We lost a few chickens to a teenage mountain lion a while back and decided to get a dog to protect from all the predators. After much research and consideration we chose to adopt a 5 year old male Great Pyrenees. We had fenced in a few acres of yard using 6 ft deer fencing, thinking he'd have plenty of room to roam. Well that dog can break out of just about anything! He went under, over and through our fencing, let us know about every weak spot, and eventually (after months of doing fence repairs each day) we gave up while planning our next step. During that time he became king of our valley, roaming and barking and almost getting hit by a car twice on a sharp blind corner at one end of our land. We fenced in more of our yard so he could sit on our porch, which is where he seems to want to be but he still would break out if we left. So we surrendered to an electric collar that gives him a shock when he goes under the fence. We hoped we'd only have to do it a few times, which seems to be the case.
But we want him to be happy inside the fence. He is a good protector but is pretty uninterested in the chickens. We'd like to get him a companion animal but are torn between getting a puppy (so as to raise it around chickens so they won't eat them) or some sheep. He had a dog friend at his previous home, but how do we know they will get along if we adopt a new one? Would sheep keep him company? I know a few of you here have some Great Pyrenees experience and maybe some advice.....
He also has taken on a bad habit of barking all night...not sure what to do about that.....
But we want him to be happy inside the fence. He is a good protector but is pretty uninterested in the chickens. We'd like to get him a companion animal but are torn between getting a puppy (so as to raise it around chickens so they won't eat them) or some sheep. He had a dog friend at his previous home, but how do we know they will get along if we adopt a new one? Would sheep keep him company? I know a few of you here have some Great Pyrenees experience and maybe some advice.....
He also has taken on a bad habit of barking all night...not sure what to do about that.....