The puppies are currently exposed to goats, barn cats, chickens, pigs, and farm children of all ages. When the puppies arrive at their new homes and become settled, they should be comfy and calm around all of these farm critters (as much as an LGD puppy is capable of, that is!). They will still need guidance and “shadowing” while they mature for the first several months (or more, sometimes up to 1 yr+)  so they can be lovingly but resolutely reminded and redirected in the case of chasing/ playing roughly with the creatures they’re supposed to protect. This means that they shouldn’t be left unattended with your livestock or poultry, especially in an enclosed area, without supervision. It doesn’t mean they need to be kept separate at all times until they are old enough; it’s actually best that they are kept WITH the flock as much as possible, but only while being monitored, or in a separate area where they can see and not touch the flock.

Most people wait until the two year mark before graduating puppies to “full time professional LGDs”. We tried it earlier with both of the parents (at 14 and 15 months) and they did great.

These puppies are descended from elite and ancient breeds whose sole purpose for several millennia has been to protect livestock 24/7 and sleep in the barn (or lean to) with them at night. They are not and have never been house dogs. In fact, bringing them inside at night could be detrimental to their training as a livestock guardian dog. If they’re removed from the livestock at night, the ‘bond’ necessary to engage their ancient instincts will be missing, and neither would they be able to protect the flock when predators are most active! 

If you’re worried about the cold, remember that Great Pyrenees have been bred for centuries on the cold slopes of the Pyrenees mountains; their undercoat is impervious to extremely cold temperatures – in fact they become most playful when it’s below freezing! Most places in the US will likely be warmer than the Pyrenees mountains. 

While Anatolians originated from a more temperate climate, they too are bred to withstand inclement weather. 

Heat is often more troublesome to these dogs than the cold. During the summer, provide lots of water and some place to get out of the sun.

In bygone days, shepherds fed their LGDs with organs from their livestock, eggs, stale bread soaked in raw milk, and allowed them to chew on carcass bones. Such a diet nowadays would be difficult to replicate. Instead, we are feeding the puppies free-choice high-protein kibble with an abundance of milk and eggs.

We plan on sending you home with enough puppy food to last a couple days. If you want to switch over to a different Large Breed Puppy Food (there are lots to choose from!), you can sprinkle the kibble we provide into the new food for a couple days to help your puppy slowly adjust. We recommend a brand that’s labeled “large breed puppy food” as it typically has a protein mix that will promote slower growth, which is healthier for your puppy’s hips, heart, etc. Great Pyrenees and Anatolians will often take up to 4 years to completely grow and fill out, and the food specifically for larger breeds will allow them to put on weight slowly in such a way that will help them with long term health and longevity.

When feeding your puppy, I highly recommend feeding them kibble out of your hand for a few minutes before giving them their main bowl. This teaches the puppy that the food comes from YOU, and you are the one who has complete control over the food. This is, I believe, the best way to prevent food guarding from people.

Follow the directions on the bag for how much to feed your puppy. If your dog food does not have directions, here’s a handy chart from IAMS Puppy Large Breed Food:

Your puppy will be up-to-date on Core vaccines by the time of pickup. At 6 weeks, they will have been vaccinated for distemper, hepatitis/adenovirus, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. This is a combination vaccine abbreviated as either DAPP, DHP+, DHPP, or similar. After they are brought home (unless they are still in our care), they must be given this vaccine again at 10-12 weeks, and again at 14-16 weeks to complete immunity. If you are confident in administering vaccines yourself, you can purchase this 5-way vaccine for a low price at Tractor Supply Company or Jefferspet.
The rabies vaccine must be given at 14-16 weeks, one year after, and every 3 years thereafter.

It is up to your discretion if you want to give your puppy additional vaccines.

They will be dewormed with fenbendazole (Safeguard) starting at 5 weeks and every 2 weeks thereafter until they are adopted. They must be given one additional dose 2 weeks after pickup (at 12 weeks old), while under your care. For this last dose, we will provide you with a syringe of dewormer. To administer, simply mix the contents of the syringe with a little milk, and they will lap it right up!

Darya and Huckleberry (the parents of these puppies) are interacting with children constantly, and I’ve never seen dogs more gentle or patient. In fact, the reason why my parents got into LGDs was to protect their toddlers from wild animals in Arizona. 

Keep in mind, however, that LGD puppies are still puppies; they will jump and chew like any young dog. Be prepared to keep children and the elderly safe from enthusiastic 60+ pound 7 month old puppies trying to make friends or play. Given the proper guidance, most LGDs mellow out as they mature. They are always happy to greet trusted humans and seek their affection before returning to their charges, but they shouldn’t try to give you a bear hug!

It’s often more difficult to teach rowdy children to be gentle with the dog; if you instruct your child to be gentle – e. g. no kicking, hitting, pulling, or generally hurting the dog in any way, you will be rewarded with a wonderful and loyal dog who will defend them with his life and limb. 

Keep in mind that in most homesteading circumstances, they will consider your child as one of their ‘charges’, it’s wise to make sure any visiting children do not aggressively play with your child near the LGD in case the dog misinterprets any squealing and yelling as your child being hurt, and jumps to his or her defense. Although we have never dealt with any dangerous situations regarding any children, our dogs have barked at (and terrified) guests who have not been introduced by us. A proper introduction (you petting your dog while talking to a visitor, for example) is important and triggers them put their literal “guard” down.

Similar to wolves, lions, and many other wild creatures that live in groups, LGDs will establish ‘territories’ to patrol each and every single day. Unfortunately, their chosen ‘territory’ probably won’t match your property border! Some breeds establish larger territories than others. Unfixed male dogs in particular are inclined to patrol wide areas.

Unless you have lenient neighbors or a huge property (My parents keep their Great Pyrenees on their 120+ acres without a fence, and the neighbors still catch glimpses of them!), I would recommend a good fence. We’ve had great success with electric fences, and they are relatively cheap and simple to install. If you decide to go the electric fence route, your puppy has already been trained to respect it.

These dogs are an ancient breed combination which thrive on large lots with a flock or herd to protect (livestock, poultry and/or children). Due to their size, energy, and intelligence, they will suffer in the average city environment. You’ll probably suffer too as a result of their pent-up energy! They are not apartment dogs, or postage-stamp backyard dogs. For this reason, we will only allow puppy placement with farms/homesteads. 

However, a Livestock Guardian Dog can also be an excellent Family Guardian Dog, particularly if you have a large property. In fact, that’s why my parents first got the Great Pyrenees breed in Arizona: they wanted a dog that could protect their toddlers from coyotes and javelinas (those are pig-like animals that travel in packs, and just happen to have the proportionally largest fangs of any mammal – the flesh and blood version of a R.O.U.S) and mountain lions on their 30-acre property.

Yes, they do bark, and sometimes they bark quite a lot. Livestock Guardian Dogs are primarily a predator deterrent; they protect livestock by barking at anything they smell, hear, or see that is not typically in their environment. If they silently attacked every predator that came along, they would be constantly injured (though I have no doubt that they would win in most situations). Instead, they wisely warn the predator by barking. When predators hear a dog barking, they’ll usually choose to retreat without a fight from the territory that appears to be protected by the dog. If the predator decides to ignore the barking and cross the property anyway, then the dog will confront it and attack. 

Barking is another reason why I recommend having over 10 acres for an LGD: any less than 10 acres and your dog might be barking close to your house. And due to the nocturnal nature of predators, most of that barking will likely be done at night. If you have less than 10 acres, be prepared to be lulled to sleep with intermittent barking throughout the night.

Fortunately, most Livestock Guardian Dogs do not nuisance bark at anything and everything. Depending on the personality of the dog, they usually only bark when they have a good reason to, and stop when the danger has passed. The parents of our puppies are particularly good at barking only when there is a threat. We never scold our dogs for barking, even if it seems like they are barking at nothing. We want them to bark when they see fit – when they hear things we cannot hear.

Yes, but it’s more difficult to train the dog to bond to poultry than it is to larger animals. The naturally flighty nature and small size of most poultry makes the puppy less likely to be automatically submissive as he would be to goats or sheep. 

The same training principles I outlined above still apply, but be prepared for more attention, training, and persistence than usual, and expect occasional frustrations and setbacks. These breeds have a naturally low prey drive, but young puppies (especially) need a lot of guidance to realize chickens are not play toys. Half of our LGDs have needed reminders and constant supervision around poultry for the first two years, and the other half did not need any reminders after they outgrew their puppy phase. Interestingly, some of the LGDs that needed the most guidance at first have grown to be the most gentle protective guardians of poultry. 

Opinions vary wildly on this topic. Overall, I prefer to raise one puppy at a time. While two puppies make good playmates for each other— which could potentially keep them from rough-housing with the animals— that is exactly the problem: they’re more likely to bond with each other than with the livestock.

Furthermore, it’s easier to supervise/train one puppy at a time rather than two at once.

However, if you have severe predator problems, you may want to consider getting two pups at the same time— just be prepared for a bit more attention and effort than usual.