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Livestock Guardian Dogs Part One
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he most important consideration with any working dog, whether herding or guarding, is to start with the right dog. There are around five or six breeds of livestock guarding dogs available in Australia at present. My own experience has been with Pyrenean Mountain Dogs and Maremma Sheepdogs. While there are good and bad dogs in any breed, these are the two breeds I recommend. We have been using guarding breeds for around 35 years and have had excellent results with both these breeds. Before starting training, it is important to have realistic expectations and be aware of the serious misinformation often circulated about livestock guarding dogs. There is unfortunately some very misleading information circulating regarding livestock guarding breeds which can cause real problems. Firstly, the myth that desexed dogs don’t make effective guardians, and also that livestock guarding breeds will not mate with dingoes or wild dogs. I have used desexed dogs with complete success. All breeds of guarding dogs will mate with any other breed of dog, or with dingoes. I am aware of feral Maremma and Maremma/dingo dogs being found in the Eidsvold area of Queensland. Another dangerous claim is that on large properties guarding dogs do not need to be fed as they will scavenge or kill game enough to survive. Two significant risks of this approach include the possibility of ingesting hydatid tapeworm if scavenging, and the risk of what animals the dog may consider game. This could include sheep in neighboring paddocks, your neighbors’ goats, or even animals in their own flock.
add.indd a Canine
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KEN SYKES Ken Sykes has been working with sheepdogs most of his life. A successful competitor at sheepdog trials, Ken runs regular training for livestock producers and gives working-dog demonstrations. He is a feature writer and speaker. His expertise draws on a broad range of research as well as practical experience.
Another misconception that has the potential to cause significant problems is the idea that guarding breeds should not be socialized with humans. Ideally, the dog should remain in the paddock and not be kept around the homestead, but the dog should always be able to be caught in the paddock and handled for any necessary health treatment. I have taken a Pyrenean from the paddock to a dog show and then returned the dog to the paddock! There is also the old chestnut we come across with herding dogs as well – that working dogs shouldn’t need training. Many think that if they are any good, they will work it out for themselves. As with working dogs, many guarding dogs work reasonably well despite, rather than because of, the way they are trained. Taking the time to give the pup the best start will significantly reduce the risk of failure. Care should be taken when selecting a pup. Maremma pups are very readily available which is the strength and weakness of the breed. Many Maremma pups are bred indiscriminately or even crossbred. Crossbred pups, unless crossed with a similar guarding breed, should be avoided. Select a pup from dogs that are successfully guarding the type of stock you have. The pup needs to be introduced to stock before twelve weeks of age. Pups introduced to stock after sixteen weeks of age have a high failure rate. In the next issue, we will look at the practical aspects of starting the livestock guarding dog.
