The latest addition to the farm is Bess a 12 week old Pyrenean Mountain Dog. Pyrenean Mountain dogs are classed as 'livestock guardians' and if trained properly they will protect whatever livestock they live with, she could prove to be a brilliant help on the farm as one of the biggest obstacles to running a successful pasture poultry operation is predators (fox, dogs, minks & even humans!).
But, (and there always is a but) the challenge is that we have no experience of training such a dog. We may be the first in Ireland to try this out, I will post more details later on the breed, training and their role in farming and the pasture poultry model, meanwhile we can just admire how cute she is!
