Anyone ever heard of or own(ed)??

Madilyn · 10-17-2009, 10:01 PM

Hey everyone!
Has anyone on here ever heard of a Great Pyrenees? They are the most common of Livestock Guardian dogs for their dedication to their owners. I used to have a Pyr., but he passed away because he had an awful habit of eating rocks.

Also, has anyone ever heard of Akbash? Anatolians? Kuvasz? These are all Livestock Guardian dogs. I've had an Akbash before, but he was extremely aggressive toward us.

If any of you have ever had any of these dogs, I'd love to talk to you about them, especially if you have any questions!!

**fawkese1** · 10-17-2009, 10:12 PM

i've heard of them, my friend has a mix of one, and i've seen them working....pretty cool dogs imo, but lots and lots of socialization needed....
do you have livestock?

close2prfct · 10-17-2009, 10:43 PM

The first pic is Avalanche our Pyrenees he's 4 we've had him since he was 6 wks old. He grew up with horses & chickens so to him they are his flock lol.
The next pic is Maggie she was our Kuvaz, she grew up with goats but I did not get her till she was an adult. The owner could not keep her in and he was afraid she would get hit on the highway. Unfortunately Maggie was never socialized with people only goats. She tolerated me to some degree but after owning her for about 6 months she attacked my youngest daughter, thankfully her sister was there and she knocked her back with a board..
I know some may not agree with what I did but I had her humanely euthanized reason being I could not in good faith adopt her out through our shelter or feel safe allowing her to go to a home when she had every intention of doing great bodily harm to a child. My daughter was o.k, a nasty bite to the arm and scared half to death but otherwise o.k. It may not have turned out that way if her sister hadn't been outside with her. Both kids have grew up with dogs, they know dog safety etc. it was a totally unprovoked attack and I wasn't willing to take that chance with another child.

Madilyn · 10-24-2009, 05:53 PM

close2perfect, Maggie sounds like my Akbash, Pete. We couldn't keep him with the livestock because he was too playful and aggressive, and we couldn't keep him with us because he was far too aggressive. He attacked each family member, and definately thought he was alpha. Maggie was a beautiful Kuvasz, though!
And very cute picture of Avalanche.
Yes Fawkese, we have livestock. The different types of animals we have are Hair Sheep, goats, chickens, and rabbits. And the pets are dogs, cats, a parakeet, lizards, and I have 100+ fish (guppies and bettas), because I am a fish breeder.

Mikey · 10-24-2009, 09:57 PM

I've never owned, but there are two who frequent our dog park. They sure seem like sweet dogs.

Madilyn · 10-29-2009, 04:53 PM

Yes Mikey, they are lovely dogs.

Gitti · 10-29-2009, 06:57 PM

I had a Maremma. I got her as a puppy, and a friend of mine got her litter brother. Mine was devoted to 'her' family, but VERY protective and aggressive to strangers. I always had to think 5 steps ahead when I was out with her, as she looked so friendly and people always approached her... which she answered with aggression. Her litter brother started attacking his family and they gave him away. A little later I had to give mine back to the breeder...which was heartbreaking - but it just wasn't safe to keep her. From a litter of 8 the breeder got 4 dogs back, plus the one my friend gave to other people... I still miss the dog though. Loved her!

rubyred92 · 11-03-2009, 11:23 PM

One of my friend's had a black one.

Madilyn · 11-05-2009, 07:25 PM

A black what ruby?

expatdoggieluv3r · 11-17-2009, 08:00 AM

While I was living in Paris, an older man lived with a huge Great Pyrenees just by me. Strange, considering they're not recommended for apartment life. But, the dog was very docile, and would lie at his feet every time he sat outside at a cafe. Definitely the biggest dog on the block, but very calm! Certain breeds may have tendencies toward aggressive behavior because of what they were originally used for, but I'm sure reputable breeders these days selling their working/guard breeds as purely pets have tried to breed out the potentially aggressive personalities.

That said, I would be traumatized if my dog ever attacked my child! As much as we love our canine companions, children must come first, and a dog that attacks children unprovoked cannot safely be placed in any home (you just never know when a kid might come up to the dog and try to pet it). So, unfortunately I think euthanasia was the best solution.

I'm going to get a Romanian Mioritic Sheepdog (aka Mioritic shepherd) because they're famously gentle and good with children (even children they were not brought up with) while at the same time being loyal and fierce defenders of the family and/or flock. I have an infant boy (we'll get the puppy when he's a little older) so this is very important for me. Of course, all dogs (especially guard dogs) need socialization and should be supervised around yound children...I think it also helps to see the personalities of the sire and dam before bringing a pup home to yound kids.