Show us your Livestock Guardians

[Chris Stelzer]

WOW, there are some fantastic looking dogs here! I love how each dog has a different personality. Thanks for sharing

 

[HoneyDreameMomma]

The pictures below are of our lovable new LGD, Miller. He's watching the girls and begging for a belly rub - two of his favorite past times.

 

[cgmccary]

I use 4 mongrel dogs, all rescued strays. My female dog here in first picture, no particular breed, I found as a stray with puppies under an abandoned house in the city. I know she is not a true LGD but she protects home and farm from any stranger, wild animal, a human or stray dogs. When I found her with puppies, she tried to bite me. The postal carrier had stopped delivering on her block (and the city was about to shoot her). I had to make friends with her as she had be on her own for quite a while. She had 8 puppies which I found homes for. I brought her to the farm, and she took to the place instantly -- she acted like she knew it was her home. She has been wonderful, loyal, accepts what I bring on the place & protects my free ranging chickens. I only lose a rare bird when they get far off the premises. Because of my dog's natural aggressiveness, I confine her with an invisible fence around the perimeter of the place. She is backed up by a hound X yellow pit (pictured in second photo), a Mountain Feist & a Red Hound (Feist is out during the day) and my donkey (a Jenny). My fenced pasture forms a horse-show around my home & barns so a predator must cross open pasture to get to the chicken coops (and brave donkey & dogs):







My Jenny has bonded with my cows. Here she is with a new born calf with my Bull and Cow -- Who is going to mess with these three?



(Incidentally, the fire ant hill is just a mound of dirt -- I did them in before the calf was born)

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Some pictures need no explanation!

 

[cgmccary]

Southern by Choice: I am not a fan of shock collars. They can be a training tool if used properly. Sadly many do not know how to use them properly and often ruin their dog or end up causing other behavioral issues. Most commonly I see the shock collars used, not as a last resort, but because often people are simply lazy and do not want to have time to work with the dog. I have never found the need for one. I am not completely against them just feel they are often not really needed. LGD's are highly intelligent breds and many will often figure out very quickly when the shock collar is on and when it's not.

I do not like shock collars neither and they can be dangerous --one needs to know what they are doing -- the dog can get across on the outside and be afraid to come back through getting killed on the road or something. Only a very smart, fenced- trained dog should use them. My dog despised a couple of my neighbors and would chase them all the way to their house -- one has to pass my home to get to his home on a dirt road (he has an easement through my property) -- my big mongrel dog hated that so she'd go after him. He started shooting at her feet and told me the next time, he would kill her -- so the shock collar was my only fast & real option. My dog is a survivor, lived on her own and is very smart. It took a few minutes only to train her. She got shocked only once. She obeys it even if it goes down a few days. After about a week of it being down though, she knows it is down and sneaks out. Lightening hits it sometimes or we clip it accidently or something. It works for her. She is independent and would go where she wants to. My neighbor was lazy -- he could have been her friend. The neighbor does not like dogs or any animal so there was no working it out. My dog sensed this from the get-go, and she hates him. She is the soul of my place and I don't want her shot. Mainly due to her, I don't lose any birds and I have about 70 chickens & 8 geese free ranging, cows, the donkey and a couple of mules. The geese stay out 24/7 and 4 of them are 5+ years old. I have a couple of hens 8+ years old and others 5.6 & 7 years. They still lay.

I do not have the collars on my two hound mixes or my Mountain Feist as they are not a threat to any person. The shock collar would not work on the hounds (and they will jump it to go running -- I live in a National Forest). All my dogs are good around chickens & livestock & I trust them 100%. Coyotes, the main threat, even packed up are no match for this many dogs or their size.

 

[EllieMay]

for rescuing the female dog with the puppies!