Livestock guard dogs are dogs trained and tasked to protect livestock on the field. These dogs with jobs are most the Pyrenees dog breed. Very dutiful, barks a lot to alert the farm owners when a predator is close to the herd.
There was a recorded incident where the Pyrenees won’t leave the bison in the cold icy weather. This happened in the winter so, you can guess how cold and the dog risked dying all to protect a bison.
If you are looking for the importance of livestock guard dogs and the need to engage them on the field, this guide will assist you to know the duties of guard dogs and the best dog breeds to use as livestock guard dogs.
Livestock guardian dogs that don’t roam
Many livestock owners will not prefer to rely on livestock guardian dogs. There is this perception of the dogs leaving the livestock and go and roam. This is very normal with dogs left in the openings. Although, they may not go far but needing them by the flock is their only duty.
Guardian dogs are trained to guard livestock. Naturally there are specific dog breeds like the Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, Italian Maremma, and Polish Tatra Sheepdog good for livestock guarding. As much as they have the ability of boundaries and fence guarding, they may as well need some traing.
How do I stop my farm dog from roaming?
Do Maremma dogs wander?
What livestock guardian dog barks the least?
Livestock guardian dogs that don’t bark
From my experience I will not recommend guardian dogs that don’t bark or bark less. Dogs barking is the main reason they are tasked to guard the livestock to raise alert when a predator is close. So, what is the essence of going in for guardian dogs that don’t bark or bark less.
Multitasking on the farm is very common. At times you may get few helping hands on the farm therefore a barking livestock guardian dog is the best option to think of and a typical example is the Great Pyrenees.
Can you train a Great Pyrenees not to bark?
By nature this dog breed barks a lot and that what makes them the best for guarding as stated above. It will be a difficult task keep a noisy subject silence unless to train them to reduce barking which they will with time when they get comfortable with their neighbors but completely training Great Pyrenees not to bark is against their nature.
How many livestock guardian dogs do I need
What are the top 10 breeds for livestock guard dogs?
Below are our top ten (10) breeds for livestock guard dogs after running a survey and these are the breeds of dog preferred most by farm owners.
1) Spanish Mastiff
The Spanish Mastiff, or Mastn Espaol, is a dog breed from Spain that was originally designed to be a guard dog and whose particular duty is to defend herds from wolves and other predators.
2) Maremma Sheepdog
The Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog, commonly known as the Maremma Sheepdog or Abruzzese Sheepdog and Cane da Pastore Abruzzese or Pastore Abruzzese, is an Italian livestock guardian dog. Because of its large size and passive and gentle nature, it is often referred to as a “gentle giant.”
3) Akbash Livestock Guard Dog
The Akbash is a traditional Turkish flock guardian dog from western Anatolia. Akbaş is Turkish for “white head.”
4) Pyrenean Mastiff
The Pyrenean Mastiff, also known as the Mastn del Pirineo, is a huge livestock guardian dog from the autonomous community of Aragón in north-eastern Spain. It was originally used to guard flocks during the yearly transhumance to Pyrenean high summer pasture.
5) Kuvasz Livestock Guard Dog
The Kuvasz is a historic Hungarian flock guarding dog breed. They were originally royal guard dogs or livestock guard dogs, but have become more common in homes as pets during the last seventy years.
6) Tibetan Mastiff
Tibetan Mastiffs are huge Tibetan dog breeds. Its double coat is medium to lengthy, temperature dependent, and comes in a broad range of colors.
7) Illyrian Shepherd
The Šarplaninac, historically known as the Illyrian Shepherd Dog, is a livestock guardian dog breed. It is named after the Ar Mountains, a Balkan mountain range.
8) Komondor Livestock Guard Dog
The Komondor, commonly known as the Hungarian sheepdog, is a huge, white-colored livestock guardian dog from Hungary with a long, corded coat.
9) Great Pyrenees
The Pyrenean Mountain Dog, also known as the Patou in France, is a breed of livestock guardian dog. The breed originated on the French side of the Pyrenees Mountains, which divide France and Spain.
10) Anatolian Shepherd
The Anatolian Shepherd Dog is a livestock guardian dog, which means he is in charge of keeping an eye on a flock of helpless animals and safeguarding them from predators.
Livestock guardian dogs for chickens
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