The LGD idea

This is an idea.  This is just an idea....

Based on the outcries of surprise and concern at our family gathering, I will put this out there as an "idea" and nothing more (although it really is a well-thought-out idea in MY mind and has been for some time!)

Puppies.  Livestock guardian puppies.  Born a week ago on a farm in Tennessee.  

From working livestock guardian dogs which are model citizens in the world of dogs who were bred to live outdoors with the livestock that they are expected to protect.  They do not bark at livestock.  LGD's who do not bark all night, for that matter.  Who don't jump fences to escape.  Dogs who tolerate and even look forward to the house-dogs coming out for a romp with them, but who are capable of distinguishing between friend-dogs and threat-dogs (strays, or coyotes)  Who don't dig under fences to patrol a larger area.  Who are friendly with people even as they do their job protecting the animals in the barn.  Dogs which live outside, and sometimes refuse to come into a house even when invited (because their "job" is not inside a home, but outside with the flock).  Who bond with the sheep, goats, even the chickens and protect them from predators.  Dogs who stay with their charges, 24/7, assisting in licking newborn lambs clean, staying by an injured animal or sounding the alarm to coyotes just outside the fenceline.  Dogs who are content to live with livestock rather than enjoy a luxurious life inside the house with people.  Dogs who are somewhat aloof, but friendly, who can think for themselves in a critical situation and not rely on a human to give them a command when quick thinking for the sake of protecting their charges is necessary.  

The parents of this litter are mixed LGD breed, but have been trusted with their livestock charges since they (the dogs) were 6 months old.  

This is the type of pup that I could add to the farm and who could become just as valuable a canine as little Taffy the English Shepherd has become, but in a totally different way.

(Taffy is "farm manager" in a way, like many English Shepherds tend to be.  She is always listening, alert to everything.  She chases robins out of the pasture because they don't belong there.  Taffy helps to round up stray ducklings, or herd the sheep back to the barn, or keep the geese out of the areas where they don't need to be.  She lounges with the rabbits and longingly wishes to play with the romping piglets inside of the pen with their mama.  Taffy lives in the house with us but eagerly jumps up when she knows that she can accompany us anywhere, to help with chores or just to be our companion.)

A livestock guardian pup would be a farm "presence" in a different way, living quietly with the outdoor animals.  He might need to grow into the role, but a good LGD would not leap up from the floor under someone's chair and dance in eager anticipation to accompany someone out to the barn (That's the English Shepherd's role!)  :)  A good LGD would already be IN the barn or pasture, sleeping in the straw or grass next to a sheep or goat, keeping a watchful eye on things as the ebb and flow of the livestock care happened around him.   

So, the idea has been in the back of my mind for a few years now, but it became a real thought-process when...

This spring, a coyote called loudly from the middle of the cornfield behind our house.  In the middle of the day.  The dogs went crazy.  The coyote kept calling.  Another one trotted from across the road, across the vast cornfield, nuzzled the noisy one (still in the middle of the field, in the middle of the day) and off they trotted together, paying no heed to the large husky, the big lab mix, or the petite English Shepherd who were ready to tear the fence down to run them off.  In broad daylight.

A few weeks later, the black ram was in an outside pen for the night.  Dogs were in the larger pasture getting some exercise before coming inside for the night.  Around the corner of the perimeter fencing trotted two coyotes.  The dogs caught wind of them and again, it sounded like a full-scale dog fight was taking place as our dogs went frantic inside the fence.  I had to grab the husky's collar to keep him from discovering that yes, he COULD get over the fence if he was determined enough to do it.  All three house-dogs were ready to rip through or jump over the fence and give chase.  The coyotes barely acknowledged them, as they trotted slowly away from our property.  Twilight, but definitely not under cover of darkness.

When the lambs were due to be born, I saw the coyotes again, outside the fence in the dark of night, glowing eyes looking back at my flashlight beam as Taffy went berserk inside the fence.  The sheep are inside the barn at night, every night, but the coyotes seemed to know that the time was potentially right for an easy target.  Again, the coyotes demonstrated no great fear, just a casual glance at the little dog that wanted to rip them to shreds.

Bessie was due with her calf a month later, same scenario.  I powered up the electric fence charger, just to allow me to sleep at night.  That one little electrified metal wire above the 4 foot livestock fence would not have shocked a coyote in mid-jump.  And yes, they could easily clear the fence, rip up an animal, and clear the fence again before we even knew they were out there.

Figure the value of the potential losses....a babydoll lamb can be sold for $175 minimum, $300 for a ewe-lamb.  A Dutch Belted calf is fairly valuable at any age, whether male or female.  Piglet price starts at $100, and it's only that low because the current litter is a cross, not purebred.  Purebred American Guinea Hog piglets will sell for at least twice that.  The new fainting goats could produce babies sell for a bit of money, too.  I need to keep all of that in mind, in addition to the trauma of finding a mauled or eaten baby out in the barn or pasture one morning.

Selling babies helps to pay the upkeep of the animals that are part of this tiny farm venture.  If the sale of livestock that we produce is ever going to help support the feed bills of the parent animals, we can't afford to lose the young ones to predators.  We can't afford to lose the parent animals either, for that matter!  And the coyotes are casually strolling outside of our small fenced area, unconcerned until I start yelling and throwing things at them.

Enter....the livestock guardian idea.  The "ideal" LGD is usually a big white dog (Great Pyrenees, Maremma, Komondor, Anatolian Shepherd).  This dog is not a pet, but a mild-mannered member of the flock which can spring into action at the slightest hint of a predator threat.  This is a dog which lives with its charges, bonds with sheep, goats, and other animals.  He lives in the barn or in the field with the flock, ever-watchful and protective.  He greets people with a friendly tail wag (if he chooses to) and can be a fluffy white ambassador to all visitors on the farm (if he chooses to).  He is not a lap dog.  He is a valued member of the security team on the farm where he lives.  He allows the farm owner to sleep at night, because someone/somedog is out there, on the job, when the owner shuts her eyes to get some well-earned rest.

The plan, if it can be called a plan, has yet to be approved by the vast majority of the farm family for this year.  It may need to be put off until a year from now or longer.  It may prove to be a silly idea for such a small property.  

But, if we decide to do it, this would be the plan, rather an "idea"....livestock guardian (LGD) pup joins the farm late this summer.  LGD grows to love his or her charges throughout the winter.  LGD is in place when the coyote population is bold and hungry and seeking an easy target.  LGD is on-duty by lambing/kidding/calving/piglet season less than a year from now.  The presence of a livestock guardian dog should be threat enough to keep the coyotes on the outside of the fence, not daring to venture in and face the wrath of a dog whose sole purpose is to protect the animals that he sees as his charges.

The right dog could make a world of difference.  But I want to also be very careful that any additional mouths to feed will prove to be worth what we pay to keep them healthy, happy, and willing to do their part.  Never-fear, dear family and friends, we will not enter into getting another dog without weighing all the pros and cons.  No wailing and protesting is necessary.  :)

 

We'll see if one of those pups is a perfect fit and go from there.  

Laura