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Bottom Feeder said:
Oooh I like the white one!
You didn't have him in the 2023 picture.
Are they both Ovcharkas?
BF
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Kuvasz. Kind of like a Great Pyrenees on steroids. This one goes 190 pounds. They are a wolf-slayer breed from Hungary. They are flock guardians and were also used as royal guard dogs.
 
CiscoKid said:
Kuvasz. Kind of like a Great Pyrenees on steroids. This one goes 190 pounds. They are a wolf-slayer breed from Hungary. They are flock guardians and were also used as royal guard dogs.
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Wolf-slayer?

That seems hard to breed in...given how dogs and wolves are so close, genetically.

Do they also attack other breeds, or even other dogs not in their pack?
 
Casey Jones said:
Wolf-slayer?

That seems hard to breed in...given how dogs and wolves are so close, genetically.

Do they also attack other breeds, or even other dogs not in their pack?
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They were bred to kill wolves, but they will protect their flock or pack from anything that threatens it. In Europe, they put iron collars on them with 4" spikes so the wolves have a hard time getting to their throats. In the 15th century, King Matthias of Hungary trusted his Kuvasz more than his royal guard and never went anywhere without a pair of them. Back then, only royalty could own them.

We use them for coyote control. And so far, the two of them have proven most effective.

Caucasian Ovcharkas are from the Caucus Mountains of central Russia. Bred to kill Siberian wolves, Russians call them wolf crushers. They have an average bite strength of up to 700 psi which is technically stronger than that of a lion. https://alloftheanimals.com/what-does-a-caucasian-shepherd-s-bite-force-look-like/ Compare that with 300 psi for a pit bull and you can see that these are formidable beasts.


Yes, they will consider other dogs a threat to their flock and act accordingly. The big white one is extremely protective of my wife and will not let anyone he doesn't know get near her. He doesn't growl or anything - he just stays between her and the stranger at all times. He will go as far as to sit on her feet while they talk. He will loosen up once he gets used to them and doesn't perceive them as a threat. Fortunately, it isn't easy for strangers to accidentally get into trouble as we have 45 acres, and it is fenced and gated. Our driveway is 800 feet long and our gate is always locked unless we are expecting somebody. In other words - no trick-or-treaters are getting eaten.

They sleep most of the day because they work at night. They consider our house their "den". They sleep on the wrap around porch. If something needs investigating, one will go to check it out while the other stays close to the "den". They work well together.
 
At that size, he could earn his keep.

Harness him up; and get a small mower gang - the old traction-driven reel mowers, the sort that golf courses used to use. He could pull a three-reel gang with ease.

You could sell that riding mower to pay his butcher's bill.
 


Anyone notice the donkey in the background? That's Sancho.
 
searcher said:
You guys have a lotta grass to cut.
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After subtracting for the woods, ponds, house, barns, and pool, I probably have around 38 acres to mow. I break it up into smaller projects rather than try to mow it all in one day. The front fields get finish mowed since that is what is visible from the road. Everything in the back just gets bush hogged. The lawn around the house is about 3 acres and is handled by a pair of commercial zero turns. Here's the front - the balloon crash landed in the driveway which splits the two fields. Most of the property is out back.

 
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Balloon Crash? My older son owns 2 balloons. I guess most of them do look like they are crashing when they land about half the time. Depending on the wind they can get dragged around quite a bit. It looks like they've landed between two fence lines??? Do you own the balloon or know the people who own it?

BTW that's a nice piece of property. I'll bet its a full time job looking after it. But I'm also pretty sure its a labor of love. I dig the dogs too. We have some friends who have some Great Pyrenees. Nice dogs that bark some and always seem to want attention. But I like the idea of having a big guard dog. Especially since you've got a good size piece of property.

I can't really tell what size your Zero Turn is. I started out with a 48" for the 4 acres I mow, but traded up to a 61". It cut my mowing time by a third.
 

The guys in the balloon claimed they had to set it down due to heavy fog. You see any fog?

As for the zero turns, the one in the photo is a Hustler X-One with a 60" deck. Two years later, I bought a Super Z with a 72" deck. Between the two, we can keep the yard cut and we use them to cut in fields so I don't have to try to get too close to the fence with my big tractor.
 
Ok so they were unwelcomed guests. I think their brains were in a fog.... . OR they may have been headed for a foggy area (Its amazing what, and how far, you can see from one of those things) and they are pretty much at the mercy of the wind. AND the winds can change dramatically at different elevations. Anyway at least you got a cool pic. Did they ask for permission to land there? Did they offer you a ride?

My Zero turn is a Skag Liberty. I'm waiting for the leaves to drop before I do my final cut for this year to mulch them in.
 
ALWAYS tie the tree off, if you have cats.

My mother learned that early. We had some cat repellent in rags around the base, too, which helped.

Finally, no glass balls. My mother lost several when her cats got up the trunk of the natural tree...she chose to buy cheap plastic decorations instead.
 
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