Re: [pyrnet] Separation anxiety in re: neutering

["Kerry Kern Woods" <woodskk@eburg.com>]

>Yes, the instinct to procreate is strongest.  Pyrs will leave the
flocks to
chase a coyote?  How about a wolf?  If that be the case, the managers
of the
flock need to insure that this does not happen.  A non heat female
will not
leave with the male chasing an in heat coyote, will she?  Will she, if
in
>season, breed with a wolf or Coyote?

Mature Pyrs will only go a certain distance beyond the flock to chase
a predator.  Coyotes want to
lure a dog out further for two reasons, to get into the flock while
the LGD is out chasing the others
and to flank the dog and kill it.  I would assume the dog would
respond the
same to a wolf as it would a coyote.  I placed pups (they are spayed
and neutered) in areas around Yellowstone Park before the wolves were
introduced.  They are doing well but this is probably because their
territory was established before the wolves could establish theirs.
Linda W. knows much more about wolves than I do.  Chasing a bitch
coyote in season, a female LGD may follow right along trying to take
the
coyote out.  Or, the female may be the one to remain with the flock
and the male is lured by
the in-season coyote.  Recently a female pyr was killed by coyotes, my
suspicions (not fact) is she was in
season as she was the correct age and a pack was lured in.  The female
coyotes probably killed the pyr.  I don't know the people who owned
the pyr (did talk and email with them) or who bred the pyr, they cared
greatly for the dog and were very upset but had never bothered to
protect the dog with good fencing or spaying and she was guarding
livestock in very rough country by herself.
If a female pyr will breed with a neighbor dog that she would usually
fight to keep out of her territory why would she not breed with a
coyote, same with a male?  Just as neighborhood dogs become familiar,
the packs that are around all the time become familiar to humans and
LGDs.
Kerry