# New to Livestock Guardians..



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Hi! I've recently researched some about Livestock Guardian Animals. (Dogs, Donkeys, and I've heard of Llamas being LGA). I have goats, chickens, rabbits, & other animals and we have many coyotes, foxes, etc. (basically lots of predators) and haven't had any dead animals yet but we have come close a couple of times. I'm not sure that we would want to go with a Llama or Donkey, (possibly a donkey later) because we are currently limited on fencing & funds. So, I guess I'm interested in Livestock Guardian Dogs. We also have visitors on occasion and kids around so it couldn't be aggressive towards people. Anyone have any tips/advice for me? Also a couple of breeds that are good for Livestock Guardians? Thanks in advance! :razz:


----------



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

I guess we sort of want a 'farm dog' too. Is this too much to ask? A farm/family dog that will chase off predators?


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Any guardian is going to be a bit more aggressive to strangers.


----------



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Ok. I guess we would just want a family/farm dog then.. like maybe a Border Collie.. Golden Retriever.. Aussie.. etc.


----------



## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

I've been to several farms with Great Pyrenees and they are the sweetest dogs I have ever met! My favorite dog will always be a good German Shepherd  but I would love to get a Great Pyrenees. The ones I met would come up to me, put their head in my lap, and want pet - and they didn't even know me. They are very big dogs, but they seem very gentle. From what I've read, they will spend the night roaming the property and barking to scare away any predators.

Side note: if you do get a donkey, be sure it will get along with your other animals! We rescued a john donkey to be our guard animal and turns out he does not like goats. I don't have to worry about coyotes anymore, but he and the goats (or chickens, or...) _cannot_ live together.


----------



## donnaleedreams (Mar 12, 2014)

We have a Karakachan. She barks at everyone (even us as we come out of the house!) But she isn't aggressive. In fact she almost seems scared if someone comes out near the goats. She'll go to the other side of the barn to hide. We've been wondering if it's her breed, or just her. She is technically still a puppy, though she's nearly 2 years old now. We've never had a coyote, bear or cougar problem with her around though. I figure if her barking does the trick, okay. I doubt any animals would try to get into the pasture with her there. But if a cougar was hungry enough, I'm not sure she would stand her ground though. We've never had another guardian besides her, so I'm not sure how typical this is. We've actually decided we should sell her though as we will not be keeping so many goats for the long term. So if you're interested in a mild mannered Guardian, Let me know! :sleeping:


----------



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Thanks for the information everyone! A LGD may be in our future  So, I guess, is there a few certain breeds that make good LGDs? Obviously as said above, and I have seen before, that Great Pyrenees make good LGDs. Are there any other breeds that make good LGDs?

donaleedreams - I have never heard of that breed before. I'll look it up though


----------



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

I don't mind barking - actually I would prefer for it to bark when someone comes to our house.


----------



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

i am unsure how to start a new post, or even if a new post is needed...but, we are wondering if we need to have more than one llama? 

Currently, we have one llama who watches our goats. He is responsible for 4-10 little goats.
This spring we intend to also pasture some lambs. As we don't intend to keep the lambs and and goats together, we will pasture them on either neighboring sections of land, or on one side of the barn, and the others on the other side of the barn. If they are pastured in eye site of one another, will our llamas compete with one another, or will they focus on one another instead of their flocks? Currently, our original llama has been an awesome caretaker of his goats! 
We are new, at most of this ....what do you think?


----------



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Hmm.. I'm not sure. I'm completely new to this! LOL


----------



## SingingBullRanch (Sep 11, 2016)

I see this is a bit of an old post, but one breed that you may want to consider is an English Shepherd that is raised with livestock. They are the farm collie of old, that would do just about everything and anything around the place. While not an LGD per se, they can and will protect whatever is on their property. But they are not as aggressive as an LGD. My breeder told a story of how her ESs went after a large pack of coyotes to defend her livestock one evening. Even jumping over the kennel fence to get to them.

While my boy hasn't ever gone up against coyotes, as my Rat Terriers do that for him, he is protective of the place and I am sure would take care of anything that he feels is a threat. He's even really good at watching for large predator birds flying overhead or landing in nearby trees.

Just a thought!


----------



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Hmm, never heard of that breed. I'll look them up! They sound like a good choice for us. We still haven't gotten a dog yet, I'm still doing research  Thank You!


----------



## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I would look into the Great Pyrenees. They are a "softer" LGD breed and often friendly with strangers when their owners are around. Nice family dog and livestock guardian.


----------



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

That is one of the breeds that I am looking at  Loved them ever since I was little.


----------



## CrazyDogLady (Aug 9, 2014)

I have two purebred Pyrenees, and a Pyr/Anatolian mix. I'm quite happy with my choice. They definitely protect from any predators. The downside is they do eat a lot. My dog food bill has increased dramatically. They bark. One more than the others. They are super hairy, and when they blow their coats in the spring, look for huge piles of hair.

Mine are sweet natured to me. They're friendly to people we introduce. Aloof to mildly threatening to others. I wouldn't want to be a stranger entering my pastures. I love my LGDs.


----------



## SingingBullRanch (Sep 11, 2016)

I think there are two registries for the breed. Here is one: http://www.englishshepherd.org/ and here is the other: http://englishshepherdsunited.org/ . There are also several Facebook groups for the breed. These will get you started!

Good luck with which ever breed/dog you do decide to bring into your home!


----------



## Oreosmom (Nov 19, 2016)

On the guardians I would go with a Spanial or mix with it like my kitty, she's spanial and bull or boxer.. she's thick but freckled brendle, natural herding instincts, naturally good protection for family and property but great temperaments of both breeds.


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Neither an English Shepherd or Spaniel of any kind or mix is a LGD.
These are breeds that are bred to work with humans doing jobs that require honing and commands. Neither breed would come any where close to what is required of a true LGD.


----------



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Since this began, our llama is now in charge of 10 lambs-ewes-some of whom are now 8 months old and some over a year old. Both Our goats and sheep can come into the barn from outside, if they choose to-now that the colder weather is starting


----------



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

Llama is very noisy when predators come by! One evening we Did have one pack of 6 wolves come very close, fortunately- our son was there and heard and saw the commotion, as our llama was sending out his siren sound which makes the beef cattle in high noise mode as well!!! So, he shot off two shots with a hunting rifle and they ran off! He is aware they are still nearby, -as a friend has recorded them on some deer camera photos -ugh!Very Scary! 

We also do have hot wire surrounding our animals.


----------



## SingingBullRanch (Sep 11, 2016)

While English Shepherds are not an LGD, they can and will guard their livestock if they come from the correct parentage/lines and are raised with them. They do not have the wandering desire that the normal LGD breed has. I have lousy fencing and my boy stays home and does not wander or check out the neighbors. My ES prefers to be outside and would stay out guarding all night if I allowed him to. He takes his guarding very seriously. And he thinks before reacting, with little guidance from me unless it is called for.

I am not saying that they should be used equal to an LGD, but they are known to work as a lower key LGD. They can and do work independently from their owners and are known to straighten out errant livestock and put them back where they belong. They will chase off any perceived threats from around the place. I believe they are a good option for someone who has a lower predator load and needs something that will stay close to home and not scare the neighbors or visitors. Nor will they bark all night.The one thing that I don't like about my boy is that he will go after a threat without a sound. He doesn't bark. He just goes into chase/attack mode. Not with people, just with critters that shouldn't be on the place. As a pup he did bark but as he's gotten older, he doesn't as much. When he barks, I know it is something to investigate.

Just my thoughts....take them as you will...just offering a viable option for those in areas where a barking dog will get them in trouble or an LGD wouldn't really fit.


----------



## Oreosmom (Nov 19, 2016)

I don't know if it's part of the Spaniel breed, but my kitty rarely barks either.and she's a Spaniel mix. One of the weirder things about her, besides her name. Which started at the dog park trying to call her. She would come running when calling out her kitty kitty, and so would all the other dogs thinking she had a kitty in sight. Confused the other dogs when she stopped abruptly because she reached us.lol


----------

