Big Dogs Save Little Penguins.
The story below sets out some of the problems and gives you basic ideas on how to habituate or bond livestock guardian dogs to your chickens. As the story says it takes the dog owners' commitment, an iron will, and quick reactions to successfully habituate a LGD to chickens.
Click on the link below to read the full story.
http://www.janedogs.com/big-dogs-save-little-penguins/
“This story describes a world-first programme that uses Maremma Sheepdogs to keep wildlife safe from predators. As measured by the recovery of numbers of the sea birds in two separate colonies this programme is a remarkable success, and provides a testament to the value of pure breed dogs for conservation projects of this kind.
Today, laws banning domestic dogs and cats from National Parks and Sanctuaries are almost universally regarded as essential for the safety of wildlife. This story highlights a managed reversal of this current thinking. Here the traditional use of Livestock Guardian Dogs has been adapted to form an integral part of this ground-breaking conservation project.
The Maremma is one of several breeds of Livestock Guardian Dogs. For centuries these dogs have lived amongst flocks of sheep, bonding with them and acting instinctively where necessary to save them from predators. These instinctive traits have been developed over more than two thousand years of selective breeding[1]. Livestock Guardian Dogs are not trained like conventional dogs. From 8 weeks of age, they are brought up among lambs or others requiring protection[2]. Their natural instinct is to protect the 'family' with which they have been bonded. Since they mature into dogs of considerable size they provide an effective deterrent to predators….”
The story below sets out some of the problems and gives you basic ideas on how to habituate or bond livestock guardian dogs to your chickens. As the story says it takes the dog owners' commitment, an iron will, and quick reactions to successfully habituate a LGD to chickens.
Click on the link below to read the full story.
http://www.janedogs.com/big-dogs-save-little-penguins/
“This story describes a world-first programme that uses Maremma Sheepdogs to keep wildlife safe from predators. As measured by the recovery of numbers of the sea birds in two separate colonies this programme is a remarkable success, and provides a testament to the value of pure breed dogs for conservation projects of this kind.
Today, laws banning domestic dogs and cats from National Parks and Sanctuaries are almost universally regarded as essential for the safety of wildlife. This story highlights a managed reversal of this current thinking. Here the traditional use of Livestock Guardian Dogs has been adapted to form an integral part of this ground-breaking conservation project.
The Maremma is one of several breeds of Livestock Guardian Dogs. For centuries these dogs have lived amongst flocks of sheep, bonding with them and acting instinctively where necessary to save them from predators. These instinctive traits have been developed over more than two thousand years of selective breeding[1]. Livestock Guardian Dogs are not trained like conventional dogs. From 8 weeks of age, they are brought up among lambs or others requiring protection[2]. Their natural instinct is to protect the 'family' with which they have been bonded. Since they mature into dogs of considerable size they provide an effective deterrent to predators….”
