Do you need livestock guardians for your homestead? If you’re looking for some tips on picking the best guardian for your home, try this!
Livestock Guardians
I should begin by saying that I am a dog person. Specifically, a spaniel person. Field bred, English Springer Spaniels. I’ve had them my whole life, and right now there are three gamboling joyfully in my house. I don’t keep dogs outside, they are welcome to come in and lay on the sofa, muddy paws and all, and I have been known to welcome them into bed with me too.
So when we moved to the new farm and it became apparent that we had a significant coyote and stray dog problem, the prospect of employing a livestock guardian dog was, honestly, somewhat intimidating. I had tried at my previous place to have an LGD, and it hadn’t worked out. Granted, that was probably more to do with the fact that the dog came to me with a significant set of psychological issues related to his past than anything else, but I’m never one to stray from a challenge and I thought I could fix him. I was wrong.
The dog that ultimately arrived at the farm was Merry, a one year old Great Pyrenees who had been raised and trained by a good friend who owns a sheep and goat farm in West GA. I was opposed to the idea, as I had fairly recently lost a dog who I loved very much, and I didn’t feel there was room in my heart or my life for another one. But nonetheless, I did everything as my friend instructed: trained her to her area, taught to trust me, bonded her to her livestock, and slowly but surely, she settled into her place here and now I can’t imagine life without her.
By contrast, she was later joined by Willow, a GP x Anatolian mix. Willow is a great LGD, but has scant regard for people’s personal space, and weighs more than I do, so she can be difficult to handle. She is also unreliable with rabbits and small birds, and likes to dig under fences. But all the same, since these two dogs joined forces (reluctantly; Merry isn’t really a dog person), I haven’t had a single loss from predators.
But here’s what I’ve learned from my journey; perhaps some of it might help you find your perfect farm partner:
- Choose your breed carefully. Research and ask advice as to which one might suit youbest, from breeders and other LGD owners. Some breeds are more suited to different livestock, acreages and predator type.
- Don’t buy just any random dog labelled as an LGD from Craigslist! While there’s achance of striking gold, there’s also a chance that you’re buying a dog with a whole pile of issues. The safety of your…