Tell me about your livestock guardian dogs please!

[MyGooseGrayson]

Hi! I currently have a small backyard waterfowl flock, but the 5-year plan is to be on a farm and have a much larger flock of chickens, ducks, and geese. I'm very intrigued by LGDs, but I really don't know much about them! My biggest question is.. how do you train the first one? I've heard that the best way to train young LGDs is to have the older ones teach them, but what about the first one? Do you get a puppy or one pre-trained from some other farm? Also just general things- what breed(s) do you have and why? Where do they sleep? What kind of predators are they effective for, and what are they not so good against? I would really just like to know everything you're willing to share about having an LGD watch over your flocks. Thank you so much!

 

[Sussex19]

We used to have two Maremmas, they were lovely dogs.
I think they were born at the old home in with the chickens, so from birth they had some 'training'!
I think we just put them in with our goats we had then, and they pretty much taught themselves.
I bet there is a more scientific way of going about it though.

 

[Folly's place]

@centrarchid has experience with dogs as poultry guardians.
Mary

 

[Everose]

Hi! I currently have a small backyard waterfowl flock, but the 5-year plan is to be on a farm and have a much larger flock of chickens, ducks, and geese. I'm very intrigued by LGDs, but I really don't know much about them! My biggest question is.. how do you train the first one? I've heard that the best way to train young LGDs is to have the older ones teach them, but what about the first one?

Get two, one is prey just like your poultry.

Do you get a puppy or one pre-trained from some other farm?

I got sister pups and left them with the livestock.
You have to take the place of the older dog, you have to give them clear boundaries, and as much as you might hate it you have to punish them for crossing those boundaries, just like the older dog would do.
Your puppies are allowed to growl, snap, and shove your animals away from their food bowl, but your puppies are not allowed to do that to you. Your puppies stay in the fence, and any time they leave the fence they are in BIG trouble. Growl, shame, and shove them back into their pen. Then praise them as if they've just singlehandedly saved the planet, because being with their animals is the BEST thing in the WHOLE WORLD! They absolutely cannot leave their charge, allowing them to live with you or to be away from their animals will spoil them.

Also just general things- what breed(s) do you have and why?

Anatolian/pyrenees crosses. I wouldn't get a pyrenees unless you have found really well bred and registered lines, other than that, they're very poorly bred most of the time. A lot of them are just barkers and will back down when it's time to protect their charge.
Anatolians, Kangals, and Akbash are better choices.

Where do they sleep?

Outside in a hay filled house all snuggled up with the goats. Mine bark all night because of the coyotes.

What kind of predators are they effective for, and what are they not so good against?

Any predator, two legged, four legged, or winged. Mine will even alert me over something little like a copperhead.

I would really just like to know everything you're willing to share about having an LGD watch over your flocks. Thank you so much!

Everyone in my area has lost whole flocks of birds, herds of pigs, goats, sheep, and even cattle. Everyone but me, and I'm the only one with LGDs.
Be aware that they will gladly kill even your own dog if your dog is as ballsy as mine. My LGD was in the front yard once because of a severe freeze, but the front yard belongs to my house dogs, and my aussie tried to tell her off, so my LGD grabbed her by the throat and slapped her into the ground repeatedly until someone tackled her off.
She was tossing my 50lb dog around like she was a feather. These dogs are no joke and unless you've had years of experience training dogs I don't recommend them. They are a huge liability if you don't know what you're doing.

But assuming you have experience will bullheaded dogs I'm sure they will be a joy to own.

I love mine to pieces and they're absolutely the best way to protect your livestock.

 

[MyGooseGrayson]

Get two, one is prey just like your poultry.

I got sister pups and left them with the livestock.
You have to take the place of the older dog, you have to give them clear boundaries, and as much as you might hate it you have to punish them for crossing those boundaries, just like the older dog would do.
Your puppies are allowed to growl, snap, and shove your animals away from their food bowl, but your puppies are not allowed to do that to you. Your puppies stay in the fence, and any time they leave the fence they are in BIG trouble. Growl, shame, and shove them back into their pen. Then praise them as if they've just singlehandedly saved the planet, because being with their animals is the BEST thing in the WHOLE WORLD! They absolutely cannot leave their charge, allowing them to live with you or to be away from their animals will spoil them.


Anatolian/pyrenees crosses. I wouldn't get a pyrenees unless you have found really well bred and registered lines, other than that, they're very poorly bred most of the time. A lot of them are just barkers and will back down when it's time to protect their charge.
Anatolians, Kangals, and Akbash are better choices.

Outside in a hay filled house all snuggled up with the goats. Mine bark all night because of the coyotes.

Any predator, two legged, four legged, or winged. Mine will even alert me over something little like a copperhead.

Everyone in my area has lost whole flocks of birds, herds of pigs, goats, sheep, and even cattle. Everyone but me, and I'm the only one with LGDs.
Be aware that they will gladly kill even your own dog if your dog is as ballsy as mine. My LGD was in the front yard once because of a severe freeze, but the front yard belongs to my house dogs, and my aussie tried to tell her off, so my LGD grabbed her by the throat and slapped her into the ground repeatedly until someone tackled her off.
She was tossing my 50lb dog around like she was a feather. These dogs are no joke and unless you've had years of experience training dogs I don't recommend them. They are a huge liability if you don't know what you're doing.

But assuming you have experience will bullheaded dogs I'm sure they will be a joy to own. View attachment 3411110
I love mine to pieces and they're absolutely the best way to protect your livestock.

thank you so much for this! Awesome info. I haven't worked with dogs quite like this, but I've worked in dog kennels for many years and my current dog is a high drive rescue dog with serious baggage who's come a long way.

 

[Everose]

thank you so much for this! Awesome info. I haven't worked with dogs quite like this, but I've worked in dog kennels for many years and my current dog is a high drive rescue dog with serious baggage who's come a long way.

Awesome!
They generally aren't problem dogs, but sometimes things go wrong. The biggest issue is their roaming and their barking, people who are new to dogs or who aren't willing to deal with two years of teenager attitude usually get frustrated with them. That's really the only time you'll see them show up in shelters or problem dog training courses. Besides that they have the sweetest personalities, and they are pretty smart.
Just be aware that they will size you up and make decisions for themselves some of the time because of their free thinking tendencies.

Once they learn to love their animals they really don't cause problems.

Willow here used to be a bit of a handful, but now she's the best second momma to all her baby goats.