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Re: [pyrnet] How do working LGD's cue in on predator activity

Here's the order in which our Pyr, Fluffy, uses here senses when guarding the backyard and our flock of birds.
 
1) Sound.  Anyone with a Pyr indoors knows that sounds outdoors are important to the Pyr.
2) Sight.  Fluffy always takes the high ground to survey the area.
3) Scent.  This is a closer range sense.  Used often to track were the predator has been, not where it's coming from.
 
Regardless, we can often spot the fox before Fluffy does.  We have a higher vantage point then her and a dogâs eyesight, oddly enough, is not much better than a humanâs, especially in decoding color differences.
 
Jim


--- On Tue, 3/9/10, Bea Stephens <beastephens@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Bea Stephens <beastephens@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [pyrnet] How do working LGD's cue in on predator activity
To: pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org
Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 5:12 AM

I think Arizona is keanly aware of all of her senses. She's been retired now for a couple of years and spend quite a bit of time in the house. But she still alerts to things suddenly and will go crazy until we let her out of the house. Before retirement, she would pick up on the slightest things, such as a hawk off in the distance (one of her jobs was to guard the chicken flock) - long before I ever saw it.

Bea Stephens, RN

-----Original Message-----

From:  Christine <chrissy@instant.net>
Subj:  Re: [pyrnet] How do working LGD's cue in on predator activity
Date:  Mon Mar 8, 2010 9:07 pm
Size:  1K
To:  pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org



I'm not sure where sight ranks. I read somewhere (and don't quote me on this) that *in general* a dog's vision is something like 20/75 but they have good motion vision.The stronger the smell, the greater distance it will carry. That,  along with the ability to discriminate and remember smells might equate to being able to sense things no matter how transient. I live in a semi-rural area and have noticed Kodiak picks up cues from other animals if he does not detect something on his own. However as others have mentioned with their dogs, Kodiak is usually the first dog to ever pick up on anything.



As far as friendly critters I have never been closer to a deer until I started hiking with Kodiak. It intrigues me how deer do not detect a threat and immediately scatter. If, Heaven forbid, Kodiak ever gets out of the gate my husband and I are certain we might be able to track him if we can determine the freshest deer trail.



I think our Newf developed the ability to detect almost as well as one of our Pyrs. The difference is that he did have a prey drive and occasionally would kill an armadillo or raccoon.

Christine/Kodiak





Hello,
I would like some feedback from those of you with working LGD's... specifically, do you think your dog's know a predator (coyotes and wolves) is in the vicinity before it is seen?  If so, how are they alerting to this?  Do you think it is scent? Or are they alerting to howls and vocalizations?

  Keith and Soo Weber                                           
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