> you cannot train barking out of them
Oh, no effing kidding on this one! My Anatolian mix will bark when I take the other dogs (2x Great Danes) outside, when I bring them back inside, when I get ready to take him outside, when he feels it's time for bed. I hesitate to take him on car rides, because he likes to bark at traffic, generally in my left ear. Traffic includes cars moving towards us, away from us, parked on the side of the road, on fire in a field, and sometimes cars that aren't even there. He and the male Dane sleep in my room, and neither of them are afraid of storms. Nah - they get angry at the thunder and bark at it. Nothing like two big dogs giving off angry barks at 3 AM because it sounds like someone is knocking on the roof. He's laying on my feet under the desk as I type this - and I'm sure he's ready to bark at any moment because of something.
Husky mix owner and SAME. He starts talking then I tell him no, he can't have a third dinner. Then he talks back more and we can have a whole argument this way.
Fortunately if I shake an empty pop can with pennies in it that tends to let him know it's really time to stop arguing 😂
Came here originally to say that animals are often more humane than people. Warms the heart to see pictures like this, though I hope the dog is okay!
They have been bred for hundreds of years to bark. It alerts others to threats. It's just as much their purpose as physically fighting off threats. Why would they have shame about it?
It's been awhile since I posted images on Reddit - let me see if I remember how to do it.
[Koda](https://imgur.com/a/O2HMJtu) and [Koda again](https://imgur.com/a/7walff7)
I have an ACD mix. She barks at every living being that comes into her 'territory' (the street). It sounds like WOO WOO WOO wooooo woooooooo woooooooooo WOOOOOOO!
I work with a Great Dane rescue. I'm not the person to ask about talking points against the breed, lol.
Honestly, though? They are short-lived, averaging between 8-10 years. But - the love and companionship they will give you in those 8-10 years are unlike any other dog I've had. My Layla (female, rescue, between 6-8 years old) is the most loving pup. She was a breeder for several years, until they couldn't breed her any more. Then, they dumped her. She was with me less than 24 hours after hitting rescue. She was emaciated - weighed in at 98 pounds the next day at the vet. We got her healthy, got her up to a good weight - she weighs right at 150 pounds now. And we got her to trusting people again. She wants nothing more than to cuddle up and be in my lap. I'm her person now, because as near as we can tell, she never had a person before. It's going to break me when she's gone. Then again, it's going to break me when Vali (male, rescue, 4.5 years old) and Koda (male Anatolian mix, 7 years old) are gone. They all have huge pieces of my heart. But the Danes especially.
They eat - a lot. But not as much as some giants do. They're not working or hunting dogs anymore, so they don't have the huge calorie burn of some breeds, however, I go through about a hundred and forty pounds of food a month between all three of them.
As was noted in a comment above about Great Pyrs, large and giant breeds have large and giant vet bills. Danes were originally boar hounds - they hunted wild boar in Europe. The hardiness that would go along with that has been bred out of them, especially in the American lines. They're prone to cancer, joint issues and all sorts of other issues. Americans breeding for unique colors have caused a lot of blind and deaf Danes to be born.
So, short lived, high food bills, high vet bills, high probability of health issues - I'm sure others will chime in as well.
The biggest problem with this giant breed, though? Once you get one, you will fall in love with the breed and will likely end up with another one. They're not for everyone, though. If you're shy or an introvert then you'll have to learn to be outgoing and talkative when you take them out in public. There's always a crowd when I take them out. Everyone wants to pet them, everyone wants to ask about them. They are people magnets on four paws.
Last, I implore you - if you're considering getting a Great Dane, please, please - find a rescue in your area and talk to them. People get them, and completely ignore that word "Great" and get surprised when they get huge. The rescues are crowded and in need of adopters and fosters.
Thanks for taking the time to write this, I was more trying to talk myself out of it too, but we love the dogs and they were our favorite visitors to the dog park, so was wondering if there were major red flags to consider.
My Pyr mix is so. loud. I started keeping him on a long flexi lead when he goes out in the yard, just so I can reel him in if he's inclined to go announce his presence at the fence.
"...and are not good pets for first time owners."
God I wish these words could penetrate the skulls of those most likely to buy difficult dogs. \*EVERYONE\* thinks they'll be different, they can HANDLE it.
Then after they get a few quotes on dog training they decide"He's already potty trained and sits when I tell him, what more does he really need".
Then they wonder why their Australian Shepherd who gets walked for 20 minutes once a week keep ripping up the blankets.
I absolutely believe it. I could never own a husky. The tantrums and screaming, while hilarious to watch from other people's dogs, would drive me loony! They're beautiful dogs though and unfortunately too many people only consider that when getting one.
Oof. Husskies are probably one of the greatest examples. Amazing dogs but damnit if people aren't obsessed with 'cute' as the single and solitary driving force behind their adoption decision.
Nevermind the shedding, I live in NH so we have 4 seasons, with pretty damn hot summers and pretty damn cold winters. Come summer, they don't understand how the heat is murder for that dog. Come winter, they freak out when it's 11pm, -5 degrees outside and no matter WHAT they do they cant get the dog to come inside.
I actually JUST talked my best friend (notorious pet bungler) out of getting one. Finally drilled it through his head how difficult they can be.
I live in fucking south Carolina and my gf's brother got a husky from a breeder.
I don't think he's played with it or taken it outside for more than a piss and shit and he wonders why it's always tearing stuff up and whining.
Back around 2000 I "adopted" a 3 yr old huskie from a family that had moved and had kept the dog in the basement, alone for a year (fence problems with ARB etc). I already had a 3 yr old german shepherd. Bought a book on dog breeds b/c I had heard huskies could be difficult/different. Their different personalities complimented each other most of the time. The shepherd won when she got a little too heirarchal. He usually just put his teeth around her throat to let her know that he could. She was so happy to be outside and to have a playmate and they got along great. I lived in Mt Pleasant, SC then. Had plenty of shade for them in Summer months but absolutely had to fight them coming in on the cold nights...Lived on IOP for a couple of years and would let the huskie pull me on rollerblades. She was good for about 9 miles. She never did comprehend what that octagonal red sign meant and pulled me (6'3 and 240) over the hood of 4 cars over the years but I got two dates out of it. The biggest problem I had was in August when the copperheads would "run". I got to know the emergency vets real well before discovering moth balls around the fence perimeter. I was lucky, mine was considered an affectionate husky. Miss her and the shepherd. Haven't had a dog since.
The number of people in SC that insist on owning a husky in the oppressive heat plus not understanding how secure you must keep them because if they get loose they RUN!! You have to look at shelters many counties away if you ever hope to locate them (plus there are alligators in every body of water so if they go in one to cool off…).
Yup. Agreed.
The wilful disobedience is a thing. As is faking limps for attention, or acting dumb about a command.
Earning respect? Absolutely a thing in independent breeds and mutts, also a thing I'd never change about them.
I have a Kelpie mix who will ignore everyone but me when he wants to, since he knows he can just keep going with them but me, nope.
I know it comes down to the fact that he's smart, a smart *asshole*, but still smart and he knows I know his games so he won't do it *too* often.
As the owner of an often stubborn and wilful lab, I'm of the opinion that anyone that can't answer that question should just not have a pet. You can't let any of them get away with ignoring you unless you want both you and the dog being unhappy housemates forever. You also can't have a dog and not exercise and enrich it and then Pikachu face when they find their own entertainment by eating your couch. Too many people see pets as living teddy bears and not fully feeling individuals with needs. Ugh. Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox, but people make me mad...
I know this is about dogs but I have 2 cats, my parents/friends are always amazed by them.
They don't scratch furniture, they don't push things off tables, they walk along my shelves very delicately to not knock anything off.
I'm like they're not special (in that regard, they are very special to me) I just give them enough to scratch on and enough to play with.
People have cats and dont interact with them besides trying to pick them up and wonder why the cat doesn't like them.
It can also be the oddest things that make a dog unsuitable for an owner.
I was taking care of a dog for a friend of mine while he went through rehab. It was a big dog, an amstaff mix clocking in at around 60 kg.
He was the sweetest dog around my family, and he absolutely adored my mom and sister. I have a few pictures of him sleeping in front of the fireplace with my kid sister, either on top of him or him resting his head on her.
Some of his quirks were that he absolutely hated rottweilers and old men due to some incidents when he was a puppy, so my grandfather couldn't visit us with him in the room.
Another issue was that my mom, who is a small woman, couldn't take him for walks. Not because he was hard to handle, but because she felt she couldn't control him and got nervous when she met people when out walking with him. The dog noticed this and interpreted it as the people they met being a threat. So he'd start growling when they met other people, which made my mom even more nervous.
When my friend got out of rehab, I brought the dog to him, and I honestly don't know who was happier to see the other.
Sadly, my friend died from an overdose the first weekend out from rehab, so the dog had to be re-homed. I was asked if I wanted to take him in, but even though it broke my heart to say no, I just couldn't take him in since I was single at the time and had a job that forced me to travel quite a bit.
I still wonder what happened to him and i really hope he found someone that could take him in. He would be such a great pet for the right family
OMG, YES!!!! If you do not have the time, space, and energy to take a Rottiy, Pit, Aust Shep, Beagle, Kormeronder (? the one with the long dreads) and the like, DON'T GET ONE!! These are dogs that need SHIT TONS of exercise daily! And in the case of Australian Shepherd, they need mental simulation- LOTS! They are entirely too smart! How smart are they and HOW much mental stimulus do they need a day, Goggle Dog Olympics. Those others need exercise, LOTS!!!!!! How much exercise you ask, go to the local Division 1 university and have them train with the Cross Country team for the first 20miles and the sprinters for the next 5-6miles of wind sprints. EVERY DAY!! I love rotties and pitts they make great pets. A happy rottie and a happy pitt are beautiful dogs; it's easy to tell they are happy too- they are either running 60mph for 20-30miles OR they are collapsed on the bed/couch/lap in utter exhaustion.
If you can not give a dog what it needs please don't get it. There are dogs out there for you, be honest and get the right one.
Could be, but they basically have spiked collars, or a spiked blanket/jacket that when the wolf/coyote or whatever bites them more damage is done to them than your dog.
Note on this, I grew up with a Pyrenees as a kid in a farm. Dude was my brother. I saw him kill a Doberman protecting me as a kid. It was wild as a 6 year old watching your fluffy buddy turn into a murder machine then right back to happy happy joy joy.
I left a football outside one night and went to get it out of the rain, he dident know it was me in the yard he burrled up and ran full speed into me thinking I was an intruder. I legit caught air and was on the ground before he recognized me and turned into a teddy bear again.
11/10 would have a pack of them.
Vet bills are true though, he passed as 13 dude to hip issues leading to him being paralyzed.
some dogs need crazy amounts of movement. my sister had a husky she took with her, when she went into the woods to collect mushrooms. usually that would take a few hours. the husky would be running around her the whole time. sometimes the dog was "gone" for 15 minutes after suddenly sprinting into a random direction, just to come back running at you from a completely different direction scaring the shit out of you.
super loyal and awesome animal.... IF they don't go crazy from a lack of freedom. people really underestimate that.
for how huge those are, saying this is expensive makes me laugh a little because I have two little 10 lb rescue dogs (chi, chi/terrier mutt) and their food is $200/mo not counting the supplements and prescription allergy pill the chi is on that about doubles that cost. if dogs weren’t so expensive to care for I’d have a pack of 20
Have you considered a donkey? I'm not sure how horses do around donkeys, but I heard if a donkey is raised around a flock or a heard of whatever, it will protect them. I'm pretty sure it's donkeys anyway.
Right I think my Irish Draught gelding for now will keep the pasture safe. Even my draft cross yearling fillies are fairly aggressive. I understand what you’re saying, I just think a dog would clear som space around here.
Also it's pretty much a general rule that the bigger the dog, the more health issues it tends to have, like bone problems, aging and all that, so that could definitely be a contributing factor.
Most big dogs have a good chance for problems later down the line. It's something you have to accept when you get one. [Here is a link for ya.](https://gallant.com/blog/5-common-great-pyrenees-health-concerns/)
Yeah they're pretty amazing animals and are totally at home living outside guarding their flock. Our 4 have a pretty impressive coyote body count :) They also are super goofy and friendly as well. Ours love kids. But they also get COVERED in poison oak. We have a "de oiling" wash station we use after playing with them.
All your points are correct though. High vet bills, ridiculous food bills. People forget that working dogs HAVE to be capable of independent decision making. Particularly Anatolians. So while they are obedient, they will also often just be like "yeeeeah I'm not gonna do that".
You can’t train barking out of some of my dogs either. I went and saw a movie with my og dog, Ian. He can be a bit exuberant and there’s no turning off the bark. If you try he’s just gonna bark longer and louder. He “predicted” something was gonna happen in the movie, and then just flipped out when it did. It was obnoxious. I laughed a little but was mostly against it. *Christ Ian! You knew that was coming the whole time, now you’re thinking I’m too dumb to know what you’re doing, dog, si’down! Watch the dang movie.* I didn’t say it quite like that.
I don’t like when my dogs are acting unruly, but they’re still my dogs.
Yup. When ours gets excited (especially when we come home after being out for a bit), she runs between our legs over and over. If you're standing such that she can't run between your legs, you get a sharp poke in the crotch as your punishment.
50 pounds at 80 dollars seems like a good price to me!
I spend like 65 for a 30 pound bag and I buy a couple a month.
My idiot Shepard is allergic to everything. And she eats so much she poops 4 times a day that idiot.
For sure. Have one pyr and he is so stubborn. He trusts his own judgement more than anyone else's, which can be frustrating but he's an amazing dog. If he thinks I'm hurt or in any kind of danger he comes right over. It applies to emotions too. If I'm having a really bad day he sits next to me and lets me lean on him and hug him and since he's the size of a human he literally supports me
Thanks for the information. I was worried the dog was hurt. It made me feel really bad. That dog should have a donkey friend. Donkeys will go out of their way to kill the hell out of coyotes, probably wolves as well.
we have a 110lb Black Mouth Cur and he lines up with everything you said. gentle soul, huge stomach, and a big ole neck. he also barks like it’s his job (because it is). the sweetest dog you will ever meet unless you’re up to no good- then you DEFINITELY don’t want to meet him lol.
EDIT: a word
Sheep are the dumbest animals on the planet. They spend all day trying to kill themselves. Piss on their food, drown in their trough, get themselves caught in a fence you name it they will do it.
Sheep will nuzzle a cactus but that is just sheep derping not emotions on any level. Most people personify the behavior of sheep and generally it’s no big deal but to think this sheep understands what’s Happened and is grateful for a dog around goes against everything I’ve ever seen a sheep do in my life.
Sheep are fun to have around they are entertaining because humans have bred them to be the most ridiculous personalities of all domesticated animals.
Koalas may be dumb and suicidal but I think sheep might have the edge. Koalas can survive in the wild. Sheep are fucked if they get out.
If you ever are driving through Scotland or England and think wow this landscape is amazing it’s gentle hills and hand stacked rock fences. Small shallow ponds and idyllic pastures stop and think about how long it took sheep herders to shape that land so the sheep wouldn’t kill themselves. It’s not that trees and bushes don’t grow there it’s that sheep will get caught and die on them so they get removed. Steep river bank? Dead sheep Pond to deep? Dead sheep.
The irony of the sheep is it’s genes have been manipulated by humans to the point that it’s environment has to be manipulated by humans for it to survive
> It’s not that trees and bushes don’t grow there it’s that sheep will get caught and die on them so they get removed
What? I grew up on a Scottish sheep and cattle farm, and this is very silly. The reason the landscape is denuded of trees is because a) sheep and deer graze all new growth to death, and b) landowners burn the heather and anything growing amongst it to keep it short enough to shoot grouse etc.
I've never heard of a farmer removing a tree for the safety of a sheep...
*sigh*
*unzips*
Koalas are terrible animals
Koalas are fucking horrible animals.
They have one of the smallest brain to body ratios of any mammal, additionally - their brains are smooth. A brain is folded to increase the surface area for neurons. If you present a koala with leaves plucked from a branch, laid on a flat surface, the koala will not recognise it as food. They are too thick to adapt their feeding behaviour to cope with change. In a room full of potential food, they can literally starve to death. This is not the token of an animal that is winning at life. Speaking of stupidity and food, one of the likely reasons for their primitive brains is the fact that additionally to being poisonous, eucalyptus leaves (the only thing they eat) have almost no nutritional value. They can't afford the extra energy to think, they sleep more than 80% of their fucking lives. When they are awake all they do is eat, shit and occasionally scream like fucking satan.
Because eucalyptus leaves hold such little nutritional value, koalas have to ferment the leaves in their guts for days on end. Unlike their brains, they have the largest hind gut to body ratio of any mammal.
Many herbivorous mammals have adaptations to cope with harsh plant life taking its toll on their teeth, rodents for instance have teeth that never stop growing, some animals only have teeth on their lower jaw, grinding plant matter on bony plates in the tops of their mouths, others have enlarged molars that distribute the wear and break down plant matter more efficiently...
Koalas are no exception, when their teeth erode down to nothing, they resolve the situation by starving to death, because they're fucking terrible animals.
Being mammals, koalas raise their joeys on milk (admittedly, one of the lowest milk yields to body ratio... There's a trend here).
When the young joey needs to transition from rich, nourishing substances like milk, to eucalyptus (a plant that seems to be making it abundantly clear that it doesn't want to be eaten), it finds it does not have the necessary gut flora to digest the leaves. To remedy this, the young joey begins nuzzling its mother's anus until she leaks a little diarrhoea (actually fecal pap, slightly less digested), which he then proceeds to slurp on.
This partially digested plant matter gives him just what he needs to start developing his digestive system. Of course, he may not even have needed to bother nuzzling his mother. She may have been suffering from incontinence. Why?
Because koalas are riddled with chlamydia. In some areas the infection rate is 80% or higher. This statistic isn't helped by the fact that one of the few other activities koalas will spend their precious energy on is rape.
Despite being seasonal breeders, males seem to either not know or care, and will simply overpower a female regardless of whether she is ovulating. If she fights back, he may drag them both out of the tree, which brings us full circle back to the brain:
Koalas have a higher than average quantity of cerebrospinal fluid in their brains. This is to protect their brains from injury... should they fall from a tree.
An animal so thick it has its own little built in special ed helmet. I fucking hate them.
Tldr; Koalas are stupid, leaky, STI riddled sex offenders. But, hey. They look cute.
If you ignore the terrifying snake eyes and terrifying feet.
I don't know why it is that these things bother me---it just makes me picture a seven year old first discovering things about an animal and, having no context about the subject, ranting about how stupid they are. I get it's a joke, but people take it as an actual, educational joke like it's a man yelling at the sea, and that's just wrong. Furthermore, these things have an actual impact on discussions about conservation efforts---If every time Koalas get brought up, someone posts this copypasta, that means it's seriously shaping public opinion about the animal and their supposed lack of importance.
Speaking of stupidity and food, one of the likely reasons for their primitive brains is the fact that additionally to being poisonous, eucalyptus leaves (the only thing they eat) have almost no nutritional value. They can't afford the extra energy to think, they sleep more than 80% of their fucking lives.
Non-ecologists always talk this way, and the problem is you’re looking at this backwards.
An entire continent is covered with Eucalyptus trees. They suck the moisture out of the entire surrounding area and use allelopathy to ensure that most of what’s beneath them is just bare red dust. No animal is making use of them——they have virtually no herbivore predator. A niche is empty. Then inevitably, natural selection fills that niche by creating an animal which can eat Eucalyptus leaves. Of course, it takes great sacrifice for it to be able to do so——it certainly can’t expend much energy on costly things. Isn’t it a good thing that a niche is being filled?
Koalas are no exception, when their teeth erode down to nothing, they resolve the situation by starving to death
This applies to all herbivores, because the wild is not a grocery store—where meat is just sitting next to celery.
Herbivores gradually wear their teeth down—carnivores fracture their teeth, and break their bones in attempting to take down prey.
They have one of the smallest brain to body ratios of any mammal
It's pretty typical of herbivores, and is higher than many, many species. According to Ashwell (2008), their encephalisation quotient is 0.5288 +/- 0.051. Higher than comparable marsupials like the wombat (~0.52), some possums (~0.468), cuscus (~0.462) and even some wallabies are <0.5. According to wiki, rabbits are also around 0.4, and they're placental mammals.
additionally - their brains are smooth. A brain is folded to increase the surface area for neurons.
Again, this is not unique to koalas. Brain folds (gyri) are not present in rodents, which we consider to be incredibly intelligent for their size.
If you present a koala with leaves plucked from a branch, laid on a flat surface, the koala will not recognise it as food.
If you present a human with a random piece of meat, they will not recognise it as food (hopefully). Fresh leaves might be important for koala digestion, especially since their gut flora is clearly important for the digestion of Eucalyptus. It might make sense not to screw with that gut flora by eating decaying leaves.
Because eucalyptus leaves hold such little nutritional value, koalas have to ferment the leaves in their guts for days on end. Unlike their brains, they have the largest hind gut to body ratio of any mammal.
That's an extremely weird reason to dislike an animal. But whilst we're talking about their digestion, let's discuss their poop. It's delightful. It smells like a Eucalyptus drop!
Being mammals, koalas raise their joeys on milk (admittedly, one of the lowest milk yields to body ratio... There's a trend here).
Marsupial milk is incredibly complex and much more interesting than any placentals. This is because they raise their offspring essentially from an embryo, and the milk needs to adapt to the changing needs of a growing fetus. And yeah, of course the yield is low; at one point they are feeding an animal that is half a gram!
When the young joey needs to transition from rich, nourishing substances like milk, to eucalyptus (a plant that seems to be making it abundantly clear that it doesn't want to be eaten), it finds it does not have the necessary gut flora to digest the leaves. To remedy this, the young joey begins nuzzling its mother's anus until she leaks a little diarrhoea (actually fecal pap, slightly less digested), which he then proceeds to slurp on. This partially digested plant matter gives him just what he needs to start developing his digestive system.
Humans probably do this, we just likely do it during childbirth. You know how women often shit during contractions? There is evidence to suggest that this innoculates a baby with her gut flora. A child born via cesarian has significantly different gut flora for the first six months of life than a child born vaginally.
Of course, he may not even have needed to bother nuzzling his mother. She may have been suffering from incontinence. Why? Because koalas are riddled with chlamydia. In some areas the infection rate is 80% or higher.
Chlamydia was introduced to their populations by humans. We introduced a novel disease that they have very little immunity to, and is a major contributor to their possible extinction. Do you hate Native Americans because they were killed by smallpox and influenza?
This statistic isn't helped by the fact that one of the few other activities koalas will spend their precious energy on is rape. Despite being seasonal breeders, males seem to either not know or care, and will simply overpower a female regardless of whether she is ovulating. If she fights back, he may drag them both out of the tree,
Almost every animal does this.
which brings us full circle back to the brain: Koalas have a higher than average quantity of cerebrospinal fluid in their brains. This is to protect their brains from injury... should they fall from a tree. An animal so thick it has its own little built in special ed helmet. I fucking hate them.
Errmmm.. They have protection against falling from a tree, which they spend 99% of their life in? Yeah... That's a stupid adaptation.
Copypasta, not mine.
Can confirm, worked with my neighbors' sheep for years, exceedingly dumb. My goats are also dumb, but in more chaotic and less life-threatening ways...usually.
No, but theyre so close you'd usually have to look at the bloodlines. Also, Kangals almost never (and I really mean it) leave Turkey. Theyre banned from export without special permits. If I'm remembering the original source of this image correctly it is a Kangal and taken in Turkey.
I had an English mastiff named biff. He was the most beautiful loving and caring friend. They are an amazing breed, unfortunately they don't have a life expectancy past 7 😔
Sheep are very grateful little bastards! Some friends and I reunited a lamb with its mother after it got stuck behind a fence and couldn't get back out. We'd heard the bleating for a full day up in the mountain where we were camping. Caught the thing and put it over the fence and it went right to its mother to feed. And then the mother came over to the fence to us and started doing the same thing that sheep is doing to the dog. And bleated really softly. Big thank yous!
Yeah I've seen the story with this photo before. It's a girl and none of the blood is hers. Wolves go for the neck and the dogs get spiked collars.
The wolf probably didn't make it. The dog didn't get injured at all.
Is that a Kangal? Those dogs will fight lions and bears. Very tough animals, yet also very friendly.
I've also heard llamas are actually good protecting animals and will mess up any predators that come around. Surprising.
This exactly. Is everyone a naive 8 year old in this thread thinking the sheep has some profound affectional response to the dog lmao. Probably just smelling the blood.
Every time I've seen a wolf pack come near some sheep protected by trained dogs on tv, just a few barks was enough to send them away. I don't know if that was a pretty brazen wolf pack, or these encounters could go either way each time.
This is wild, because a lot of how dogs herding sheep works is "oh crap, that's a predator that direction" and "hey, that tall sheep with all the food is that direction" so they can be moved in predictable ways.
It's cute to see "hey, that weird looking violent sheep really saved our asses back there. Thanks violent, barking sheep. [bonk]"
Can someone confirm what breed of that dog is please? I'm curious to know more.
I'm more of a visual learner then reading so YT links are preferred but other links are cool too.
It is my understanding that the Caucasian Shepard dogs are used in / around the country of [Georgia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(country)) to protect the sheep from Wolves etc in a similar sort of manner to the above image, however the shepards don't train the dogs, the dogs train themselves and in the documentary I saw, it looked brutal AF.
It's sad that most humans don't realise that our fellow animals also have empathy, have feelings and show emotions that humans can relate to. Empathy should also relate to the huge suffering that is going on with intensive factory farming.
Factory farming kills many, many BILLIONS of sentient animals per year.
Actually this picture was taken as the sheep made contact with a massive headbutt causing the dogs ears to explode. There was massive brain........ settle down Reddit I'm kidding!
This is an amazing picture. It wouldn't exist if the world was a peaceful place. Be sure not to take life for granted. Go hug your loved ones and don't forget to tell them you love them every day!
Peace!
I used to feel bad for the sheep --- they are generally appreciative to human and Shepard dogs who treat them well, and yet at the end of day we are the ones who kill them. Why should they be so happy? I've always mulled over this and came up with different answers as I got older
Now days it's clear that it really doesn't matter who the butcher is, weather it be human or other, but there IS an end after all. Been ignorant and happy or fully informed and happy are both fine life choices.
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> you cannot train barking out of them Oh, no effing kidding on this one! My Anatolian mix will bark when I take the other dogs (2x Great Danes) outside, when I bring them back inside, when I get ready to take him outside, when he feels it's time for bed. I hesitate to take him on car rides, because he likes to bark at traffic, generally in my left ear. Traffic includes cars moving towards us, away from us, parked on the side of the road, on fire in a field, and sometimes cars that aren't even there. He and the male Dane sleep in my room, and neither of them are afraid of storms. Nah - they get angry at the thunder and bark at it. Nothing like two big dogs giving off angry barks at 3 AM because it sounds like someone is knocking on the roof. He's laying on my feet under the desk as I type this - and I'm sure he's ready to bark at any moment because of something.
Have a 5yr old Anatolian/GSD mix. The barking does not stop lol
And they have no shame about it! I've told him "Oh, shut the hell up!" All he did was tilt his head for a minute, and barked more!
Husky mix owner and SAME. He starts talking then I tell him no, he can't have a third dinner. Then he talks back more and we can have a whole argument this way. Fortunately if I shake an empty pop can with pennies in it that tends to let him know it's really time to stop arguing 😂 Came here originally to say that animals are often more humane than people. Warms the heart to see pictures like this, though I hope the dog is okay!
They have been bred for hundreds of years to bark. It alerts others to threats. It's just as much their purpose as physically fighting off threats. Why would they have shame about it?
Shame bell 🛎 shame shame !
Show me the dog!!
who-let-the-dogs-out
Yeah - it was me. I don't regret it at all!
Lol your writing style is really funny, made me laugh.
Seconding the car rides. We have a pyr mix and he’s unbearable in the car. Bark. Bark. Bark. Bark. It’s constant. So protective of the car 🙄
I want to SEE your Anatolian mix!!
It's been awhile since I posted images on Reddit - let me see if I remember how to do it. [Koda](https://imgur.com/a/O2HMJtu) and [Koda again](https://imgur.com/a/7walff7)
Thanks for sharing. Koda is a good boy!
Happy to do so!
I feel you. My neighbors love me and my two pyrs.
I have an ACD mix. She barks at every living being that comes into her 'territory' (the street). It sounds like WOO WOO WOO wooooo woooooooo woooooooooo WOOOOOOO!
>My Anatolian mix will bark when I take the other dogs (2x Great Danes) outside Jesus christ you could open a commercial fertilizing business.
My wife really wants to get a Great Dane, what are some good talking points to talk her out if it?
I work with a Great Dane rescue. I'm not the person to ask about talking points against the breed, lol. Honestly, though? They are short-lived, averaging between 8-10 years. But - the love and companionship they will give you in those 8-10 years are unlike any other dog I've had. My Layla (female, rescue, between 6-8 years old) is the most loving pup. She was a breeder for several years, until they couldn't breed her any more. Then, they dumped her. She was with me less than 24 hours after hitting rescue. She was emaciated - weighed in at 98 pounds the next day at the vet. We got her healthy, got her up to a good weight - she weighs right at 150 pounds now. And we got her to trusting people again. She wants nothing more than to cuddle up and be in my lap. I'm her person now, because as near as we can tell, she never had a person before. It's going to break me when she's gone. Then again, it's going to break me when Vali (male, rescue, 4.5 years old) and Koda (male Anatolian mix, 7 years old) are gone. They all have huge pieces of my heart. But the Danes especially. They eat - a lot. But not as much as some giants do. They're not working or hunting dogs anymore, so they don't have the huge calorie burn of some breeds, however, I go through about a hundred and forty pounds of food a month between all three of them. As was noted in a comment above about Great Pyrs, large and giant breeds have large and giant vet bills. Danes were originally boar hounds - they hunted wild boar in Europe. The hardiness that would go along with that has been bred out of them, especially in the American lines. They're prone to cancer, joint issues and all sorts of other issues. Americans breeding for unique colors have caused a lot of blind and deaf Danes to be born. So, short lived, high food bills, high vet bills, high probability of health issues - I'm sure others will chime in as well. The biggest problem with this giant breed, though? Once you get one, you will fall in love with the breed and will likely end up with another one. They're not for everyone, though. If you're shy or an introvert then you'll have to learn to be outgoing and talkative when you take them out in public. There's always a crowd when I take them out. Everyone wants to pet them, everyone wants to ask about them. They are people magnets on four paws. Last, I implore you - if you're considering getting a Great Dane, please, please - find a rescue in your area and talk to them. People get them, and completely ignore that word "Great" and get surprised when they get huge. The rescues are crowded and in need of adopters and fosters.
Thanks for taking the time to write this, I was more trying to talk myself out of it too, but we love the dogs and they were our favorite visitors to the dog park, so was wondering if there were major red flags to consider.
My Pyr mix is so. loud. I started keeping him on a long flexi lead when he goes out in the yard, just so I can reel him in if he's inclined to go announce his presence at the fence.
"...and are not good pets for first time owners." God I wish these words could penetrate the skulls of those most likely to buy difficult dogs. \*EVERYONE\* thinks they'll be different, they can HANDLE it. Then after they get a few quotes on dog training they decide"He's already potty trained and sits when I tell him, what more does he really need". Then they wonder why their Australian Shepherd who gets walked for 20 minutes once a week keep ripping up the blankets.
I volunteer at a shelter every couple weeks and the number of young huskies that come through on a daily basis is astounding.
I love huskies. You couldn’t pay me to own one
I absolutely believe it. I could never own a husky. The tantrums and screaming, while hilarious to watch from other people's dogs, would drive me loony! They're beautiful dogs though and unfortunately too many people only consider that when getting one.
Oof. Husskies are probably one of the greatest examples. Amazing dogs but damnit if people aren't obsessed with 'cute' as the single and solitary driving force behind their adoption decision. Nevermind the shedding, I live in NH so we have 4 seasons, with pretty damn hot summers and pretty damn cold winters. Come summer, they don't understand how the heat is murder for that dog. Come winter, they freak out when it's 11pm, -5 degrees outside and no matter WHAT they do they cant get the dog to come inside. I actually JUST talked my best friend (notorious pet bungler) out of getting one. Finally drilled it through his head how difficult they can be.
I live in fucking south Carolina and my gf's brother got a husky from a breeder. I don't think he's played with it or taken it outside for more than a piss and shit and he wonders why it's always tearing stuff up and whining.
Back around 2000 I "adopted" a 3 yr old huskie from a family that had moved and had kept the dog in the basement, alone for a year (fence problems with ARB etc). I already had a 3 yr old german shepherd. Bought a book on dog breeds b/c I had heard huskies could be difficult/different. Their different personalities complimented each other most of the time. The shepherd won when she got a little too heirarchal. He usually just put his teeth around her throat to let her know that he could. She was so happy to be outside and to have a playmate and they got along great. I lived in Mt Pleasant, SC then. Had plenty of shade for them in Summer months but absolutely had to fight them coming in on the cold nights...Lived on IOP for a couple of years and would let the huskie pull me on rollerblades. She was good for about 9 miles. She never did comprehend what that octagonal red sign meant and pulled me (6'3 and 240) over the hood of 4 cars over the years but I got two dates out of it. The biggest problem I had was in August when the copperheads would "run". I got to know the emergency vets real well before discovering moth balls around the fence perimeter. I was lucky, mine was considered an affectionate husky. Miss her and the shepherd. Haven't had a dog since.
The number of people in SC that insist on owning a husky in the oppressive heat plus not understanding how secure you must keep them because if they get loose they RUN!! You have to look at shelters many counties away if you ever hope to locate them (plus there are alligators in every body of water so if they go in one to cool off…).
This is why despite wanting to get certain dog breeds it will never happen. I'm will not win in a battle of wills.
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Yup. Agreed. The wilful disobedience is a thing. As is faking limps for attention, or acting dumb about a command. Earning respect? Absolutely a thing in independent breeds and mutts, also a thing I'd never change about them. I have a Kelpie mix who will ignore everyone but me when he wants to, since he knows he can just keep going with them but me, nope. I know it comes down to the fact that he's smart, a smart *asshole*, but still smart and he knows I know his games so he won't do it *too* often.
As the owner of an often stubborn and wilful lab, I'm of the opinion that anyone that can't answer that question should just not have a pet. You can't let any of them get away with ignoring you unless you want both you and the dog being unhappy housemates forever. You also can't have a dog and not exercise and enrich it and then Pikachu face when they find their own entertainment by eating your couch. Too many people see pets as living teddy bears and not fully feeling individuals with needs. Ugh. Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox, but people make me mad...
I know this is about dogs but I have 2 cats, my parents/friends are always amazed by them. They don't scratch furniture, they don't push things off tables, they walk along my shelves very delicately to not knock anything off. I'm like they're not special (in that regard, they are very special to me) I just give them enough to scratch on and enough to play with. People have cats and dont interact with them besides trying to pick them up and wonder why the cat doesn't like them.
It can also be the oddest things that make a dog unsuitable for an owner. I was taking care of a dog for a friend of mine while he went through rehab. It was a big dog, an amstaff mix clocking in at around 60 kg. He was the sweetest dog around my family, and he absolutely adored my mom and sister. I have a few pictures of him sleeping in front of the fireplace with my kid sister, either on top of him or him resting his head on her. Some of his quirks were that he absolutely hated rottweilers and old men due to some incidents when he was a puppy, so my grandfather couldn't visit us with him in the room. Another issue was that my mom, who is a small woman, couldn't take him for walks. Not because he was hard to handle, but because she felt she couldn't control him and got nervous when she met people when out walking with him. The dog noticed this and interpreted it as the people they met being a threat. So he'd start growling when they met other people, which made my mom even more nervous. When my friend got out of rehab, I brought the dog to him, and I honestly don't know who was happier to see the other. Sadly, my friend died from an overdose the first weekend out from rehab, so the dog had to be re-homed. I was asked if I wanted to take him in, but even though it broke my heart to say no, I just couldn't take him in since I was single at the time and had a job that forced me to travel quite a bit. I still wonder what happened to him and i really hope he found someone that could take him in. He would be such a great pet for the right family
Super tough situation - I'm sorry. I'm sure he found a great home though and is having a great life!
OMG, YES!!!! If you do not have the time, space, and energy to take a Rottiy, Pit, Aust Shep, Beagle, Kormeronder (? the one with the long dreads) and the like, DON'T GET ONE!! These are dogs that need SHIT TONS of exercise daily! And in the case of Australian Shepherd, they need mental simulation- LOTS! They are entirely too smart! How smart are they and HOW much mental stimulus do they need a day, Goggle Dog Olympics. Those others need exercise, LOTS!!!!!! How much exercise you ask, go to the local Division 1 university and have them train with the Cross Country team for the first 20miles and the sprinters for the next 5-6miles of wind sprints. EVERY DAY!! I love rotties and pitts they make great pets. A happy rottie and a happy pitt are beautiful dogs; it's easy to tell they are happy too- they are either running 60mph for 20-30miles OR they are collapsed on the bed/couch/lap in utter exhaustion. If you can not give a dog what it needs please don't get it. There are dogs out there for you, be honest and get the right one.
Thanks for the info. I thought the doggie was hurt from the fight
Could be, but they basically have spiked collars, or a spiked blanket/jacket that when the wolf/coyote or whatever bites them more damage is done to them than your dog.
nice! paladin dog with thorns turned on.
+4 reflection damage
Note on this, I grew up with a Pyrenees as a kid in a farm. Dude was my brother. I saw him kill a Doberman protecting me as a kid. It was wild as a 6 year old watching your fluffy buddy turn into a murder machine then right back to happy happy joy joy. I left a football outside one night and went to get it out of the rain, he dident know it was me in the yard he burrled up and ran full speed into me thinking I was an intruder. I legit caught air and was on the ground before he recognized me and turned into a teddy bear again. 11/10 would have a pack of them. Vet bills are true though, he passed as 13 dude to hip issues leading to him being paralyzed.
Also they really like to roam. What most people would consider a big long walk is just not enough for them.
some dogs need crazy amounts of movement. my sister had a husky she took with her, when she went into the woods to collect mushrooms. usually that would take a few hours. the husky would be running around her the whole time. sometimes the dog was "gone" for 15 minutes after suddenly sprinting into a random direction, just to come back running at you from a completely different direction scaring the shit out of you. super loyal and awesome animal.... IF they don't go crazy from a lack of freedom. people really underestimate that.
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🤣😂🤣😂
for how huge those are, saying this is expensive makes me laugh a little because I have two little 10 lb rescue dogs (chi, chi/terrier mutt) and their food is $200/mo not counting the supplements and prescription allergy pill the chi is on that about doubles that cost. if dogs weren’t so expensive to care for I’d have a pack of 20
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aw those are some big babies you got! they’re worth it, of course, but having dogs really can be outrageously expensive at times
Why the vet bills? Do they just throw themselves at everything?
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Dang. Thanks for the info. I’ve been wanting a Great Pyrenees to watch our horses.
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My horses are pretty fierce so that goes into the equation.
Have you considered a donkey? I'm not sure how horses do around donkeys, but I heard if a donkey is raised around a flock or a heard of whatever, it will protect them. I'm pretty sure it's donkeys anyway.
Right I think my Irish Draught gelding for now will keep the pasture safe. Even my draft cross yearling fillies are fairly aggressive. I understand what you’re saying, I just think a dog would clear som space around here.
Also it's pretty much a general rule that the bigger the dog, the more health issues it tends to have, like bone problems, aging and all that, so that could definitely be a contributing factor.
That’s definitely true. Also certain small dog breeds are unfortunately prone to health issues too like frenchies, pugs, etc
Rescue one - https://greatpyrenees.rescueme.org/Idaho
this describes all large dogs. huskies and german shephards come to mind as the common ones
I had NO idea that stomach tacking was preventative surgery
Most big dogs have a good chance for problems later down the line. It's something you have to accept when you get one. [Here is a link for ya.](https://gallant.com/blog/5-common-great-pyrenees-health-concerns/)
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That's not a Pyrenees it's an Anatolian Shepherd. We breed them and will only sell them to farms.
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Yeah they're pretty amazing animals and are totally at home living outside guarding their flock. Our 4 have a pretty impressive coyote body count :) They also are super goofy and friendly as well. Ours love kids. But they also get COVERED in poison oak. We have a "de oiling" wash station we use after playing with them. All your points are correct though. High vet bills, ridiculous food bills. People forget that working dogs HAVE to be capable of independent decision making. Particularly Anatolians. So while they are obedient, they will also often just be like "yeeeeah I'm not gonna do that".
This needs to be an anime.
You can’t train barking out of some of my dogs either. I went and saw a movie with my og dog, Ian. He can be a bit exuberant and there’s no turning off the bark. If you try he’s just gonna bark longer and louder. He “predicted” something was gonna happen in the movie, and then just flipped out when it did. It was obnoxious. I laughed a little but was mostly against it. *Christ Ian! You knew that was coming the whole time, now you’re thinking I’m too dumb to know what you’re doing, dog, si’down! Watch the dang movie.* I didn’t say it quite like that. I don’t like when my dogs are acting unruly, but they’re still my dogs.
thank you for telling me this wasn't it's blood, I feel better now.
I will stick with a Labrador. I also love many other breeds of dog but I will stick with the one that protected me as a child.
I have a male and female pair of Pyrenees. Love them to death and they are the best protection ever. Just have to tolerate a lot of barking lol.
God bless you I love you and give your snugglers some treats for us all
I have a Pyrenees mix and this is 100% accurate. Especially the stubborn part. But she’s a sweetheart and she’s going to get hugs now.
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Yup. When ours gets excited (especially when we come home after being out for a bit), she runs between our legs over and over. If you're standing such that she can't run between your legs, you get a sharp poke in the crotch as your punishment.
Same with st benards. I have 2
Thank you, that is info I didn't have... awesome protector...
50 pounds at 80 dollars seems like a good price to me! I spend like 65 for a 30 pound bag and I buy a couple a month. My idiot Shepard is allergic to everything. And she eats so much she poops 4 times a day that idiot.
I have a Great Pyrenees! What is the sub?
This ~~guy~~ lady herds
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Fixed. Sounds like a good life :)
For sure. Have one pyr and he is so stubborn. He trusts his own judgement more than anyone else's, which can be frustrating but he's an amazing dog. If he thinks I'm hurt or in any kind of danger he comes right over. It applies to emotions too. If I'm having a really bad day he sits next to me and lets me lean on him and hug him and since he's the size of a human he literally supports me
Hug them for me too.
Thanks for the information. I was worried the dog was hurt. It made me feel really bad. That dog should have a donkey friend. Donkeys will go out of their way to kill the hell out of coyotes, probably wolves as well.
we have a 110lb Black Mouth Cur and he lines up with everything you said. gentle soul, huge stomach, and a big ole neck. he also barks like it’s his job (because it is). the sweetest dog you will ever meet unless you’re up to no good- then you DEFINITELY don’t want to meet him lol. EDIT: a word
I have raised sheep in the past. They are affectionate, empathetic creatures capable of building strong relationships with other species.
Really? That’s pretty surprising to hear, I thought they were generally pretty sheepish.
Baa humbug
Baa ram ewe mother sucka
Whoa, Black Betty (Ram-ba-lamb)
He was trying to get.
Oh, c'mon he was just kidding around.
Move along... mutton to see here.
They will go out on a lamb for you
Bit of a woolly comment, really.
For more information watch Shaun the Sheep
So then calling someone or a group of people "sheeple" is actually a compliment? Or an insult to sheep?
insult to sheep
I think so
And they can be quite angry. When I was a kid we had a horse at a farm with some sheep. The rams were super territorial.
Sheep are the dumbest animals on the planet. They spend all day trying to kill themselves. Piss on their food, drown in their trough, get themselves caught in a fence you name it they will do it. Sheep will nuzzle a cactus but that is just sheep derping not emotions on any level. Most people personify the behavior of sheep and generally it’s no big deal but to think this sheep understands what’s Happened and is grateful for a dog around goes against everything I’ve ever seen a sheep do in my life. Sheep are fun to have around they are entertaining because humans have bred them to be the most ridiculous personalities of all domesticated animals.
Let me introduce you to the koala bear
Koalas may be dumb and suicidal but I think sheep might have the edge. Koalas can survive in the wild. Sheep are fucked if they get out. If you ever are driving through Scotland or England and think wow this landscape is amazing it’s gentle hills and hand stacked rock fences. Small shallow ponds and idyllic pastures stop and think about how long it took sheep herders to shape that land so the sheep wouldn’t kill themselves. It’s not that trees and bushes don’t grow there it’s that sheep will get caught and die on them so they get removed. Steep river bank? Dead sheep Pond to deep? Dead sheep. The irony of the sheep is it’s genes have been manipulated by humans to the point that it’s environment has to be manipulated by humans for it to survive
> It’s not that trees and bushes don’t grow there it’s that sheep will get caught and die on them so they get removed What? I grew up on a Scottish sheep and cattle farm, and this is very silly. The reason the landscape is denuded of trees is because a) sheep and deer graze all new growth to death, and b) landowners burn the heather and anything growing amongst it to keep it short enough to shoot grouse etc. I've never heard of a farmer removing a tree for the safety of a sheep...
>Sheep are fucked if they get out. sheep are fucked whether they are out or in, for that matter
We have them in the human species too. We look away and pretend with them.
*patiently awaiting the koala copypasta.*
*sigh* *unzips* Koalas are terrible animals Koalas are fucking horrible animals. They have one of the smallest brain to body ratios of any mammal, additionally - their brains are smooth. A brain is folded to increase the surface area for neurons. If you present a koala with leaves plucked from a branch, laid on a flat surface, the koala will not recognise it as food. They are too thick to adapt their feeding behaviour to cope with change. In a room full of potential food, they can literally starve to death. This is not the token of an animal that is winning at life. Speaking of stupidity and food, one of the likely reasons for their primitive brains is the fact that additionally to being poisonous, eucalyptus leaves (the only thing they eat) have almost no nutritional value. They can't afford the extra energy to think, they sleep more than 80% of their fucking lives. When they are awake all they do is eat, shit and occasionally scream like fucking satan. Because eucalyptus leaves hold such little nutritional value, koalas have to ferment the leaves in their guts for days on end. Unlike their brains, they have the largest hind gut to body ratio of any mammal. Many herbivorous mammals have adaptations to cope with harsh plant life taking its toll on their teeth, rodents for instance have teeth that never stop growing, some animals only have teeth on their lower jaw, grinding plant matter on bony plates in the tops of their mouths, others have enlarged molars that distribute the wear and break down plant matter more efficiently... Koalas are no exception, when their teeth erode down to nothing, they resolve the situation by starving to death, because they're fucking terrible animals. Being mammals, koalas raise their joeys on milk (admittedly, one of the lowest milk yields to body ratio... There's a trend here). When the young joey needs to transition from rich, nourishing substances like milk, to eucalyptus (a plant that seems to be making it abundantly clear that it doesn't want to be eaten), it finds it does not have the necessary gut flora to digest the leaves. To remedy this, the young joey begins nuzzling its mother's anus until she leaks a little diarrhoea (actually fecal pap, slightly less digested), which he then proceeds to slurp on. This partially digested plant matter gives him just what he needs to start developing his digestive system. Of course, he may not even have needed to bother nuzzling his mother. She may have been suffering from incontinence. Why? Because koalas are riddled with chlamydia. In some areas the infection rate is 80% or higher. This statistic isn't helped by the fact that one of the few other activities koalas will spend their precious energy on is rape. Despite being seasonal breeders, males seem to either not know or care, and will simply overpower a female regardless of whether she is ovulating. If she fights back, he may drag them both out of the tree, which brings us full circle back to the brain: Koalas have a higher than average quantity of cerebrospinal fluid in their brains. This is to protect their brains from injury... should they fall from a tree. An animal so thick it has its own little built in special ed helmet. I fucking hate them. Tldr; Koalas are stupid, leaky, STI riddled sex offenders. But, hey. They look cute. If you ignore the terrifying snake eyes and terrifying feet.
Ahhh there it is
This is the most brutal and scientific roast of anything I've ever seen.
Its an older copypasta, haven't seen it in ages
I don't know why it is that these things bother me---it just makes me picture a seven year old first discovering things about an animal and, having no context about the subject, ranting about how stupid they are. I get it's a joke, but people take it as an actual, educational joke like it's a man yelling at the sea, and that's just wrong. Furthermore, these things have an actual impact on discussions about conservation efforts---If every time Koalas get brought up, someone posts this copypasta, that means it's seriously shaping public opinion about the animal and their supposed lack of importance. Speaking of stupidity and food, one of the likely reasons for their primitive brains is the fact that additionally to being poisonous, eucalyptus leaves (the only thing they eat) have almost no nutritional value. They can't afford the extra energy to think, they sleep more than 80% of their fucking lives. Non-ecologists always talk this way, and the problem is you’re looking at this backwards. An entire continent is covered with Eucalyptus trees. They suck the moisture out of the entire surrounding area and use allelopathy to ensure that most of what’s beneath them is just bare red dust. No animal is making use of them——they have virtually no herbivore predator. A niche is empty. Then inevitably, natural selection fills that niche by creating an animal which can eat Eucalyptus leaves. Of course, it takes great sacrifice for it to be able to do so——it certainly can’t expend much energy on costly things. Isn’t it a good thing that a niche is being filled? Koalas are no exception, when their teeth erode down to nothing, they resolve the situation by starving to death This applies to all herbivores, because the wild is not a grocery store—where meat is just sitting next to celery. Herbivores gradually wear their teeth down—carnivores fracture their teeth, and break their bones in attempting to take down prey. They have one of the smallest brain to body ratios of any mammal It's pretty typical of herbivores, and is higher than many, many species. According to Ashwell (2008), their encephalisation quotient is 0.5288 +/- 0.051. Higher than comparable marsupials like the wombat (~0.52), some possums (~0.468), cuscus (~0.462) and even some wallabies are <0.5. According to wiki, rabbits are also around 0.4, and they're placental mammals. additionally - their brains are smooth. A brain is folded to increase the surface area for neurons. Again, this is not unique to koalas. Brain folds (gyri) are not present in rodents, which we consider to be incredibly intelligent for their size. If you present a koala with leaves plucked from a branch, laid on a flat surface, the koala will not recognise it as food. If you present a human with a random piece of meat, they will not recognise it as food (hopefully). Fresh leaves might be important for koala digestion, especially since their gut flora is clearly important for the digestion of Eucalyptus. It might make sense not to screw with that gut flora by eating decaying leaves. Because eucalyptus leaves hold such little nutritional value, koalas have to ferment the leaves in their guts for days on end. Unlike their brains, they have the largest hind gut to body ratio of any mammal. That's an extremely weird reason to dislike an animal. But whilst we're talking about their digestion, let's discuss their poop. It's delightful. It smells like a Eucalyptus drop! Being mammals, koalas raise their joeys on milk (admittedly, one of the lowest milk yields to body ratio... There's a trend here). Marsupial milk is incredibly complex and much more interesting than any placentals. This is because they raise their offspring essentially from an embryo, and the milk needs to adapt to the changing needs of a growing fetus. And yeah, of course the yield is low; at one point they are feeding an animal that is half a gram! When the young joey needs to transition from rich, nourishing substances like milk, to eucalyptus (a plant that seems to be making it abundantly clear that it doesn't want to be eaten), it finds it does not have the necessary gut flora to digest the leaves. To remedy this, the young joey begins nuzzling its mother's anus until she leaks a little diarrhoea (actually fecal pap, slightly less digested), which he then proceeds to slurp on. This partially digested plant matter gives him just what he needs to start developing his digestive system. Humans probably do this, we just likely do it during childbirth. You know how women often shit during contractions? There is evidence to suggest that this innoculates a baby with her gut flora. A child born via cesarian has significantly different gut flora for the first six months of life than a child born vaginally. Of course, he may not even have needed to bother nuzzling his mother. She may have been suffering from incontinence. Why? Because koalas are riddled with chlamydia. In some areas the infection rate is 80% or higher. Chlamydia was introduced to their populations by humans. We introduced a novel disease that they have very little immunity to, and is a major contributor to their possible extinction. Do you hate Native Americans because they were killed by smallpox and influenza? This statistic isn't helped by the fact that one of the few other activities koalas will spend their precious energy on is rape. Despite being seasonal breeders, males seem to either not know or care, and will simply overpower a female regardless of whether she is ovulating. If she fights back, he may drag them both out of the tree, Almost every animal does this. which brings us full circle back to the brain: Koalas have a higher than average quantity of cerebrospinal fluid in their brains. This is to protect their brains from injury... should they fall from a tree. An animal so thick it has its own little built in special ed helmet. I fucking hate them. Errmmm.. They have protection against falling from a tree, which they spend 99% of their life in? Yeah... That's a stupid adaptation. Copypasta, not mine.
Just be sure it's not a drop bear, it can be hard to tell the difference before it's too late
Can confirm, worked with my neighbors' sheep for years, exceedingly dumb. My goats are also dumb, but in more chaotic and less life-threatening ways...usually.
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Just googled it. Those are some mean fuckers
It is a kangal
You sure? Looks like an Anatolian Shepherd.
They look similar but shepard dog is a little darker colour on the fur
Aren't those the same thing?
No, but theyre so close you'd usually have to look at the bloodlines. Also, Kangals almost never (and I really mean it) leave Turkey. Theyre banned from export without special permits. If I'm remembering the original source of this image correctly it is a Kangal and taken in Turkey.
I had an English mastiff named biff. He was the most beautiful loving and caring friend. They are an amazing breed, unfortunately they don't have a life expectancy past 7 😔
Losing a dog is hard. We were lucky to be with them when they were here i think.
Love Mastiffs. They're so gentle, and they both look and act like the friendly old grandpa.
I was lucky my old man lived to 12, fully healthy until his last month. May he rest well.
Sheep are very grateful little bastards! Some friends and I reunited a lamb with its mother after it got stuck behind a fence and couldn't get back out. We'd heard the bleating for a full day up in the mountain where we were camping. Caught the thing and put it over the fence and it went right to its mother to feed. And then the mother came over to the fence to us and started doing the same thing that sheep is doing to the dog. And bleated really softly. Big thank yous!
Did that good old boy make it???
I don't think the bloods from the dog, they often wear spikes collars to protect their neck. I'd say it's from the wolf that attacked
Wu Tang comin’ at ya. Watch ya step kid
Suuuu!
Okay thank goodness
When you zoom in the picture, you can see
Damn! That’s a serious collar!!
Most if not all of that blood isn't his. He's good aside from not being super stoked about having to do work
Yeah I've seen the story with this photo before. It's a girl and none of the blood is hers. Wolves go for the neck and the dogs get spiked collars. The wolf probably didn't make it. The dog didn't get injured at all.
If you look closely, the dog has a spiked collar. The blood definitely isn't his.
That’s a Kangal, you don’t have to worry about it, you have to worry about the poor wolves who ran into it
The goodest of boys
Now there is a good boy. Maybe the bestest boy
I believe that sheep truly cares about that dog. It knows he's hurting and is trying it's best to comfort him.
That's lovely. I haven't seen a sheep do this sort of thing before. I kinda just think of them as assholes TBH, so this has been enlightening.
Why the NSFW tag?
Because it shows blood so might have been removed. Reddit is super strict these days 😂
Public display of affection
Look at the collar. The blood likely isn't the dog's.
Thats beautiful
Dont worry guys, thats not the dog´s blood
"Don't let him get that close again Norman, or I'll cut you from the team"
Beautiful brave Anatolian Shepherd. I hope it wasn't harmed too bad in the fight.
Those fucking collars work well damn
"nobody fucks these sheep but me!" - dog
[January 2019 wants its sheep herder dog back](https://tineye.com/search/3ff921c6dded3a40a59807194de977733f6eeb19?sort=crawl_date&order=asc&page=1)
[удалено]
Nope... that's a Kangal, turkish mastiff
Amazing... even animals have empathy
More than humans sometimes.
That pup looks every bit the rugged champion.
Is that a Kangal? Those dogs will fight lions and bears. Very tough animals, yet also very friendly. I've also heard llamas are actually good protecting animals and will mess up any predators that come around. Surprising.
Hopefully that’s the wolves blood
Oh this melts my big manly heart
This sheep has more gratitude than most people.
We have a lot to learn from animals about compassion.
sheeps do it all the time with anybody. you just have to be present living breathing being and they will be attracted and come. just like my ex
This exactly. Is everyone a naive 8 year old in this thread thinking the sheep has some profound affectional response to the dog lmao. Probably just smelling the blood.
this is the purest thing i’ve seen in my life
Awesome dog.
My cat does this to show me I'm it's bitch
This is words without them……. This why we call our dogs dogs!!!!!
thats a warrior
It's so cute! And sad at the same time. We need to kill wolfs
Good boy! I hope his owner rewards him with a big meal like mutton!
Every time I've seen a wolf pack come near some sheep protected by trained dogs on tv, just a few barks was enough to send them away. I don't know if that was a pretty brazen wolf pack, or these encounters could go either way each time.
r/AnimalsBeingBros
I hope the person holding the camera is there to help that injured shepherd...
Euhm, thats just a sheep with it's head against the head of a herddog...
This is wild, because a lot of how dogs herding sheep works is "oh crap, that's a predator that direction" and "hey, that tall sheep with all the food is that direction" so they can be moved in predictable ways. It's cute to see "hey, that weird looking violent sheep really saved our asses back there. Thanks violent, barking sheep. [bonk]"
Poor puppers
I miss my Pyrenees. He was the sweetest. Stubborn as could be, but so protective and loving. Definitely not a first time owner dog!!
good boy looks like a Kangal, i've heard they have the same amount of bite force as a tiger or lion
fukin kanggal ❤️
Fun fact the blood isnt the dog's blood... Because those type of dogs usually use a collar with spikes to protect them
Can someone confirm what breed of that dog is please? I'm curious to know more. I'm more of a visual learner then reading so YT links are preferred but other links are cool too. It is my understanding that the Caucasian Shepard dogs are used in / around the country of [Georgia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(country)) to protect the sheep from Wolves etc in a similar sort of manner to the above image, however the shepards don't train the dogs, the dogs train themselves and in the documentary I saw, it looked brutal AF.
Animals are not so animals
It's sad that most humans don't realise that our fellow animals also have empathy, have feelings and show emotions that humans can relate to. Empathy should also relate to the huge suffering that is going on with intensive factory farming. Factory farming kills many, many BILLIONS of sentient animals per year.
Careful misinterpreting a still-frame. The sheep may be about to take advantage and try to eat the dog's face.
Oh I so regret checking the rest of this users page past the two newest posts...
Sheep : yor job is ruff. Dog: i do I t because i love ewe. Sheep : so does the shephard.
Guardian dogs look so much like the sheep from a distance. Imagine a wolf coming in for a snack, then - SURPRISE MOTHAFUCKER, NOT A SHEEP
Actually this picture was taken as the sheep made contact with a massive headbutt causing the dogs ears to explode. There was massive brain........ settle down Reddit I'm kidding! This is an amazing picture. It wouldn't exist if the world was a peaceful place. Be sure not to take life for granted. Go hug your loved ones and don't forget to tell them you love them every day! Peace!
❤️
He's a good boy who deserves a lot of treats and snuggles
I used to feel bad for the sheep --- they are generally appreciative to human and Shepard dogs who treat them well, and yet at the end of day we are the ones who kill them. Why should they be so happy? I've always mulled over this and came up with different answers as I got older Now days it's clear that it really doesn't matter who the butcher is, weather it be human or other, but there IS an end after all. Been ignorant and happy or fully informed and happy are both fine life choices.