Sucky, Sucky Day
I can't bear to type this whole story out, so long story short. Abbie got hit by a car, and we had to have her put to sleep. Just telling that much I am bawling once again. There have been a lot of tears shed here today, and more to come I'm sure.
Can anyone out there tell me if it's even possible to train a Pyrenees to stay on his property, or at least come when called?
Edited to add: Abbie was Madeline's German Shepherd pup. Ike is our Great Pyrenees, and he will bolt if given the chance and there is no recalling him. He always comes home, but on his time. We try really hard to not give him the chance, but with 3 kids in and out of doors it happens. Abbie was not one to run off herself, only when Ike did.
Madeline really wants to get another Shepherd pup, but if Ike can't be trained to "stay" or at least "come" then I'm afraid we'll have the same situation all over again. So it's either train Ike somehow, find a new home for Ike, wait until he passes on, or at least until all the kids are old enough to watch out for the dogs before we get another one. I don't think you can train out something that is just so bred into those Pyrenees, and none of the other options is sitting well with anyone. *Big Sigh*
Can anyone out there tell me if it's even possible to train a Pyrenees to stay on his property, or at least come when called?
Edited to add: Abbie was Madeline's German Shepherd pup. Ike is our Great Pyrenees, and he will bolt if given the chance and there is no recalling him. He always comes home, but on his time. We try really hard to not give him the chance, but with 3 kids in and out of doors it happens. Abbie was not one to run off herself, only when Ike did.
Madeline really wants to get another Shepherd pup, but if Ike can't be trained to "stay" or at least "come" then I'm afraid we'll have the same situation all over again. So it's either train Ike somehow, find a new home for Ike, wait until he passes on, or at least until all the kids are old enough to watch out for the dogs before we get another one. I don't think you can train out something that is just so bred into those Pyrenees, and none of the other options is sitting well with anyone. *Big Sigh*
posted by sugarcreekfarm at Sunday, January 08, 2006
12 Comments:
Oh no... so sorry to hear that. Sending you all a bunch of big hugs.
I think it's just in the nature of Pyrs to wander. Only the fence keeps Jasmine in. And even then she will find a way through if there is one. She will come when called, but only if she feels like it.
If she is chasing cows or vultures or something, there is no calling her. It's like she's deaf.
Oh, I am so sorry to hear about Abbie. It's so hard to lose a family member like that...{{hugs}} to you & your family
Sorry to hear about the loss. My friend Kipp recently had to put their new pup to sleep- the pup wandered off one day and came home with a badly broken leg.
Not sure if invisible fencing would work on the front yard of a farmhouse, but only idea I can think of.
I am so sorry about Abbie. I'm thinking of all of you.
We're so sorry to hear about Abby! Once Buster is out, he won't come back until he is good and ready either. Love to the kids.
Kelli, I am SO sorry to hear about that cute little pup Abbie! Here is a websight that I visit daily now since I lost my cat PJ in August, I really need it most days. www.petloss.com.
Best of luck with your decision on a new pup.
So sorry to hear about Abbie ... she was such a sweetie!
Sorry to hear about your dog..
I'm so sorry that you've lost the precious girl. I worry so much about my teeny dog darting out the door.
Oh Kelli, I am SO sorry to hear about Abbie... I can't even imagine how devastated you must be. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and the kids.
There is hope, though.
All dogs can be trained to a consistent recall -- but it takes a lot of time and a lot of consistency. I would say that it took at least a couple of years before I was fully confident with any of my three... and honestly -- around the house here I still keep Liberty on a lead when we even go to the car, because I am not 100% confident that she won't bolt (and Liberty is 10!). For some odd reason she's great with a recall in the forest preserve or in the dog park -- but in the neighborhood she's like a runaway bandit!
It takes a ton of time and patience and consistency -- but you and the kids can do it if you set your minds to it. Abbie was just so young. But before you decide to get another puppy, you might want to sit down with the kids and talk about what it is really going to take in terms of time and energy and patience to make it work right. It's going to take months and months and months of consistent training. And that's tough news to swallow, I know. Especially for kids. It would be great if dogs came pre-trained -- but they don't. We are responsible for that. And it's a huge responsibility and a ton of work. I am sure that you were working with Abbie -- but I also know that it's really easy to think that they're more ready for their freedom than they might really be.
I don't think I'd get rid of your other dog because she wanders -- what I think I'd try to do first (and this is just me) is to either set up some kind of tethering system if you want to keep her outside but 100% safe, or keeping her tethered to you (it's an interesting training technique that I've used -- I can tell you more if you want to email me).
She's such a big part of your family -- and I think it would be devastating to have to let her go. But what dogs can learn is that they earn their freedom. And I just read a big article about how it's never too late to work on training a dog. So maybe a little remedial recall work is called for -- but I wouldn't let her go.
I don't know if I've been more help or harm -- but I hope that you know that all of this is offered with the greatest love and respect for that canine/human bond. And with a huge cyber-hug for everyone in your family.
We have a smaller property (about 2.5 acres) and use Radio Fence (the stronger collar) on our labradors. It works great. Our first lab would take off around the neighborhood all the time before we put in the system. Very sorry for your loss.
I've owned 6 Great Pyrenees as they're one of my favorite breeds. Yes, they can be trained on commands...don't give up! If you're not using them for guarding livestock, they will learn to guard (i.e stay) w/ you and be more receptive to following commands. However, this training is critical while they are young and you've got to be willing to spend time w/ him while he's outside to help him learn his boundaries.
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