This film shows to the tourists how to react on the mountain pastures in front of the guardian dogs. To facilitate the work of the dogs, the particular status of the dogs should be respected and some rules of behavior should be accepted.
I live in a residential area in a city and someone has one of those dogs as a pet, it got loose and was guarding, if my pregnant wife walking by didn't act calm this way she could have been killed, worth knowing.
@@CoIoneIPanic I see that you haven't met one of them. Try a rock or a stick and the rest of the pack will come running and they'll show you why you should've walked away. These dogs fight wolfs and bears, you think a rock or a stick will scare them?
A friend of my father is a passionate biker (motorcycle), in his younger years he used to do tours all over Europe. He once told me about a trip from southern Germany to Barcelona. He was on that tour with a couple of friends, and when they passed over the Pyrenees they made a stop on a mountain pass at a small parking bay just at the side of the road. There was a herd of sheep nearby, and one of the guys went a few feet away from the group to have a pee. He was then about 50m away from the sheep, as my fathers friend told me. This was the moment when two big livestock guardian dogs popped out of the herd and rushed towards the guy standing there with his Wiener in his hands. The guy turned around and ran towards the group of bikers while he was still "doing what he had to do". Gladly the dogs didn't approach or follow him any further, they just wanted him off their turf :-D
Isabella Aguiar l-/ same for me but at least I know now what I should do. My wife wants us to go to this country and hey who knows we may come across this situation...
Isabella Aguiar l-/ cause your a tool being operated by a super clever company that’s brain washing you 👍 And you will never know signed Google the future enslaver of the planet.
Yep! Anyone who would think otherwise doesn't understand genetics. Doesn't understand dogs were created for purposes. It's a natural want for them. My neighbors have Akbash you couldn't get them in the house if you tried. I've watched them bolt out the backdoor to go be with their chickens and ducks.
And dogs themselves are one of the earliest human genetic engineering successes nature isn’t natural and technology is natural. People tend to forget that humans are also nature if we were a normal animal people would care that we eradicate species as this happens in nature too but because we can think it’s all a big problem now. Nature is change and while I agree that we need to protect our environment and ecosystems there are boundaries if an animal endangers us it will be removed where is the difference between eradicating illnesses or pests and if an animal endangers us it has become a pest. Of course the specific situation here is much different as Wolfes mostly fear humans. Though this wasn’t always the case and especially in the 17th century there were many reports of wolf attacks I would argue that our hunt of wolves and their eradication from much of Europe was the cause making them afraid of humans but now the wolves become bolder. So the question is what to do.
I've only come across a sheepherding dog once while hiking, he was super friendly and chill. When were hiking back along the trail, the sheep broke through the fence and he was herding them back in like a good boy.
1. Pet the dog. 2. If the dog begins to gnaw off your appendage, continue to pet them for being such a good boy. 3. Using remaining hand, give it a treat.
the very moment you start to approach the dog will consider you as a threat and then you'll be it's treat. slowly back off, and here i mean back off without turning your back to the dog 'cause you never know what kind of a dog you have to do with. _give it a treat_ lol as if you have dog treat's with you....
Tip: a dog wagging its tail doesn't mean it's friendly, or that's necessarily happy, only that it's excited and/or agitated. Which could be bad, if it's a violent dog.
All fun and games until the suit gets stuck and you can’t take it off, so the guardian dog won’t let you leave the flock. You won’t be free until the farmer tries to sheer you.
That works a lot of times but here's a tip from personal experience if a bear attacks you make weird noises rather than running like a human. Cause let's be real a sheep running on two legs is one of the tastiest snack for a bear.
Yeah it's very helpful. I think I'd more rather see areas of wolves and bears though. If you run into a guardian dog, just walk away, you're not going to get harmed. If you run into a pack of wolves, things might get a bit more scary.
@@fredrikbystrom7380 Thanks for stating the obvious but, You obviously never ran into shepherd dogs in Turkey and alike.. They are vicious dogs that can take on wolves one on one. Hence my comment.. Wolves and bears are definitely not the subject of this video or my comment.
@@fredrikbystrom7380 wolfs have an instinctive respect for humans and would rather keep their distance than attack even when in a large pack. bears are naturaly shy towards confrontations and are easily scared off. a guard dog on the other hand will never back off or avoid confronting you to the death if youre on its turf.
A livestock guardian dog comes up to a cyclist barking. Oh know the cyclist thinks my biking trip ruined. Then the cyclist remembers he is in switzerland and the dog barking in a neutral manner.
Honestly, livestock dogs will always look more dangerous to me than any "traditionally scary" breed could ever do. Once me and my father were out in the woods with our dogs (I live in a small town in the Alps) and all of a sudden we found ourselves surrounded by a pack of livestock dogs, two border collies and four maremmani (they look like golden retrievers but bigger and way less friendly).Where we live it's not unusual to see herds of sheep chilling in the fields around our town, so we know how to behave around guardian dogs, but that time there were no other animals in sight and we were basically right next to a river shore, far away from the areas where they're usually found. The dogs were clearly not well kept and really aggressive (luckily we had put ours on a leash as soon as we saw the first one coming out) and they started to launch themselves at us with clear intention to bite. At that point we couldn't really run away so we grabbed a couple sticks and backed away slowly while making ourselves look as big and menacing as possible, shouting every time one got too close, trying to get the fuck out of there as soon as possible. One of the scariest moments of my life. We later learned, by talking with people that lived in the area, that the pack had tried to attack other people and had been wandering around without an owner or livestock for some time. We, as well as many others, informed local law enforcement of the situation but I have no idea of what happened to them after that. Very weird situation. Over here we know that sometimes especially older hunters/shepherds still have the disgusting habit of abandoning their "working dog" as soon as it gets too old to do the job but this was a very large pack of young healthy dogs and I swear they were out for the kill, they would have seriously hurt us had we not been quick enough to reach the road. Still have no idea what was up with them.
Sounds like a movie where there's a prologue about a young family tragically killed after they find their barn in the property they just bought is full of dogs. They end up dying from a bear attack and a few dogs die as well. The dogs without a master return to a feral state and roam to survive. They're told the dogs need to be put down but this old Clint Eastwood says he's never had to put down a dog and that's humans giving up on them because they're lazy . Cause hes this old country guy who is a dog whisperer. But he's older and has no flock anymore in his retirement. Just like a blind dog that's also old. And they take the dogs out to his farm after live capturing them. He buys a flock of sheep and gets to work. Especially with the dog that was previously injured and scarred by the bear who is most skeptical, stubborn and aggressive. And he works with them a lot, getting bit a few times and such. And the old dog works with him to whip them them into shape and they're now a pack of good doggos. The old man loses his dog to a wolf while protecting a sheep with a newborn lamb. The old man later dies as well leaving the pack and flock alone, supposing they revert back to normal once they again have no master. But years later a local guide is going through the same general area of the farm and they hear barking in the distance. The tourists then are concerned about a possible confrontation with the dogs. The guide informs and what they're hearing is the "Ghost pack" where an old man once had this crazy idea of taking feral LGD and giving them purpose again. This is that pack. They grow even more concerned but the guide interrupts and tells them they're in no danger because even after the old man died they continue to protect a flock of sheep and generations later they still do, sustaining a sustained population of dogs and sheep and never again having attacked a person again, just loyally guarding the flock. They roam the mountains with this flock now, even masterless. The dogs are rarely ever seen and recent sightings have stopped years back, only barks sounding from the forests and mountains. Some say they have since passed away from natural causes, the ghosts of the dogs barking as if to continue their work in the afterlife, never forgetting the second chance given to them. Cut scene to the flock and sheep living happily. Then to where the old man buried his dog, the collar hanging on a cross to mark the grave. Then to the post on the old man's porch where he cut a notch for every dog he ever fully trained , about 15 of them newer than the others but still somewhat faded with time. The end
@@zanguusu Probably not. Still, when you find yourself in the middle of fucking nowhere surrounded by a bunch of growling polar bears I guarantee you that a pit bull is gonna look about as dangerous as a Labrador puppy 😂😅
My first thought is that these dogs were somehow abandoned, even if that's bc the owner died, and formed a pack. Packs of stray dogs can be really dangerous. In areas where stray dogs are common, the behaviors of the dogs will be monitored to make sure they don't form too strong a pack and if they do, people will break up the pack so as to prevent harm to humans. When my sister was in medical school in Dominica, she received an urgent message from her school like one would receive a weather alert notifying her that a pack of dogs was forming and how to keep safe. Stray dogs themselves were everywhere and of no concern. It was the packs.
My parents have owned Kuvasz dogs for 21 years and they were both so protective of the garden. One time someone wanted to enter by stepping over the fence and their dog immediately chased them away. They're so big and guarding, but also super sweet, friendly, reliable and independent. Unlike many people think, they are like any other dog and can live in a relatively small house, as long as you know how to take proper care of them. The reason I say this is because I often see these type of dogs end up in a shelter and are only given away to people with huge plots of land, thinking that'll be best for them, but anything is good for them when they have a good owner who understands them.
Good to put this out there. A lot of people would either run off panic stricken, or keep approaching and try to befriend the dog. Either way could lead to a bite.
Almost all dogs work in this manner if they are given something to protect; but very few dogs will attack people unless provoked. I've always managed encounters this way and have never had an issue. This is just good advice.
@@BakjeLeip Yeah. A FRIENDLY FACE. Tell me, what do you, as a human being, consider a friendly face? A smile, with teeth showing? To nearly all animals that is a sign of aggression and will most of the time result in violence.
Imagine the conversation 10.000 years ago: A: "Our sheep are attacked by those terrifying predators, what can we do?" B: "Hm, i think we could train some of the terrifying predators to protect the sheep against the other terrifying predators." A: "..."
Imagine conversation in 10000 years: A: I've heard that humans used to rule the world years ago and the sheeps used to listen to them. B: yea i know but right now sheeps rule everything, thanks to the predators protecting them forever. C: No predator ever got close to the flock for a thousand years now. Sheeps are unbeatable.
@@swedneck well there are different theories on the history of domestication, but long story short not necessarily, or to be precise: not everywhere. While there have been hunting nomads that started domesticating dogs (estimated somewhere between 15.000 and 100.000 b.c.), it is likely that wild versions of sheep, goat and cow have been held as some form of caged livestock as soon as nomads started settling down for some parts of the year. Chasing the herds into big caged areas was probably used as a reaction to the lowering numbers of wild animal population (caused by hunting them too much within a certain area). Other animals (like pigs, chicken, guinea pigs, ducks and doves) probably chose to be living near humans even before the were actually domesticated, as they were profiting off of each other, and somewhat domesticated themselves in order to have an easier life. Dogs partially came in earlier in some regions, but in others, they were brought in later.
Good and informative video, and also nice to hear a shepard 1:50 promoting a balanced co-existence with wolfes. A link in the description to the mentioned map of the guarded areas would be nice.
I like the detail when the man not only dismounted of the bicycle, but he also carried it. I have seen quite a lot of times, that the spinning wheel of bicycle disturbed or overly interested the dog. For some reason, they don't like the motion of the wheel.
Me: trying to go to sleep RU-vid: OK but first let me show you how to behave in case you come face to face with a dog guarding sheep in a country 1500km away.
I actually encountered a guardian dog in the states! They’re huge and scary so you probably don’t want to mess with them. I don’t know how they train them here in America but definitely stay away
@@darkiee69 I’d say that is a pretty fair assessment. This particular dog ate and slept with the sheep and acted as though the sheep were a part of his pack. The dog was essentially the head of the pack in charge of keeping his pack safe and out of harm. I see this dog quite a bit as it lives in a farm not too far from me. There are a lot of bears in the area and I’ve heard that this dog has fought off a number of bears, as well as coyotes, hawks, and other predators that try to prey on the young sheep and goats. If the dog views you as a threat to his pack, he has all the right to protect himself and the rest of the animals.
Great Pyrenees are just the coolest dogs. Their instincts are fantastic. They naturally learn to protect whatever animal is on your property without much risk of the liability of an attack on a human or, in my experience, even another dog. I raise chickens and at first couldn't keep them alive. The biggest problem was neighbors' dogs running loose and attacking them. I strongly considered starting to shoot them. Then I found out about livestock guardian dogs and got a couple of Great Pyrenees. These dogs have never shown aggression towards my chickens and even let the chickens walk on them while they're sleeping. They will not attack a human like the mailman if he comes on my property. If loose dogs come around, the dogs will bark which 99% of the time frightens them off. In one situation, my dogs caught another small little dog on my property. Instead of killing it, they ran circles around it barking. When the dog tried to run, they bit its ankles until it cowered down again. When I got out and called off the dogs, the little dog was able to get away and go home. Obviously, I never saw it around my property and chickens again. They will even watch a hawk flying over the property and follow it barking so that it won't land. I didn't have to train them to do this.
S L I’m pretty sure they’re Great Pyrenees because Maremmas only come in white but GP can come in tan, gray, or what they call badger style markings and you’ll see one at 1:56
I went from never hearing the term ‘live stock guardian dogs’, to hearing it a dozen times in the space of a few minutes. Now it’s all I can hear. In his voice too
Drinker_Of_ Milk it’s not staged, those are real guardian dogs working with their real owner who speaks in another language in the video. The narrator literally explains why the dogs are vocal yet not aggressive. Instead, they’re very vocal to alert both the herd and humans while discouraging predators. Guardian dogs aren’t vicious snarling guard dogs or pit bulls, they’re just very loud barkers. Snarling and baring teeth doesn’t make for loud alarm barking
Just for the record, and just because I don’t think anyone else mentioned it; a wagging tail on a dog, does not necessarily mean “let’s play”, it’s just a physical display of excitement. What the actual form the excitement may take, is usually displayed in other physical displays of the dog - eg. head down/head up, ears back/ears up, hackles presented/or not, foot-work, and other submissive or dominant displays within the situation.
I have a CAS guardian dog. Yes, they warn without a ton of aggression. However, they will rapidly escalate should you choose not to follow their instructions. The last few people that decided to disregard the warnings have some nice scars. They also got pinned into a corner until I arrived. Its all tough talk until 140lbs of eff you and teeth are teaching you a lesson.
When a dog wags their tail from one side to another (like the guard dogs in the video were doing), it doesn't just mean they're happy. It could mean they're ready to take action or another indicator that they're aggressive/ready to behave aggressively. Some dogs may wag their tail before or during a fight with another dog/animal/human. Along with warning/aggressive barking these dogs definitely portrayed aggressive behaviour. But if a dog is wiggling/moving their butt from side to side along wagging their tail in a circular/helicopter wag, this most likely means they're happy and/or friendly. As well, the interactions in the video are most likely real, even if they knew about the guard dogs & how to act around them they would still have been in danger had they not followed the direction given on how to act around the dogs.
@@AnonyMous-jf4lc 100% so many morons making these comments think they can fight off a LGD. While they are generally not aggressive towards humans, if you continue towards their herd and they don’t want you to or if you try to “assert dominance” that’s a whole lot of dog that’s ready to fuck you up. Most people don’t realize that for these dogs their whole goal is to keep their herd safe so if you’re going to interfere with that, they’ll interfere with you. My Pyr makes certain everyone knows that
I think the people of the past who bred dogs in the first place would find the idea of keeping a dog for no other read than to feed it and pick up it's shit unbelievably bizarre
This is information that I've never considered, yet am grateful they put it out there. Especially the part about being mindful of your own pooch around the flocks and LSGDs.
Ahhh, the Great Pyrenees... such a loveable and majestic dog! I once lived with a host family in northern Italy that owned one named Buzz. They lived on a hilltop outside a small village and had a few donkeys and some chickens, in addition to owning some farmland in the valleys below. Every day, Buzz would sit on the hillside, barking down at hunters or other animals and the like. They hadn't trained him to do so, it was just instinctual. Every day he would sit there, vigilantly watching and protecting the homestead. He was a very friendly dog, but had some funny quirks. Any time I would be outside playing with their 8 year old son, Buzz would make sure that the playing wouldn't get too rough. If I chased him, Buzz would come after me barking, and might even timidly nip at my pants leg, although he would never harm a hair on you. A few times we'd take him hiking. He never needed a leash, as he always maintained a perimeter around us, always as if to ward off any would-be threats. We even took him to a town across the French border near Monaco on one trip, and despite the big crowds, he stayed calmly right by our sides, even without a leash. Those were some of the best days of my life, living in Italy with this small family to teach them English. They are still close personal friends to this day. And I have no doubt that Buzz is still keeping watch over them!
@@kevinfelton689 Problem is in Italy they just wander freely along public country roads and are a total pain in the ass... there was a point where I had 8 to 10 of them sleeping 1.5 km from my house each night if i wanted to walk my dog it was impossible..
A neighbor had a great Pyrenees about 1/2 mile from my pasture and often I would pull through the gate to find the dog napping under a shade tree with several cows and calves napping all around him. I never lost a calf to coyotes in that pasture.
*Absolutely do NOT try this at home!!* I was in a mountain side town once, and had a very strong and disturbing psychedelic experience, so much so that the next morning I went into the woods to find and fight a brown bear (don't ask). Walking along the road to the next town, but about 50 yards into the forest, I came across a farm and 2 huge guardian dogs (Raven Shepherds) came at me barking very aggresively, and stopped 7 feet in front of me. As much as I was "prepared" for a fight to the death with a bear (I was pretty much insane), I knew they were just doing their jobs, so I couldn't even think to hurt them (not that I could anyway, but I didn't know that at the time). So after a minute of shizzing myself (I had a big fear of guardian dogs from stories I heard) I just said to myself and God "whatever happens happens" and I dropped to my knees in front of them. They fell silent and came closer to sniff me, and when I sensed that they bared no ill will, I reached out and touched them. The younger one got the instant zoomies, with the tail between his legs, while the older one was very stoic like "you're good". And then the best part happened - I got up, and proceeded on my way to the next town. They both accompanied me in my travel, the younger one till the next town, and the older one came with me for 3 more towns, for about 10 miles, right till I crossed the street to get to the train station! Judging by their behavior, I'm pretty sure they thought to guard me from bears and what not. That had a profound impact on me, it felt like a hug from the universe - I went into that forest thinking only of death, and came out on the other side with a huge appreciation for life, and 20 pounds of trash I collected along the way stemming from it.
We have a working Maremma, he's very loyal and protective but they need lots of exercise. He protects our sheep There is a good family movie called 'Oddball' based on the true story about a Maremma protecting the penguins from foxes on Middle Island in Australia
Wyoming actually has more sheep than people. I've been ran at by three sheep dogs and I was freaking tf out. Luckily the shepard was there and called the dogs off.
1 year later I had my encounter, one charged me from half a mile, really long distance I didn't expect that, weird thing he saw me and came to see me while climbing up the mountain (road side) but coming down of the mountain side (official hike path but on the wilderness side) he charged me in a quite scary way I just continued along the path which was going away from the herd luckily but that interaction was really weird to me...I later learned wolves had been spotted in the region 1 week earlier and 1 month prior 20+ sheeps were killed by wolves...that also explained why a few minutes later I was charged by a cow, which actually moved toward me rather than stay where it was far away
@@GnosticAtheist actually not that beautiful, if you live here, there is much better and more of it ;-) For sure sheep are not common in the middle of a major city (if they have 4 legs)
Brilliant, I live in La Creuse in France and it’s very rural. I spotted these dogs in a field on our way shopping. I had never seen them before, it was amazing, two of them. They looked so happy and content with the sheep…And now I know what they are! 😊
Lynx is both singular and plural. 'Lynxes' sounds like a 5 year old speaking. And... I live with lynx in Alaska, I see one per week at least in my yard each winter. They do not usually hunt large game, unless they are starving. Their diet is +90% rabbits. My neighbor has goats and chickens/ducks and (like an idiot) has terrible fencing, just bent up floppy chicken wire, and no Lynx has eaten or attacked any of his animals in the 5+ years they have had animals. Now Bears..... that is different.
I met some of these in Bulgaria. I had been walking for a few hours alone up into the hills. They wouldn't let me pass and I have never felt in such a threateing situation before or since and I'm a dog lover! Had to turn back and just retrace my route.
No wonder there are random videos of cyclists suddenly being surrounded by dogs on hills like these barking non-stop. There must have been a herd around.
Now if we can only come up with an honorable and peaceful solution to the unending stream of immigration from incompatible 3rd world people into Western countries.
@@blondemommyvomit I have the solution, stop bombing them. People from the third world dont want to leave their homes, they are forced to because of famine or war, if you stop bombing them they wont leave their homes.
@@diegobotto6245 If "they" have the resources to come here by the millions every year, they have the financial ability to tell their government to get off their backs and stop creating conflicts which will get you bombed.
Useful knowledge. I am used to this since I was a child, here in Central Italy. I only have one thing to say that the video "got wrong", in my opinion. If the dogs keep being aggressive, and you back off, DON'T turn your back to them. It might trigger his instinct to chase you
Yup.. backing off slowly with a non threatening stance is the best in that situation ( not raising your arms or making sudden movements ). Basically if you were another dog you would lower your tail and back off slowly... or there would be a fight... you need to do same thing only as a human. Some dogs and some humans dont like the idea of lowering their tail ( judging by comments here ) ... then there would be a problem.
Several of these look like great pyrenees dogs. I had one growing up and they're known as wolf killers. They will fight to the death a wolf and drag it's corpse all the way back to the owner to show it protected the flock. They also have du-claws that help tearing targets throats open. They're big babies and super adorable. They also need space.
Friends of mine in Oregon have Great Pyrenees guarding their sheep, I use to feed them when I lived there for a few months. I use to get worried when I heard them bark and would go check all the time until I learned to trust that the dogs knew there jobs very well. 😊Once in blackberry season I was out picking, and had gone around the back of the herd, the dogs heard me making noise in the bushes and charged, barking furiously! Until i called out and said “Sorry! It’s just me” they both stopped in their tracks wagged their tails and lay down. I made sure to give them love and pats back n my way back. I was l, surprisingly, able to make friends with them quickly. The owners of the farm were surprised that the dogs took to me so quickly so they had me feed them (all chores are shared there, I was only to happy to help). I take pride in being able to get animals to trust me. The horses on this farm would also follow me around like puppies! I loved it. Nobody else outside the family could get the dogs to trust them around the sheep. 😁
Dan Dan exactly I totally see that too! I’m an American, but damn it feels like so many (thankfully not all) people in my country are self-centered assholes
Livestock guardian dogs are absolutely used in the US by some farmers. The difference is you won't see many people hiking through where animals are grazing, which in the US is generally private pasture land.
Honudes Gai i think the saddest thing is that people would actively antagonize dogs that are way far away from wherever they’d actually be a bodily threat, then as soon as the dog gets close they’d get shot. Americans have a weird obsession with “standing your ground” and have a habit of creating the ground that needs to be stood on, so to speak.
Had this problem while hiking a few years ago. The trail went right through the middle of the heard, and as I was walking the heard began to split into 2 groups around me. Then the dog sprinted up to me and started barking. I tried to play nice and get by, but he wasn’t having it. I ended up turning back very frustrated because I was almost at the end of the trail. Good vid.
I’ll probably never encounter a livestock guardian dog but this was still so interesting and frankly helpful to watch! Just remain calm and even backing away is good advice when approaching any dog of any size honestly
The second breed you see (after the first time you see the puppies) are Anatolian Shepherds, also known as Turkish Shepherds. They are very loving and do well with families. Ours is already 12 years old and getting on in years, but she is the best dog we have ever had the pleasure to live with.
We have one of these dogs in the UK. He was rescued from Romania and we ended up with him. Very, very defensive of the house but a very loving dog and a thoroughly good boy!
Really cool seeing these dogs in action. My grandpa had a Pyrenees Newfound mix named Rusty. Amazing dog once we got used to each other. He was really good at protecting us and the farm.
Keep in mind that that the Great Pyrenees has an incredibly strong bite. My dog's sire killed a coyote with a single bite to the throat, breaking its neck instantly and tearing out the front of its throat. They are estimated to have a bite strength of 900 PSI. For comparison, a pitbull only has a bite strength of 225 psi. If they're warning you, take the hint.
They are just protecting the herd... the correct behavior is to ... not mess with the herd. duh. its not attacking you, its telling you to leave its sheep alone
Be warned: as a last-resort measure, livestock guardian dogs have been bred to kamikaze and explode on impact. This might also occur if they feel particularly insulted. Please observe proper social protocols when dealing with livestock guardian dogs.
that is basically good advice. livestock guardians are the most dangerous dogs to fuck with. some other breeds more than these in the video though, since there are bigger ones. I chuckled when the video said "a livestock guardian dog cannot be chased away" - that's the point, even a bear or pack of wolves won't chase them away.
