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Hi and welcome Whitney!
Great Pyrenees are quite suited for this job. A
member of our family recently went though the same situation. We found that 2
dogs were best (although 1 has done the job before) 2 because sometimes ,
depening on the amount of coyotes , one will stay with his charges in case the
other cannot stave off all of the predators.
Pyrs will protect anything they are in charge of.
or see as theirs. (cats sheep children, and in my case the laundry on the
clothes line!)
Yes Pyrs have an innate desire to roam , and
develop a perimeter of protection. However....there are seldom any limits to the
area they protect unless there is a fence defining it, and even then they are
quite adept at find a way "out ". The return part is a bit iffy, in that some
dogs who are not "pets" or have little contact with their people, usually stay
with their charges roaming with them, and only coming back for food if
needed. That being probably the most extreme situation.
My Uncle's situation was that he had a fenced area
and many coyotes and bobcats, and because Pyrs tend to be nocturnal he hoped to
sleep better knowing whatever got thru the fence had to go thru Ping and Pong (
I know, it sounds even worse hearing him yell it out from the porch...but
he said they looked like white ping pong balls going back and forth )
Many Pyrs do both (work and be remarkable pets) at
the same time, it just depends on the dog.
Some don't recommend rescue dogs be working dogs
since often times their history can be difficult to access. and finding out the
dog is not suited for the job can come at a great cost, both to the dog and the
charge....but some rescue Pyrs ARE perfectly suited since some don't like to be
pets, they want a job to do, and guarding clothes on the line or potted
geraniums just doesn't cut it!
Good luck in your search and there are many here
that are better suited than I to help guide you, but it was only 2 weeks
ago my uncle called to ask about Pyrs working and the situations are very
similar. My 2 Pyrs guard the clothes line , my neighbors birdhouse, our children
(actually the entire neighborhood)
and warn of spacesquirrels, falling leaves and the
UPS man !
Sincerely ,
Michele Donald
Calgary Alberta
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