Livestock Guardian Dog
Not to be confused with Herding dogs.
LGD is a little known but very prestigious designation.
Livestock guardian dogs stay with the group of animals they protect as a full-time member of the flock or herd. Their ability to guard their herd is mainly instinctive, as the dog is bonded to the herd from an early age. Unlike the often smaller herding dogs that control the movement of the livestock, LGDs blend in with them, watching for intruders within the flock.
The mere presence of a guardian dog is usually enough to ward off some predators, and LGDs will confront predators by vocal intimidation, barking, and displaying very aggressive behavior. The dog may attack or fight with a predator to protect the flock, if they are not able to drive predators off otherwise.
Livestock guardians may actively look for predators within protected territory to catch and destroy them, and there are known cases of dogs luring coyotes to the source of food to hunt them.
History
The use of dogs in protecting livestock originated over 2000 years ago, with their use being recorded as early as 150 BC in Rome.[ Many of the modern day livestock guardian dogs are thought to descend from the extinct Molossus breed used by the Molossians.Training
There are many myths in the west regarding the training of livestock guardian dogs, particularly the very incorrect idea that human contact should be kept to a minimum. Training requires regular, daily handling & management, preferably from birth. Livestock guardian dog breeders who do not handle their dogs should be avoided.
A guardian dog is not considered reliable until it is at least 2 years of age as it is still a puppy. Up until that time, supervision, guidance, & correction is needed to teach the dog the skill & rules it needs to do its job. Having older dogs that assist in training younger dogs streamlines this process considerably.
In Namibia in Southwest Africa, Anatolians are used to guard goat herds from cheetahs, and are typically imprinted between seven and eight weeks of age. Impoverished Namibian farmers often came into conflict with predatory cheetahs; now, Anatolians usually are able to drive off cheetahs with their barking and displays of aggression.
Traits
LGDs are generally large and protective, which can make them less
than ideal for urban or even suburban living.
Nonetheless, despite their size, they can be gentle, make good companion dogs, and are often protective towards children. If introduced to a family as a pup, most LGDs are as protective of their family as a working guard dog is of its flock.
In fact, in some communities where LGDs are a tradition, the runt of a litter would often be kept or given as a household pet or simply kept as a village dog without a single owner.
At least 2 dogs may be placed with a flock or herd depending on its size, the type of predators, their number, and the intensity of predation. If predators are scarce, one dog may be adequate though most operations usually require at least two dogs. Large operations (particularly range operations) and heavy predator loads will require more dogs. Both male and female LGDs have proved to be equally effective in protecting of livestock.
The three qualities most sought after in LGDs are trustworthiness, attentiveness and protectiveness—trustworthy in that they do not roam off and are not aggressive with the livestock, attentive in that they are situationally aware of threats by predators, and protective in that they will attempt to drive off predators.
Dogs, being social creatures with differing personalities, will take on different roles with the herd and among themselves: most sticking close to the livestock, others tending to follow the shepherd or rancher when one is present, and some drifting farther from the livestock. These differing roles are often complementary in terms of protecting livestock, and experienced ranchers and shepherds sometimes encourage these differences by adjustments in socialization technique so as to increase the effectiveness of their group of dogs in meeting specific predator threats.
LGDs that follow the livestock closest assure that a guard dog is on hand if a predator attacks, while LGDs that patrol at the edges of a flock or herd are in a position to keep would-be attackers at a safe distance from livestock. Those dogs that are more attentive tend to alert those that are more passive but perhaps also more trustworthy or less aggressive with the livestock.
While LGDs have been known to fight to the death with predators, in most cases predator attacks are prevented by a display of aggressiveness. LGDs are known to drive off predators that physically they would be no match for, such as bears and even lions.
With the reintroduction of predators into natural habitats in Europe and North America, environmentalists have come to appreciate LGDs because they allow sheep and cattle farming to coexist with predators in the same or nearby habitats.
Unlike trapping and poisoning, LGDs seldom kill predators; instead, their aggressive behaviors tend to condition predators to seek unguarded (thus, non-farm animal) prey. For instance, in Italy's Gran Sasso National Park, where LGDs and wolves have coexisted for centuries, older, more experienced wolves seem to "know" the LGDs and leave their flocks alone.
List of breeds
There are many breeds of LGDs, many of which are little known outside of the regions in which they are still worked. Although some breeds are known to display traits advantageous to guarding livestock.Some specialist livestock guarding dog breeds include:- Abruzzese Mastiff
- Akbash Dog
- Anatolian Shepherd Dog
- Armenian Gampr dog
- Bucovina Shepherd Dog
- Bakharwal Dog
- Carpathian Shepherd Dog
- Cão de Castro Laboreiro
- Caucasian Shepherd Dog
- Central Asian Shepherd Dog
- Cão de Gado Transmontano
- Cão da Serra da Estrela
- Croatian Sheepdog
- Estrela Mountain Dog
- Gaddi Kutta
- Georgian shepherd dog
- German Shepherd
- Great Pyrenees
- Greek Shepherd Dog
- Himalayan Sheepdog or Tibetan Mastiff
- Kangal Dog
- Karakachan Dog
- Karst Shepherd (Kraški Ovčar)
- Komondor
- Kuvasz
- Maremma Sheepdog (Cane da pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese)
- Mioritic
- Perro Majorero
- Polish Tatra Mountain Sheepdog (Polski Owczarek Podhalański)
- Pyrenean Mastiff
- Rafeiro do Alentejo
- Sage Koochee
- Šarplaninac
- Serra da Estrela
- Slovak cuvac (Slovenský čuvač)
- South Russian Ovcharka
- Spanish Mastiff
- Tibetan Mastiff
- Tornjak (Bosnian and Herzegovinian - Croatian Shepherd Dog)
- Vikhan Sheepdog
Livestock Protection Dogs
Predatory animals are a source of continual frustration to
most homesteaders who raise livestock.
A quietly foraging flock of sheep or hens will too often provide an easy meal to such animals as coyotes and foxes. Worse yet, wild dog packs — which often include tame canines that are allowed to run, and which have been known to attack people — have become almost commonplace in many areas.
However, farmers frequently have little choice but to write
off herd or flock losses rather than try to cope with the
various marauders, because they've found that attempting to
control the varmints by shooting or trapping them is time
consuming, poisons often endanger innocent species
and physical barriers are just too costly.
In fact, protection dogs are actually followers: they meander behind their flocks quietly, almost lethargically. If you were to spend a long period of time observing an assembly of livestock with a good guard dog in its midst, you'd probably be amazed at the total lack of action in the field. No stock disappear, no predators set foot inside the pasture and no strangers are allowed entrance in the dog's territory.
Evidently the mere presence of such a canine is enough to discourage most predators. If a coyote, another dog or an unknown human should intrude upon the scene, though, the attitude of the dog will change drastically. It will first sound a barking challenge. If that doesn't repel the intruder, the canine will "rush" the stranger with tail upraised. The dog will always carefully position itself between its charges and the trespasser, and — if necessary — can become quite aggressive. However, once a predator has been driven off the premises, the dog generally returns to the flock, knowing that its place is alongside the grass-grazers, not out chasing after a fight.
Obviously, you won't be finding many of these very specialized animals at your neighborhood pet shop. In fact, only a few are readily available in the United States. They are offered mostly through special breeders and associations.
See these sites for more information:
How to Fend Off Wild Animals
The guard dogs are often referred to as "shepherds," but they don't actually herd livestock in the manner of Border collies or Belgian sheepdogs. Instead, these animals have more "maternal" and protective instincts and will allow their charges to wander freely — as long as they remain in sight and out of trouble.In fact, protection dogs are actually followers: they meander behind their flocks quietly, almost lethargically. If you were to spend a long period of time observing an assembly of livestock with a good guard dog in its midst, you'd probably be amazed at the total lack of action in the field. No stock disappear, no predators set foot inside the pasture and no strangers are allowed entrance in the dog's territory.
Evidently the mere presence of such a canine is enough to discourage most predators. If a coyote, another dog or an unknown human should intrude upon the scene, though, the attitude of the dog will change drastically. It will first sound a barking challenge. If that doesn't repel the intruder, the canine will "rush" the stranger with tail upraised. The dog will always carefully position itself between its charges and the trespasser, and — if necessary — can become quite aggressive. However, once a predator has been driven off the premises, the dog generally returns to the flock, knowing that its place is alongside the grass-grazers, not out chasing after a fight.
Obviously, you won't be finding many of these very specialized animals at your neighborhood pet shop. In fact, only a few are readily available in the United States. They are offered mostly through special breeders and associations.
See these sites for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestock_guardian_dog
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/livestock-protection-zmaz82jfzglo.aspx
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