gaurd llama

[brounleif]

what kind of training would a gaurd llama need?  my gp is practically useless except as intimidation, so i'm thinking of moving her down with the boys and getting a llama, but i don't know what to look for.  heeeeellllppp!
what do they eat?  
what kind of shelter do they need?
what do you look for when you shop for one?  my vet raises them as does my neighbor.
i might be able to luck into a cheap one from the neighbors b/c they trade/barter a lot, but i'm not sure how knowledgeable they are about them.

[prairiewolf75]

The best advice I could offer is if you are looking for a llama as a guard, don't get an intact male, they will try to breed your does and could injure or even kill them.   Well that is a real plus about llamas, they eat essentially the same as the goats, making them easy to care for at feeding time and cheap too!  I am not sure about the goat minerals if they are ok with the copper, etc. You might want to ask a vet about that.  They don't really need any training per say, either they have what it takes to be a good guardian animal or they don't.  But it works best if you only have one llama in with your goats, then they view the goats as their herd and protect them. You will have to think about shearing that hair off in the summer, llamas can overheat in hot climates.  There are people that go around and shear people's sheep for them, many of them will do llamas too. I think there is one in this area that will do it pretty cheap like $40 or something. Or with a good set of clippers/shears you can do it yourself.  I did it one year with scissors, OK..wasn't the prettiest job, but it worked.  I wouldn't recommend that route, it took me two days.  :roll:  

If you don't mind me asking what problems are you having with your Pyr?  Good luck, hope if you get a llama you will post pictures, they are such pretty animals!

[brounleif]

jennifer, the pyre isn't so much a problem, as just terrifically lazy.  she got to be a puppy dog too long before she was a goat dog, so she thinks she belongs with the house dogs or the kittens in the milk barn.  she is a terrific girl, terribly intelligent, almost to the point of paranormal understanding.  and she's a wonderful adoptive mommy, the kittens even crawled all over her, and she's very protective of my kids.  right now she's a yard dog, but she's becoming a traffic nusiance, so i think she's going to have to go live with the boys soon.