My dogs are my farm partners. They work here. Without them I couldn't do what I do; predators would come in and eat everyone, I wouldn't know what was going on outside, and my yard wouldn't be safe. I would also feel isolated, like no one has my back, but that's something even an old dog or a young puppy can fix.
And that's the thing. A puppy takes two years to train into a decent guardian; they need to go through the 2-year maturation of guarding instincts. Before that it's unclear what their personality will be, and there's always a chance they'll chase livestock or not get along with the pack long-term.
The large breeds don't live super long and guarding can be hard on their bodies: it's a lot of running, nights outside, being alert and aware and sometimes in deterrance mode for long stretches of time.
I'd expect Avallu to live 12-14 years. His pedigree all has elbows and hips x-rayed and checked out nicely on both sides, he's on the small side for a male Tornjak, I've kept his weight down, and he's been on joint-supportive large-breed food all his life. Even so I expect him to become less mobile before too long. He's 7 this year.
Thea's a bit more of a wildcard. Maremmas are a more popular breed and so records and breeding has been looser. Average maremma lifespan is 12 years. She's a tiny girl for her breed but a little chunkier than Avallu, also been on supportive large breed feed all her life. Her parents and their parents didn't have hip x-rays though they were still doing well when I got her. She's 6 this year. She's also excellent at, well, understanding what I want and disciplining Avallu when he doesn't do it, which is hilarious. She'd be a good puppy trainer I think.
And that's what this is all about. Some well-bred tornjak puppies are available in my country. This does not happen often if ever. Avallu was brought in from Germany; I'd expect to import from the Czech republic or Croatia if I were to get another Tornjak. They're vanishingly rare on this continent.
Other options for guardian replacement are a CAS - central asian shepherd. They got very popular and people thought of them as a big mean breed, so lots of bad breeding was done to create large, aggressive dogs for sale to the kind of people who thought they wanted that. As a big breed they'd have a ton of bad hips etc. There is a place in California, Grand Central Asians, who does an amazing job breeding working CAS for small, integrated family farms and that's where I'd go if I wasn't replacing with a tornjak.
I wasn't planning to get a puppy this year. But:
-my chance to get a puppy will be very different next year, likely CAS but not local-ish Tornjak
-Avallu is 7, so when this puppy is ready to work fully he'll be 9. That's... getting to an age where he shouldn't have to go up against a bear if he doesn't want to
-a puppy is probably better integrated with Avallu specifically than an older dog, especially an older, already trained guardian
-Not sure I can or want to live without a Tornjak. They're special.
-This is a very well-bred litter with lots of working parents in the line
-I'm always worried about money so it's not like I can expect next year to be better in that regard
Cons:
-puppy. I've avoided little puppies thus far, Thea was several months old and Avallu was a year and a half when they came onboard. Thea will likely keep it from eating chickens but my stairs still have tooth marks from when she was teething.
-3 dogs is a lot.
-integration of a third dog is going to be a pain no matter what.
-it's a commitment to live on property. Some people have tornjaks in cities and tbh Avallu would probably be fine in a yard with daily walks, but three large-breed dogs does preclude moving into town.
-Have to get puppy here from Alberta
-$$$
-Have to decide on sex of puppy
-puppy. Training. Though work-from-home several days a week will help with that.
-it's a significant time commitment, especially during brushing season etc.
Not sure what to do. It seems like something I might regret if I don't do it.
I'm still kind of sad that Avallu can't sleep on my bed. He goes into ultra-guardian mode and chases all the other animals out of the whole downstairs if allowed to. That's not ok for the poor cats and poor Thea, who need access to that floor. I haven't tried in the last several years, maybe he's mellowed? His relationship with the cats has certainly improved. Actually, I wonder if he'd keep the cats out of my bedroom? Hazard has recently taken to opening the door and letting himself in, which is Not Allowed (I'm allergic to cats so they stay out of the bedroom).
Argh. Still wrestling with this.
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