Succeeding with Livestock Guardian Dogs

The livestock guardian dogs are breeds that are most favorable for the potential of guarding what they bond to. They are not bred to guard livestock per se', rather their purpose lies in their ability to bond strongly and to ward off danger.

Whether a pup makes a decent guardian dog is highly dependent on the environment he is raised in so it is important not to hold the dogs breeding entirely at fault should a pup not make a good flock guardian.

Since their success hinges on how they are raised more than on their breeding it is critical to learn how to raise a livestock guardian pup and how to care and train the LGD if you wish to utilize one to guard your flock.

Raymond and Lorna Coppinger have a tremendous amount of experience with nature (breed genetics) and nurture (environment raised in) in all dogs. They share those experiences with a chapter devoted to flock guardian dogs in their book Dogs. Anyone who uses or wishes to use dogs in this manner would benefit from reading this information.

Guardian dogs should not be considered fighting guard dogs. While it is their nature to fight and defend should they feel enough pressure, it is rare that these dogs will need to fight. Many do their job by chasing sheep predators off thus making it unnecessary to fight. The presence of a confident livestock guardian dog will often be enough.

Other aggressive dog behavior in your LGD may or may not be for the reasons you think and some of these tendencies can be prevented or dealt with early on.

Breeds

There are several breeds of livestock guardian dogs originating from various countries, however only a handful of these are common in North America.

The more common dog breeds in North America include several of the white dog breeds such as Maremma, Kuvasz, Akbash, Komondor, and Great Pyrenees.

Other not so common breeds include the Anatolian, Ovcharka, Pyrenean Mastiff and Sarplaninac.

If you are interested in hearing what breeds others are having success with, check out the guard dog breeds page where readers contribute their stories about the dogs they use. If you already use LGD's please feel free to visit and share your own success story and help expand this resource.

Where can I find a livestock guardian dog?

One nifty thing about guardian dogs is that they are still used for a working purpose, to ward off predators. Hence they are commonly used on many ranches, not just sheep ranches, and are not difficult to find.

There are often guardian dogs listed in agriculture publications with classified ads and your regional sheep industry office will also have leads and information.

Talking to other sheep and goat producers is another sure way to find reputable dogs.

Do all flock guardian dogs work the same?

No. Some dogs will show more of tendency to stay with the flock. They move with flock, eat with the flock, and sleep with the flock. You will often see these dogs hanging out amidst the flock or relaxing from a vantage point nearby.

Other dogs show a tendency to patrol territory, keeping any intruders out by marking and making their presence known to any traveling canines. Just as often as they are with the flock they are away from it. Often they can be seen moving along the perimeter of the pasture area they are in.

One working style is not necessarily better than another. It comes down to the ranchers situation, what she prefers from her dogs and the land area the dog is set to guard in. After that successful care and training will determine how the dog works out.

Home | Top of page | About Us | Contact