What to know before buying a livestock guardian dog

   I do a lot of research and reading with reference to livestock guardian dogs (LGDs), from research papers, scientific papers and even social media forums. I continually read posts on social media asking relatively the same questions, “What LGD can I buy that will not wander off farm?” or “Why is my LGD do this or that?” or “How do I train my LGD not to chase or bite?”.  The answer quite frankly is “you shouldn’t have to”. These questions, in my opinion, come from a place of either confusion, frustration, and/or ignorance. Now, I know there are a ton of dogs out there that are the exception, they sit right with your sheep or goats, and if you have one, great… this isn’t directed at you. But for all the folks out there that don’t have an LGD that is performing the job they were bred to do, or you are considering buying one, then please read on. I’d also like to say that I’m not an expert on all things LGD; I’ve owned a lot of them over the years, I like the breeds I own for the reasons I own them, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes. So, this isn’t to promote any particular breed, but to explain how they work and give you some knowledge and insight into make an informed decision.

First off, not all LGDs are created equal!

Cross Creek Titan - Anatolian Shepherd. Titan can normally be found on a high vantage point, someplace he can see all the animals from. He is a perimeter protector and likes to roam around the ranch. In the morning and evening, he will complete a perimeter check; sometimes we’ll see him leaded out the sheep in the morning as they feed, following him along the trails.

   These dogs have been genetically changed over thousands of years, using selection-based breeding, to eliminate instinctual behaviors normally associated with prey drive. Shepherds in those old-world locations had a consistent presence during the development of each dog and knew which one to breed (and not breed). I once asked a Macedonian Shepherd how they chose which dog to breed, and the reply was “We breed the one all the sheep hide behind when wolves come.” You see, an LGD is a lot more than a breed of dog, it’s the instincts, trustworthiness, attentiveness, protective behavior, loyalty, and workability.

    Prey drive (or foraging behavior) instincts that are evident in canine predators are: orient, eye stalk, stalk, chase, grab bite, kill bite, dissecting bite. You’ll see in all of the working lines that some of these instincts are still present, i.e. you might not have a good herding dog without the first four. In the same way as an LGD, your hunting, herding, retrieving and others, were selectively breed, genetically changed over however long it took, to develop what we have today. The difference with an LGD is it shouldn’t have any of these traits, or very little. It’s been studied and published that in canine predatory behavior, these prey drive instincts start to show up as a young puppy 4 to 8 weeks of age, the earlier they show up, the stronger the instinct. As they show up, they get shuffled into “puppy play” which reinforces the behavior and hones the skill. The more a puppy is allowed to play with the instinct, the greater the chance it shows up in the adult behavior. On top of that, there also are studies conducted to determine what the critical period of socialization is for dogs. It starts when they open their eyes at 2 weeks of age, ear open at 3 weeks, maximum exploration between 4 and 8 weeks, with a long trail off until approximately 16 weeks. This determines the puppy’s hazard and/or avoidance experience. A puppy will bravely walk up on an unknown danger at 4 weeks and begin to avoid anything not experienced at 8 weeks. This is why most people in the know will tell you they want their LGD puppy born in a barn with the animals it’s intended to protect, to a dam and sire who are working dogs. This maximizes the chance the puppy has the desired instincts, from the time the puppy was 2 weeks old it’s flooded with the sights, smells, noise and experience of the target livestock. Anything the puppy hasn’t experience by 8 weeks of age begins to fall into the avoidance category. Doesn’t mean you can’t train them, but you are already behind the 8-ball.  So, it is reasonable to assume, if you (or the breeder) are present during these formative weeks and are dutiful in stopping the play development of prey instincts, then as the dog grows, there is less of a chance the adult will display the behavior. In this case, you have adopted the role of the old-world shepherd.

Cross Creek Theia - Sarplaninac Shepherd at 8 weeks old. In this image Theia is in a “look, but don’t touch pen” separated from the livestock while they adjust to her. The jump through gate is for an adult Anatolian who is also present with the stock. Seems like the training phase goes so much smoother when there is a working adult present to help adjust the puppy.

It is also reasonable to assume with the use of good training techniques and positive reinforcement, you can train a dog with poor LGD instincts not to use these predatory genetics in the execution of their duties as a guardian.

    There are just a few problems with this!  First off, most people don’t start training LGD puppies until they are 8 to 10 weeks of age. Couple that with a puppy born in a barn without the target livestock you intend it to guard. What about the breeders that birth and rear the puppies inside the house, or believing the dog needs to bond with you first and only be taken to the barn on a tether when you’re feeding? An LGD in the old country was continually developed without prey drive instincts through selective breeding and shepherd interaction, however, we now are dealing with dogs removed from this age-old process. Seams every dog born to a LGD breed in America is assumed to be a livestock guardian. Adult dogs who might have been ‘prey driven puppies’ that became trained adults, are allowed to breed. What about the breeders ready to make a buck without any concern with whether the puppy has a prey drive or not? These poor instincts are passed into the puppy’s genetic memory, not the training the dam or sires received.  Then we have our novice homesteader or rancher who owns an LGD. They most likely have read you should avoid spay or neuter until the puppy is grown (approx. 2 years old), only to have it escape and bred a neighborhood dog. I’ve seen this on the local ‘for sale’ rag a number of times. Recently I saw “LGD puppies for sale cheap”; It was an Anatolian Shepherd litter the person listed as “LGDs for sale” and in the ad stated the female Anatolian was likely breed by the neighborhood black lab????? Even worst, when the mate is a breed of dog with high prey drive, like a herding or retrieving dog; you’ll have the makings of a real LDG disaster! Here is an answer I saw online that sums up the LGD-Cross question fairly well… (Taken from Facebook w/authors permission)

“What’s the real problem with a cross, just trying to learn?”

·   “It's kind of like trying to use a butter knife as a screwdriver. In some situations, we might MAKE it work, but we're far more likely to succeed if we use the right tool. When it comes to genetics though, it's even more complex. Genetics aren't 50/50 and phenotype (appearance) gives very little indication of aptitudes. If nothing else, you've got one poor dog with competing instincts. The LGD has very low prey-drive; that's why we can trust them to live with the livestock and to protect without supervision. So, did your half-GSD or half-Husky somehow get none of the very HIGH prey drive genes? Did it also get the very high defense drive of the LGD? That's crucial too; the defense drive that allows these dogs to take on huge predators is not the same drive that a Personal Protection Dog uses when protecting its human from other human threats. The stronger genetic drive often remains a mystery until the herd starts getting torn up.”

   Not many years ago, I fell prey to another issue. Being frustrated with poor instinctual LGDs that required a lot of training to break them of their bad behaviors, I sought out a breeder to get a pure-bred registered dog. I thought by getting a registered dog reduced the chances of poor instincts, after all, the “pure breed” meant it was just like the old-world right? Boy, was I wrong. In fact, this particular dog was worse than the others I spend years training. Chasing, biting, bullying the livestock, testing every training method I knew, until eventually harming an animal before she was removed. We also had medical issues with her. She came with an issued health certificate, but it didn’t stop the early onset of arthritis and how debilitating that became in the dog’s ability to do anything. She sure was pretty though. This was the beginning of my unfortunate understanding between the “Best in show” dogs and “Working lines”. People want that beauty, so some breeders overseas compete in developing the best example of the dog to export. They have their best in show, blue ribbons all over the kennels website. Well, I want the dog who still has manure in its fur, the best in field!

Cross Creek Theia - Sarplaninac Shepherd out with the flock.

    Now, let say for the sake of argument, you got it right or just got lucky up to this point…  There are different views on training your little bundle of joy. One way is to place the puppy in what is called a “look don’t touch” pen, allowing it access each day under supervision, ever increasing the access until its mature, then allowing it full time access once it’s displayed its trustworthiness. This is a caged area next to the livestock where the dog can see, smell and be around the animals, but they can’t interact with each other unless you’re allowing it. Another style is to throw the dog out in the field with the stock and let it figure it out, after all, it’s a livestock guardian, it should know what to do, right? This will most likely end up with quite a few bumps and bruises, but if the dog has the right genetic instincts, and the livestock doesn’t hurt the puppy, it will likely succeed, or it wouldn’t be a training method for long. I just can’t imagine how many puppies are lost with this method. Then there is the other method I alluded to above, which is the dog lives at the house with you, because people believe it needs to bond with you first. You put the dog on a tether and take it everywhere with you, then after the dog is bond to humans, they take one of the other options to “finish it”. I feel like all the posts I read about LGDs that escape the animal pen and end up on the owner’s front porch come from this style. The dog desires to be with humans more than stock.

Cross Creek Grizz - Anatolian and German Shepherd cross (Back) and Cross Creek Koda - Anatolian and Great Pyrenees cross (front). Grizz being a cross Anatolian and German Shepherd never made it as an LGD, however is an excellent pet here at the Ranch; that is if you like a 130 lb dog that sheds in your house. Koda being a cross between two LGD breeds was fine, however medically his knees failed him too early in life. This is one reason a health exam is on our short list of things to ask about with the Dam and Sire. You need to try and eliminate as many items that could shorten your dog’s effectiveness as you can.

   Here is a different look at the same situation after reading this far and some other things to consider before you purchase a LGD, after all, why not give yourself the best chance possible to succeed?

  Figure out what breed is right for your situation, not which one you want and not the one that is most available. Remember that every one of these breeds was selectively bred to fulfill a particular niche; perimeter protection, sticky LGD, ranging massive amounts of land, or just small holdings. Which matches your situation best? Are you dealing with large or smaller predators? Consider grizzly and black bears, cougars, wolves, coyotes, eagles and 2 legged predators. Do you need a LGD to cover miles and miles? Are you on small acreage and need the dog to stay with a flock of sheep on 10 acres? Find a breeder who has the target animals you intend to use the LGD to guard. Talk to them and make sure the puppies are barn born, from working parents. Ask to see the parents work, spend some time and watch them, their interaction with the stock. Do they move when the stock moves, do they run off and return regularly, do they find a high spot and watch the whole farm? Is this what you expect from your dog? Because if the parents do it, most likely the puppy will do it. Ask questions, lots of them. This is also the time I would ask what discipline issues they had with the dam and sire, if anything. Make sure the parents are health checked and had their hips tested; you don’t want a lame dog who will only be around for a few years. Ask for proof, ask for references, ask about instincts; you shouldn’t know more than them based on reading this. Any person selling a livestock guardian dog should be able to answer these questions, any avoidance in answering your questions would be an immediate answer to “should I buy one of these puppies?” Ask them if they will train the puppy further, bond to livestock, let the puppy spend more time with the adults. The worst they say at this point is no.

  If you know you’re getting an LGD, then I would also get livestock that has experience with a dog. You might be able to get livestock from the same farm. Some breeders will take the extra time to bond the puppies, this costs more but reduces the frustration of trying to correct something.  It is also not a bad idea to buy an adult LGD who is already preforming the work needed. Sometimes I’ve seen livestock and dog available together due to a change in life or a forced move. The livestock issue here is that most goats and sheep have no interest in hanging out with a canine, because some of the canines eat goats and sheep, and their instincts know it. Imagine you buy livestock, and then bring home an LGD, the LGD wants to be around the livestock, just like the barn it was born in, and your livestock want to run from the canine, just like they had to do at the last farm with heavy predation… So, you have a dog running to keep up with livestock that’s running from the dog… kind of looks like chasing when I see it. The other thing that might happen at this point is the puppy gets brutalized by the aggressive livestock, so you need to tread lightly. If you have no choice, I would pen the most even-tempered livestock up tight with the puppy (providing a location for the puppy to escape from attack). Don’t allow the livestock enough room to get a running start at your puppy. In my experience, it only takes about a week for the livestock to realize the puppy means them no harm and will start to get used to its presence. Once you have a small group of stock that will allow the puppy near, the rest of the stock will get the point after a while.

   Now some additional information. LGDs protect in three different ways. The first is territory exclusion, meaning they begin to mark out a territory no different than the wild predators, letting them know, “this area is mine!” I’ve heard people taking their puppy on perimeter patrols, allowing it to mark. This is a good way to train your puppy to leave its animals, not the idea we are looking for. Your livestock will eventually take the LGD to every corner that needs to be marked. An LGD doesn’t need you to take it on walks. I’ve noticed with my dogs, there are places they will defend vigorously, and other places we see coyote and bobcat tracks regularly. My determination is there are areas the LGDs travel with the stock and protect on the move. The next way is barking, or a show of force. LGDs will do what’s called a bluff bark and retreat. That simply means they will run up looking big and bad, barking, then retreat back to the livestock, in some cases even driving the stock further away from the danger. I view this as the dog telling the predator, “You might be walking over, but you’re limping back!”  Most predators are looking for an easy meal, not an injury, they know what an infection will do to them. Lastly, these dogs have the bravery, strength, bite force, athleticism, and desire to protect their livestock with their lives, to deal with any predator that didn’t heed the warnings listed above.

   This brings to light a few points – first is, LGDs bark, all of them! All the time! They are also most active at night. If you live in a location where a barking dog is not going to go over well, then this might not be the correct protection in your situation. Puppies bark at everything! Anything they were not exposed to prior to the experience window of hazard avoidance closing at 16 weeks, they will bark at. They need to learn what is a threat and what isn’t. It will take your intervention in a firm and consistent way to tell them it’s ok, or all done, leave it, or whatever the words you want to use. That means in the middle of the night you need to get up and go to the barn and determine if the puppy needs to be schooled or given a steak. Remember, the puppy doesn’t know, so you need to let it know. The more they practice the behavior, the more it becomes a part of their adult behavior, your call.

Cross Creek Kolya - Sarplaninac Shepherd and sticky livestock dog. Kolya can normally be found lying around his sheep. He doesn’t stray very far from them unless he is advancing on somthing he doesn’t like. Pictured here with the sheep getting ready for lambing season, Kolya is 6 months old.

   Another point is predator load. You might need more than one LGD, or a specific LGD for large predators. This creates all new issues:

  Litter mate syndrome – Purchasing more than one puppy from the same litter, two puppies the same approximate age from different litters, or introducing a puppy to your pack with one or more dogs within 2 years of age to the puppy. The behaviors exhibited often range between two extremes, hyper bonded puppies that in a literal sense cannot function without each other, and/or vicious fighting that can end fatally for one or both dogs. While these problems are not a guaranteed outcome of raising two puppies together, nor are they breed specific, littermate syndrome is more common than not when raising two puppies from the same litter, or even two close to the same age from separate litters.

  Hyper bonded pups – Key word here is dependency. In some cases, siblings might develop intense attachment to each other. Literally bonding to each other rather than the livestock. This can lead to fearful behavior of new people, dogs and situations and can be present in one or both dogs. It can be subtle in the beginning with one being stressed if the other leaves or can even be one goading the other into inappropriate behavior with the livestock (imagine if the stalking and chasing instincts are present). One puppy might appear to be bold while the other becomes skittish.

  Vicious fighting as sub adults and adults – This can lead to fatal fighting which will have them taking every opportunity to eliminate the other. Imagine a pack of dogs, with clear social structure and hierarchy. Then throw in two subadults of equal size, age and social standing attempting to figure out who is in front of who? Puppies go through a crucial exploration phase that introduces them to sights, sounds, and smells or their environment. Interactions with siblings during the time fosters social bonds and helps establish a rudimentary hierarchy within the litter which will be carried forward.  However, there are those in the litter who will not except or try to alter their social standing. It can manifest as resource guarding or aggression. With resource guarding, one dog can dominate over food and water, making it unavailable to the other, or so the other will avoid the conflict and retreat.  Aggression can be as simple as snapping or growling at the other when they are near each other. The more dominate dog may be uncomfortable in the presence of their sibling and act out.

Cross Creek Titan (left) and Cross Creek Leo (right) - Anatolian Shepherds and litter mates. Leo being the dominate dog in this situation put Titan in his place more times than I care to remember before we learned this lesson. Both dogs were eventually separated, luckily, we have enough room and work to do this, and both are excellent LGDs visible on our ranch today.

Other points to think about

Size of the LGD – I’d put my money on an Anatolian Shepherd against 3 coyotes any day of the week, but a bear might be a little much if the bear is determined enough. What are you deterring? Hawk/eagle, weasel, racoon, coyote, bobcat, Mt Lion, wolf, bear? There are different dogs bred to deter different predators. Might also require more than 1 dog, refer to the above.

Breed of the LGD – some breeds were developed for different predators. Take the Sarplaninac Shepherd, there are two very different examples of the same dog, the Macedonian and the Serbian, each side of the mountain range. The Serbian Sar is very large and big boned, while the Macedonian Sar is smaller and nimble. This is an example of a breed that topography and predator type changed the same dog species.

Guarding topography – If you have 10 acres or 10,000 acres. This might determine the type of dog you buy and how many you buy. You might even choose to do different breeds. We’ve had three different breeds to provide perimeter guarding to sticking to the livestock, gaining the best of both worlds.

Males or female, intact or neutered/spayed. Any dog that is intact is either going to roam to find a mate or attract a mate. Either way, might not be what you are looking for. If you have intact male and females on your property, when the females are in heat, no one will be watching the stock. Intact males together will more than likely lead to vet bills, just saying.

Feed the dog where the animals are, not at the barn. If you expect the LGD to stay with the livestock, then don’t force it to decide between going hungry and performing its job. Hunger pains are a strong motivator.

Fences – Keeping a LGD from roaming, whether it’s from a coyote running past, or its desire to keep predators in the next county, is a long discussion. I have two LGDs that didn’t look twice at a fence. The first can clear a 5-foot fence from a standing jump, the other can climb a 6-foot-tall fence and hop over to the other side. The fence that keeps your livestock in will most likely not keep your dog in. Several ideas to help you out.

  A top hot wire

  Top and bottom hot wire

  8-foot-tall fences – just joking! No, not really

  We have a 4 foot no climb horse fence with the Invisible Fence System intergraded with the fence. The dog can’t get within 4 feet of the perimeter to jump or dig without getting shocked.

  Whatever method you choose, make sure it works. Studies have shown that most LGDs die outside their own fence lines either through being hit by cars or shot by neighbors.

Cross Creek Sekira - Sarplaninac Shepherd. Pictured here waiting for lambing season to start. Sekira can be found sitting with sheep, goats, cattle and even going to see the horses. She believes that every animal on our ranch needs her attention.