CHOOSING A LIVESTOCK GUARDIAN DOG FOR YOUR ALPACA FARM

Having owned a livestock guardian dog for several years now, we have come to learn much about our dog. His behaviors follow everything we have read about guard dogs to a T.

Once you decide you need a guard dog, there are some things you must know to be able to choose the right dog. First of all you want to make sure you get a guard dog and not a herding dog. Herding dogs nip and chase animals which is a behavior you don't really want for alpacas. You want a dog that will protect your herd from predators.

There are several breeds used as guard dogs. A few of the well known breeds include the Komondor, Maremma, Anatolian Shepherd, Akbash, and the breed we own, the Great Pyrenees. The Great Pyrenees is the most popular.

Guard Dog Traits

This, also, gives them a hardheadedness. They are fairly unresponsive to verbal commands and do things in their own time. Many times we've called our dog and get ignored. He comes to us when he wants. If we didn't understand this about the breed, it would be very frustrating.

These dogs tend to mature slowly. Maturity can take between 18-30 months. When you think your dog should be showing more adult behaviors, he will still be acting like a playful puppy. Guardian dogs keep their puppy-like playfulness through adult life. Our Pyr still throws his squeek toy around. We have never owned a dog before that played with toys after reaching adulthood.

Livestock guardian dogs follow routines. Once a routine is established it is hard to break. This can be good or bad. If your dog doesn't establish a routine of digging, then they will probably never dig. If your dog does establish a routine of digging, you will have a very difficult time correcting this behavior.

Which Breed?

We can tell you that research says that the Great Pyrenees have fewer incidences of biting than the other dogs and can be a little more family oriented. That's not to say the other breeds don't have excellent dogs that would work just as well.

In one survey of 763 livestock guardian dogs, only 7 percent bit people. Here's a breakdown by breed: 17 percent of the Komondors, 9 percent of the Anatolian Shepherds, 6 percent of the Akbash, and 4 percent of the Great Pyrenees bit humans.

We always introduce our dog to people to let him know that it's ok for them to be there. While it has been established that our Great Pyrenees would probably bark first as a warning to a new person on the property, we do believe that any aggressive behavior by a stranger could result in the Pyr protecting his property.

Each breed will have general guard dog personalities. Each breed will, also, have other things to consider. For instance, the Pyr coat can get matted and be a chore to keep free of debris at times.

What Traits to Look For in a Pup

Your dog should approach Alpacas with their ears back and not making eye contact. A dog lying on his back is a good submissive behavior. We see our livestock guardian dog doing this all the time in the field with the animals he's used to.

Your dog should show good investigatory behaviors, too. Sniffing around the head and anal area shows that he/she is checking things out.

Male or Female?

It, also, has been shown that neutering your pet has no bad effects on their guardian traits. Our dog was neutered and he is an excellent livestock guardian dog.

Guarding Your Alpacas

Let your dog establish his own guarding routine. They will work out the best routine for themselves.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that a dog that sleeps so much can actually be guarding your Alpacas. It seems our dog sleeps 23 hours a day. We suspect that he is up a lot at night patrolling and we just don't see it because we are asleep.

Your dog will learn when the most likely times that predators will come around. Our Pyr knows that coyotes routinely come around in the morning and evening. We see him sitting up observing the fenceline where the coyotes appear. He will bark 3 barks, pause, 3 barks, etc, until he feels that he has put out enough of a warning to unwanted passersby.

When the Alpacas are active and alerting, the Pyr is active. Once he settles in to sleeping, he is easily awakend by noise or Alpaca activity that is out of the ordinary.

Your guard dog uses his senses and experience to know how to best patrol the fields you have him guarding. Let him do it.

What if You Chose the Wrong Dog?

You are choosing a dog to protect your herd first and foremost. Even if you've become attached to the cute puppy, you must think of your herd and the reason you got the dog in the first place.

A dog that is not going to do the job or worse, injure your herd, will be of no value to you. When you pick a puppy, just tell yourself it is on a trial basis so that you don't get attached until you know the dog will work out.

If a pup shows positive guarding traits at a young age, they will generally carry that through to adulthood. Most guard dog pups show their guarding traits withing 3-8 months of life. We didn't get our dog until he was four months old and he was already showing these traits.

Pick Your Pup

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