The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Breeds of your farm dogs.

12K views 43 replies 31 participants last post by  mct97 
#1 ·
I am considering an anatolian shepherd, a livestock guardian dog, to patrol the perimeter of my lot and protect my horses..(mostly from 2 legged predators)I do not live on the property and have heard about horses being stolen or let loose or whatever.

Anyone have an anatolian or pyrenees?

Tell me about your farm dogs..pics too
 
#29 ·
@ DraftyAiresMum. We had a Shephard/St. Bernard mix that looked exactly like your Cash. She was the smartest bestest dog we ever had. We lost Izzabelle many years ago and I still miss her so much. Best dog ever.
 
#30 ·
I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. :) He is amazing with kids, small animals, and my horses! (and the neighbor's cows... :) ) Ridgebacks are very protective over their families, and will jump between you and anything if they think that they are in danger... My boy jumped in between me and the neighbor's stallion when I was out riding and the stud got loose... but, unless he feels like I'm in danger, he wouldn't hurt a fly. When there's have an 80 pound dog sitting on the porch staring at you, I guarantee you won't want to get any closer! lol I don't have pictures of him right now, but I'll post pictures later!! :D
 
#31 ·
My mom has Karakachans, which are a Bulgarian Livestock dog. They live at the barn with free access to all the fields the animals that they protect are in. They have never seen the inside of a house and are fully and completely content, but it is important that they have a companion or two with them. Since having them they haven't had one animal incident on the farm with predators, unfortunately though they live inside a 50 acre farm away from the road so I can't tell you how they do with strangers coming on the property. Because they just don't have access to that part of the farm, however I don't doubt they'd be protective of anything coming on the property that doesn't belong, and these are some big dogs!

With that all said I don't have any issue with my kids being around them, they are very friendly to family except are untrained in the social aspect so they tend to play rough, pushing the kids and such out of nothing but pure happiness! lol





 
#32 ·
My best protector dog is my big mutt mix Basil. He went from city life to the farm & no live stock to gobbs of live stock. He has never offered to hurt any of my goats, horses or chickens. He even plays with my horses & lets the goats sleep with him. Then I have a boarder collie Whinny who wants to protect & herd but was taught to stay away from live stock her 1st 9 years of life so she is figuring it out right now. She stays glued to either the goats or horses, watches them & will go after the neighbors dogs id they come too close. My last dog is a dashund Jackson. He is spunky and helps keep other animals off our property. Then there is our cat that thinks she is one of the dogs, Ms. Kitty. She is our hunter & protector. She shares her kills with the dogs & now we no longer have a gofer or mole problem! Sadly we also have no squirrels but my horses won't break their legs falling into a deep hole so its acceptable.
I love all our animals and each one has their own job....lol.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#33 ·
I have a Pyrenees who is only 5 months old and is one of the best protectors I have ever seen. He was weary of the horses at first but now he has no problem being around them and he has no problem chasing ANYTHING out of their pastures that do not belong there. I agree with what others have posted, they are very loving dogs IF they know you. If they don't know you be prepared for lots of barking and growling. My boy is not fond of people coming onto our property which to me is a good thing but can also be bad if we have company coming over. He eventually warms up to the people but is very guarded until we let him know they are okay. I will have to post some pictures in a minute as I do not have any on this computer at this time.
 
#36 ·
They breed dogs specifically for the purpose of living with the livestock and guarding the livestock. Some of these breeds include the Pyrenese (sp) and the Bernese Mountain Dog... If they are left in the pen and raised with the animals they are meant to protect, they will bond with those animals and protect them. Obviously good socialization is also a must, so they are respectful of their people as well.
 
#39 ·
Well, I would not advise a herding type dog if you expect them to behave when left there alone. We breed and raise border collies and if one of them is left untied, they will spend every waking moment trying to herd the horses. If the neighbor happens to have cattle, these dogs will run them through the fence to herd them into our yard.
 
#40 ·
I have so enjoyed reading about everyone's farm dogs.. I am leaning towards a livestock guardian dog, either an anatolian or pyrennees. If I can not find a "working dog" then I will probably get a german shepherd as that is my daughter's choice.
I am sending my request out to the universe, lets see which breed shows up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top