© 2001 by Lynne Edgar

When asked what predators we have in south central Missouri we always jokingly answer two "worms and coyotes". While worms remain an ongoing battle, we have been able to nearly eliminate the losses from coyote. Other four-legged predators include dogs, bobcat, and an occasional black bear or big cat. Thankfully, there are no wolves around here.

We got our first Livestock Guardian Dog in 1992. At the time there wasn't a lot of information available and that was before Internet access (at least for us). Since then we have learned many things about these wonderful dogs with a sometimes steep learning curve. Presently we have 12 LGDs with approximately 800 breeding animals (500 goats - 300 ewes) plus their respective offspring. Sometimes that seems like lots of dogs and sometimes when we have sheep and goats at 4 different farms in over a dozen different pastures it is barely enough. Our worst year before dogs, we lost over 50 lambs and kids to four legged predators. This year we lost only 1 lamb. Perhaps some of our experiences can help you avoid some potential problems.

Get Dogs Before Problems

In hindsight the most important thing we learned is the necessity of effective predator deterrents before you really need them. We naively believed that our electrified high tensile fences would protect our livestock and for five years it appeared to work. In reality I believe the local coyote population just didn't know lamb and goats were a tasty meal! Once they started attacking livestock keeping them away was an uphill fight. We had to night pen behind electrified net fence at one farm for several years even after we got our first LGDs. Only later did we realize we were seriously underdogged for the predator pressure.

One dog can only do so much so you need to match dog numbers to the amount of predator pressure. We had lambs killed in the same pasture while we were there working and I once watched a large coyote challenge a single dog in the middle of the day within sight of a busy highway. The coyote moved back and forth on the outside of the fence looking for an opportunity to get through while the dog faced him on the inside. At this point we prefer to use at least a pair of dogs working together and sometimes more. Some situations that we have found to require extra dog power are hilly brushy ground and large areas where the goats tend to break up into several small herds to graze and browse.

A few years ago, we were running 150 goats in a very brushy, rough area of over 100 acres surrounded by woods and national forests. Snow, Sasha, Bubba and Junior were on duty and we were having no problems as far as we could tell. One morning when we arrived Snow had numerous cuts around his face, eyes and neck. The dogs were extremely hostile, even to each other. The cuts appeared to have been made by a large cat. There were no injuries to any goats or the other dogs. Had the dogs not been there we could have had numerous injuries or losses before we even knew there was a problem.

Purchasing our first two LGD pups also taught us a thing or two. The first came from a breeder who believed in no socialization. We had been told this was a good thing. It didn't take us long to figure out that an eight week old pup who had never been touched except for being cornered and put into a dog carrier for the trip to her new home was not the dog we wanted. Except for the rare occasions when we could run her down the working chute with the sheep, we couldn't catch her for worming, vaccinations, a reprimand or medical attention. When we needed to move her to a different farm where we were having problems it was necessary to sedate her. She didn't forgive us for a LONG time. Determined not to make the same mistake twice our second pup was socialized, too well socialized. She preferred people to livestock. Given half a chance she would leave the field to come to the house. Finally, with our third dog, we found the right balance between bonding and socialization. One that was raised in the barn, well bonded to livestock but with enough human contact to allow being handled when necessary.

Born with Livestock

When we raise pups here they are born at the barn with livestock nearby. When I see the female starting to nest I make a pen around the area that she can get in and out of but which will protect the pups for their first few weeks. After weaning the pup is kept with livestock just slightly more aggressive than he is. Don't ever put your pup with animals less aggressive. I made the mistake of putting the runt of a large litter with bottle babies once. Before I knew it she picked out the least aggressive lamb and started pulling wool on the hind legs - and the pup was a tiny thing! After learning she could do it to that lamb she continued to try it after being moved in with bigger lambs despite being reprimanded. It took spending her first winter in the buck/ram pasture to teach her better manners. They were too big for her to harass and didn't put up with much foolishness.

Expect to have a few problems as your dog goes through adolescence. Although some dogs sail thru without a hitch, many go thru an "idiot" stage. Suddenly your nearly mature working dog is acting like a puppy again. It doesn't usually last long. Most of our Great Pyrenees are pretty much settled by the time they are a year old. Males may take a little longer than females.

Different dogs, even of the same breed, can have very different guarding styles. Some dogs stick very close to the goats, some like small areas to patrol and some never stop trying to expand their territory. It doesn't make one good and one bad, however one or the other may be best for your situation. Having a pair working together that complement each other can be very effective.

Feeding the LGD

What and how you feed your dog can have an effect on how well he works. A hungry dog or one with no energy isn't going to be very effective. We use a triangle shaped enclosure made out of hog panels about 6-7 feet on each side and wired together at the corners. One side has a hole cut in it big enough for the dog to get through. Smooth the edges with a file after you cut the hole so it doesn't have sharp edges. A weatherproof automatic feeder that holds about 25 pounds of dog food is put in the corner opposite the "dog door". We use wire or cargo straps to hold the feeder in place. The enclosure is fairly easy to move either by breaking it down or tipping it on its side and "rolling" it to the next field.

The energy requirements of a LGD are high, especially in the winter. We switch to a higher fat dog food during cold weather. The dog food we use for summer has 26% protein and 12% fat. In the winter we use one with 22% fat. By doing this all the dogs maintain a healthy weight, otherwise some get too fat in the summer, others too thin in the winter.

Homework

In order to not make the same mistakes we did, do your homework before purchasing a LGD. Reading is good; talking with people who are successfully using these dogs is better. They will have opinions on rearing, training, breed of dog, feeding, etc. Probably very different opinions. They will have small herds, large herds, large and small pastures, different predators and problems. Try to find people who have dogs working under similar conditions to what you have. They can help you avoid costly mistakes. We could not have goats without our dogs.

Lynne and Russ Edgar
13306 Granny Creek Road
Fredericktown, Ohio 43019
740-485-0195 (Russ)
740-485-1495 (Lynne)

Lynne and Russ Edgar russ@edgarsheepandgoats.com

This page last updated by Russ Edgar March 25, 2008

© 2008 Russ Edgar