Karakachans/livestock guardian dogs

[peepers93]

Hello! I just purchased a Karakachan livestock guardian dog to protect my goats. Curious if anyone has any tips or tricks on training a LGD? My pup is almost 12 weeks old and has grown up with both of his (currently working) parents, guarding Alpacas, goats, and chickens. So far he's doing great! I was keeping him in the barn (where he had room to play and could still see the goats) when I wasn't able to be out there with him, but he figured out how to escape the barn yesterday evening so last night and this morning he's been free to explore the pasture without me. Is that a problem, should I fix the barn so he can't get out when I'm not out there until he's older? Or just leave him to it and let him have the run of the pasture? It's a little less than an acre. We just have three dairy goats currently.

Picture of my boy just because he's beautiful and we love him!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Do you put the goats in at night?
I would keep him with the goats.

 

[BJeans]

He will chase and kill chickens. This is part of their puppyhood. Until they are 18 months, there will be fowl kills. Some will be accidental. My 20 week old has killed 3 chickens. My older girl stopped around 18 months. My GP killed until 18 months also. The pup and other dogs are Karakachans. It's inevitable.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

He's so pretty!!! So I'm assuming you don't have his parents and he is an "only dog." My opinion is that he's still very young. I'd raise him in the house for a bit longer before then securing him in the barn so that goats can get used to him. Wandering is dangerous, he's just too young to wander. My friend who raises Pyrenees LGD keeps pups in house at night until 6months, then house and barn, then barn/pasture. There is no fear that he will be hard to transition to outside because eventually he wont want to be in the house if given the choice, they're too driven to be out there. That's just my opinion and my friends process.