Will puppy guard if she just wants to be around her humans?

Hello! I have a 3 month old pyr. We adopted her to guard our farm and be a best friend to our children. She's given love all day by ourselves and our children.

She was raised with her parents who were primary LGDs and did great at this job. Since having her she's shown no interest in the farm or guarding.

I walk the perimeter with her to show her the farm. She prefers to lay on the back stoop and have fun with us. I know she's still very young, but I didn't know if there's something else I should be doing while she's young to foster the LGD in her. She is kept near the livestock when possible, but she always returns to the house.

I'm not looking for judgement, just advice! Some pyr owners told me if you spoil your pyr they won't guard livestock. We are dog lovers and can't help but love this honey, so if that's the case, she's not gonna be a great guarder of the farm :)

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Aug 25, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Pyr as guardian
by: Anonymous

Its unclear to me just what you are expecting your young dog to be doing. If the farm is a mixed farm, it would be overwhelming for a pup and so she has chosen as her herd, the young in the house. Her "guardianship" will expand as she matures.

Perhaps you do not realize that her job is also as your guardian and as a very young dog, she is happiest at the moment, guarding you and the gaggle of children.

What could be better? She is probably way more aware than you realize of all the farm inhabitants, and you are teaching her the knowledge of the boundaries of her home soil. She will appear quite relaxed, laid back even, but be assured that she is always acutely aware of potential danger to her family and her home.

Even as a youngster she would still spring into action if that is required. But it would be unfair to expect her to take on too much responsibility while she is still a baby herself.

Give her time. She needs to mature into her full guardianship. Do read the info you will find on this site re: training, and also the wonderful family stories of Frankie, guardian Pyr.

Its clear you love your Pyr and so she has as her home pure heaven: a life in the country, a comfortable shelter, and loving humans with whom she has clearly bonded. Lucky dog, lucky you.
Aug 25, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Puppy
by: Donna

You'll need to do more training. If she is always coming into the house, she won't know if she is supposed to watch over you or her flock. You can bring her in, but just to groom or for short periods as a break for her.

She won't be ready to be left alone until at least 1.5 years old. She is still a puppy who does need to play. She will also get hurt if left alone with the flock or she may hurt a flock member. She will decide those critters look like great toys.

Here is a great resource for you:

http://www.sonic.net/~cdlcruz/GPCC/
Aug 25, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Two very different roles - decide which you want.
by: Tressie

I am afraid you will have to decide whether you want her as a companion or as a working dog. Most dogs can't fill both roles concurrently well. You will end up with a confused dog who will not understand its role.

You can have a working dog who is socialized to humans but is bonded primarily with the livestock, which is what you want for a LGD.

On the other hand, you can have a companion 'house dog' who can be trained not to harm livestock, but its primary loyalty will be to its humans.

Totally unfair to the dog to expect both, which is unrealistic. So that would be the first thing you need to do, decide which role this dog will fill, and then train accordingly.

Here is an excellent resource if you opt to go the LGD way: https://www.wellsprovidence.com/training-your-great-pyrenees-puppy-to-be-a-livestock-guardian.html

But it sounds like she has already bonded to humans, it will be challenging, although not impossible to turn her around, and will require a lot of 'tough love' on your part.

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