Your Great Pyrenees Research Should Have Told You

The number one complaint about the Great Pyrenees is their constant, sometimes non-stop, barking. Other common complaints are:

• A predilection to roam the neighborhood without your consent.
• Their insistence on digging a world-record-size hole, usually managing several attempts at the record simultaneously.
• A need to chew on everything as puppies.
• Their deep-seated stubbornness, which is actually independence, but most often seen as either stubborn or outright dumb.

Let’s deal with the barking, though, OK?

Why is my dog barking non-stop at everything?!

So, you’ve joined a Facebook group to try to get some more information about your Great Pyrenees. That’s wonderful, there’s a lot of active informative groups dedicated to the behaviors and idiosyncrasies of this breed. Reading down through you see a lot of humorous comments like “They’re barking because that leaf looks sketchy”, or “My pyr is barking, probably because a gnat farted.” While funny, on the whole, these comments are not true. A Great Pyrenees almost always has a reason for their barking. I will grant that you may have no earthly idea what that reason is, but there is one.

OK, so what are they barking at?

The more you study the behavior of the Great Pyrenees, the more you will understand, and hopefully, appreciate, the service they give you.

Your dog is part of the Livestock Guardian Dog breed or LGD for short. It is their mission in life to keep the charges they are bonded to safe. Regardless of whether this is chickens, sheep, goats, or you and your family, they will defend what they consider theirs.

Their line of defense has several stages. The first thing my pyr does after the sun sets and darkness falls over her yard is to bark a warning to anything listening that she is on duty and defending her property. As with all good rituals, this has to be performed to all four cardinal points to be inclusive to the entirety of nature itself.

She is extremely aware of her surroundings and if anything is out of place or different, she will sound a warning bark. Basically, she wants me to know that the neighbor has their flood light on and it wasn’t before. Maybe she sees a movement and wants me to know something is out there. Sometimes she will hear a siren or other noise pitched way out of my range and will let me know she something is going on really far away but that she’s on it.

Can I do something to make her quit barking?

In these situations, I can generally acknowledge and thank her and she will stop, satisfied that she has done her best by me. Other times, especially with movement that I can’t see, she will continue to bark a warning to convince whatever it is to stay on their side of our fence.

This isn’t always effective, but more times than not it will satisfy her enough to come back in the house. The problem is that she is the sole assessor of threat level and if she deems that additional deterrent is needed, no amount of cajoling will make her stop.

I should warn you, I am totally against shock, spray, and e-collars as I believe they could damage the sweet, co-operative temperament of these dogs. It’s a little like being told to shut-up every time you speak. Barking is the dog’s communication. They are trying to warn you of a perceived threat.

So is there a solution to dog barking?

In the case of a Great Pyrenees, probably not a good one. Let’s think this through just a minute though, OK? If the dog hears something and warns you ahead of time, that’s a good thing, right? Your dog is barking to protect you and your home.

There Was That One Time…

Knowing that my Pyrenees would bark at anything new in her environment, I went to introduce myself to my new neighbors and explain why my dog barks so much.

It went well, she barked at all of them like crazy running up and down the fence apparently hoping to impress me with her diligence.

I went to follow up about a month later. My neighbor tells me that my dog barked so much one night that it got her dog to barking. (Uh-oh) Unable to quiet her dog from the house, she went out to check on him. As she was strolling across the yard she saw her young child at the edge of her yard near the tree-line.

My pyr knew something was out of place and barked until it was corrected. Good Dog!

So What Can I Do About My Great Pyrenees’s Non-Stop Barking

Honestly, why do you want to?

This is what they do.

Over the years humans have bred dogs to perform specific tasks. Herding, hunting, retrieving, and protection are just a few of the jobs we give to our dogs.

The Great Pyrenees is a member of the Livestock Guard Dog breed and has been tasked with guarding and protecting livestock for over 3000 years. Asking them to change all that over a week-end is futile.

I will tell you, though, after I have checked and re-checked, praised and petted, and she is still barking non-stop, I occasionally bring her into the house to quiet her down.

But really, I don’t want her to stop barking. She is being true to her lineage, her heritage, and she is making sure my small piece of land is well protected from any and all threats. And she takes her job very seriously.

My Nocturnal Peace of Mind

Left to her own preferences, which is what she prefers, Kiah will start the evening, just after dark, barking a warning to anything within the range of her voice. Generally, she will remain near the house as I don’t have actual livestock, barking toward the empty field that is just outside my fence.

This continues as long as there are lights on in the house. If I stay up until 3 a.m. she will she will be outside barking. She’s out there now, telling the neighborhood that she’s on duty. I love it.

I love the soft growl in the middle of the night that tells me she might hear something. I love the attention I get from her. And yes, I love the barking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Does Your Dog Sleep With You? Mine Does And I’ll Tell You Why!

OK, so this is Kiah and she’s a big ‘ol bundle of love. Really. She weighs in at just over 100 pounds, towers a good six inches above my Golden Retriever and insists on draping that tiny frame over any non-moving living thing in the house…usually me or Emi (the Golden). She also sleeps every night right next to me.

Since I’m single it’s not a problem, actually more of a comfort. She sleeps on the pillow, back to back with me and she stays there until I get up in the morning. I wondered why this was, if she was just spoiled (yes she is) or if there was a tangible reason behind it. I think I have figured it out.

She does always start back to back, but regardless of where in the bed she sleeps, she is always touching me somewhere. Since she is genetically pre-disposed to guard her flock, especially at night, I believe that is exactly what she is doing. I do have chickens but they were a late addition, well after she had bonded to me and to Emi. She has no interest at all in protecting the chickens through the night.

My girl knows where she’s needed. I can’t tell you what a comfort a large, on guard, dog provides. Let’s face it, we’re pretty defenseless as we sleep. Not me, I am well watched over. I think she maintains contact with my physically so that she can constantly be aware of where I am. I can even get up during the night, as long as I don’t say anything to her, and she will stay on the bed and wait for me to return.

Kiah is a Great Pyrenees and is genetically pre-disposed to bond and guard her charges. Usually, (for normal people) this would be a flock or herd. The Great Pyrenees will remain with the animals and watch over them. Generally working in small groups, the dogs will have specific tasks. Some will take a perimeter watch as others stay with the flock to protect the older members and the newborns.

The stories around these dogs are amazing. They will take on bear, coyote, wolf, stray dogs, or any threat to their charges. While I don’t anticipate a bear making it’s way into my house and up to my bedroom, the quiet growl I hear occasionally let’s me know that nothing is outside of her notice.

We work well as a team. At home she is in charge of defense. When we walk on property near our house, but away from home, she defers to me as to what she needs to do. Never does she get out of eye-sight and most of the time she is within 10 feet of me. She will go explore if necessary, but returns to check that I’m still OK.

As an example of how well she works with me, we were walking our path when off to the right I saw three deer in the wood line. Most pyr owners will tell you that an off-leash pyr is a dis-a-pyr and you will spend hours riding around trying to locate your MIA dog. Understandably I was a little nervous that she would run after the deer and possibly into a road. She spotted them a few seconds after I did and took off. I could see her running after them along the tree line. I stopped, clapped my hands to get her attention and started whistling to her. She chased them well away from me, about 500 yards, turned and came back to me.

She is my protector and I am her flock.

 

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Dog Attack – Who’s Fault Was It?

Recently my Facebook feed has been filled with cries of help to keep a Great Pyrenees that had allegedly attacked a child. There are passionate arguments on both sides, but maybe we should explore not only the instance but our relationship with dogs in general.

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