Beekissed
Herd Master
I've had farm dogs and I've had LGDs, my sister used to breed GPs on her farm as well, so over my life I've gotten to see a distinct difference in their individual abilities and traits, but have also seen where the LGDs could be used for small acreage and smaller livestock, like chickens, effectively, as I've used them that way for my own purposes.
I think anyone who has herd animals that have any pasture situations that let them range/graze more than 2-3 acres will need a LGD to guard them effectively, particularly if you have heavy predator numbers. You'd need a very special farm dog indeed to have one that will range out from the home place that far but still not leave the property entirely when chasing a predator and that would stay with the flock at all times. Farm dogs guard territory more than they guard the animals in the territory...that doesn't mean they don't bond with some of their animals and nurture them, as they can and will do that, but they don't have that instinct to the nth degree like a LGD breed does.
I think if you have small livestock on just an acre or two that are penned close to the house and they stay in smaller pens/fenced areas, you could get by with just farm dogs out there all the time. They do an excellent job at keeping all predators away from their homestead but I'd advise they be confined to the area you want them to guard...they can't guard if they are wandering the countryside all night long. I use wireless containment for all my dogs and that keeps them in the area I want guarded.
Can a farm dog keep your livestock safe from black bear, bobcat, coyote, etc. on a small place like that? Yep, the right one can, even working as a single dog. I've seen it time and again and they are quite successful if they are not house dogs and only out there in the daytime. My old Jake(farm mutt extraordinair, Lab/BC mix, has done that very thing for 4-5 yrs on his own, but has worked great with a LGD partner before and is working with one now. I've had Labs that are excellent farm dogs, working alone and doing it right, keeping all those predators away from chicken flocks.
Most people are reluctant to leave their farm dogs out there all night, which cuts their effectiveness down to nil but that was not always the way...back in the day dogs were not kept in the house much and especially not at night.
I think it comes down to where a farm dog can be used to guard small livestock that is kept up close and on small acreage as a natural side effect of their guarding their territory. A LGD will be needed for larger areas and flocks/herds that range out and will guard the actual animal more than they guard the area, which is great for large acreage and where herds are out all night and away from the house/barn areas.
I once knew of a single female GP that worked out on sheep all by herself, rarely seeing the human much but the farmer would find a dead coyote left by the gate nearest the house about once a month. You could see her out in the pasture with the sheep but you could not call her away from them at all...that was her herd, she would kill for it and did so regularly. I don't think there are many farm dogs, if any, that are designed or inclined to live out there like that and do such things without needing any approval from their human pack.
I think people who get LGD breeds for a suburban backyard where they keep a handful of chickens in a coop and run situation are bringing an Uzi to paintball game. It's just the opposite story if a person has farm dogs trying to guard sheep or goats out on large pastures.
Here I have 20 acres of mixed meadow and woods, mostly woods. I'm surrounded by thousands of acres of woodland and I have the only chickens for miles. My flock free ranges. I've used a farm dogs primarily and have used them very effectively for that situation for a long time, but the addition of a LGD or LGD mix breed brings an added solution to some of my biggest problems~stray dogs and aerial predators. The LGD is more serious about guarding the chickens rather than guarding the territory, so they react more aggressively to these two most frequent threats.
I think anyone who has herd animals that have any pasture situations that let them range/graze more than 2-3 acres will need a LGD to guard them effectively, particularly if you have heavy predator numbers. You'd need a very special farm dog indeed to have one that will range out from the home place that far but still not leave the property entirely when chasing a predator and that would stay with the flock at all times. Farm dogs guard territory more than they guard the animals in the territory...that doesn't mean they don't bond with some of their animals and nurture them, as they can and will do that, but they don't have that instinct to the nth degree like a LGD breed does.
I think if you have small livestock on just an acre or two that are penned close to the house and they stay in smaller pens/fenced areas, you could get by with just farm dogs out there all the time. They do an excellent job at keeping all predators away from their homestead but I'd advise they be confined to the area you want them to guard...they can't guard if they are wandering the countryside all night long. I use wireless containment for all my dogs and that keeps them in the area I want guarded.
Can a farm dog keep your livestock safe from black bear, bobcat, coyote, etc. on a small place like that? Yep, the right one can, even working as a single dog. I've seen it time and again and they are quite successful if they are not house dogs and only out there in the daytime. My old Jake(farm mutt extraordinair, Lab/BC mix, has done that very thing for 4-5 yrs on his own, but has worked great with a LGD partner before and is working with one now. I've had Labs that are excellent farm dogs, working alone and doing it right, keeping all those predators away from chicken flocks.
Most people are reluctant to leave their farm dogs out there all night, which cuts their effectiveness down to nil but that was not always the way...back in the day dogs were not kept in the house much and especially not at night.
I think it comes down to where a farm dog can be used to guard small livestock that is kept up close and on small acreage as a natural side effect of their guarding their territory. A LGD will be needed for larger areas and flocks/herds that range out and will guard the actual animal more than they guard the area, which is great for large acreage and where herds are out all night and away from the house/barn areas.
I once knew of a single female GP that worked out on sheep all by herself, rarely seeing the human much but the farmer would find a dead coyote left by the gate nearest the house about once a month. You could see her out in the pasture with the sheep but you could not call her away from them at all...that was her herd, she would kill for it and did so regularly. I don't think there are many farm dogs, if any, that are designed or inclined to live out there like that and do such things without needing any approval from their human pack.
I think people who get LGD breeds for a suburban backyard where they keep a handful of chickens in a coop and run situation are bringing an Uzi to paintball game. It's just the opposite story if a person has farm dogs trying to guard sheep or goats out on large pastures.
Here I have 20 acres of mixed meadow and woods, mostly woods. I'm surrounded by thousands of acres of woodland and I have the only chickens for miles. My flock free ranges. I've used a farm dogs primarily and have used them very effectively for that situation for a long time, but the addition of a LGD or LGD mix breed brings an added solution to some of my biggest problems~stray dogs and aerial predators. The LGD is more serious about guarding the chickens rather than guarding the territory, so they react more aggressively to these two most frequent threats.
