livestock protection

[AT&T]

I need a dog that will hang out and protect livestock around the farm. hopefully a breed that wont wonder off to far and is bred to keep an eye out for animals on the farm. Any breeds better than others or is it all training.

[KB90]

Well, first how much do you hunt on your property??? I know a couple people who got dogs and they now run the deer off the property...

My uncle on the other hand has a border collie cross and it is great, hangs with the cattle and doesn't bother the deer.

[Devilbear]

A well bred, properly trained Rottweiler is a fine choice for this, but, they are costly to buy and to maintain. That said, a pup from Debbie Cornell-Charneski of Trojan Rottweilers in Mission or Susan Peyton on V.I. to name two breeders I trust...and, Debbie a lady in her 40s is among the best and most skilled "dog people" I have ever known, will do what you need and protect your place like a Panzer battalion.

They need a LOT of affection and to live with their humans, so, if you do not care for inside dogs, one of the Anatolian shepherd breeds might suit you better.

[rgv]

I have a 18 month old Pyrenees male. He's 120 pounds, and is a lousy guard dog (other than intimidating bark and appearance), unless you are a coyote or come within 20 feet of my 4 and 6 year old kids.

We never trained him to be that way, I guess it's natural as they are bred as livestock guard dogs.

Mine will wander around though, but I think that tendency will go away with a bit of age.

[island grown]

I have a 18 month old Pyrenees male. He's 120 pounds, and is a lousy guard dog (other than intimidating bark and appearance), unless you are a coyote or come within 20 feet of my 4 and 6 year old kids.

We never trained him to be that way, I guess it's natural as they are bred as livestock guard dogs.

Mine will wander around though, but I think that tendency will go away with a bit of age.

A Pyrenees will be a puppy until about three years of age. Training and socializing is VERY important with this breed. Once properly trained they are a wonderful part of the family. They love to work and patrol their bordered area. Our family used to breed them. My most favorite breed.

[island grown]

One of my funniest memories in Bamfield was a bear that climbed onto our porch only to find "Merlin" our last Pyrenees staring the bear in the face. I have never seen an expression on a bears face like that. There might have been fresh bear crap on the porch.

Another note: This is not a breed to go get on a whim. Research everything to do with this breed. Medical issues, life span, temperament, types of training required, etc......

[One Shot]

We had all sorts of dogs on the ranch but border collies and australian blue healers were the best all around as far as looking after livestock.

[M.Dean]

You have to meet Willie! He's a small Border Collie looking dog, he's black and white and lives on my neighbors farm. That dog lives to protect livestock! When the riders are rounding up cattle, Willies always there. When the cattle are down in the bottom field Willie keeps them in line, if they wander to far into the timber, Willie chases them out! There neighbor has chickens and turkeys, when there out, Willie's there to keep them off the road, he's quite some thing to watch! Every day when your drive by the ranch you can tell where the owner is because Willie will be sitting by the fence, watching the cows in the field that the owners working in. I'll try to find out exactly what breed he is, if so I'll post it for you. I think some where I heard to get one of these dogs trained, it's about 2 Grand, I'm not sure about that so when I do find out about that I'll post the price too.

[wolverine]

Look at the Marrema breed. They are herd watchers from Italy. I rescued one this summer and he's a great dog. They aren't a real affectionate type and are actually a bit of a loner but they come see you when they want some attention not when you think they should have it. In Italy they leave these dogs with the sheep herds all their lives. When the sheep go out to the range, so do the dogs. They are called "wolf killers" there. Certainly a big dog. My guy was horribly underweight when I got him and he's at a bout 100 lbs now. He would be really good at about 130 lbs. I don't have any sheep but he is enormous and has a huge voice and doesn't like surprise visitors so he pays his keep by keeping the shit rats away from my shop. Give 'em a look. Great dog.

[Ruger4]

The ultimate livestock protector is bar none the 'Maremma'

will protect everything in its surroundings including pets livestock children

property etc. Mine sat at the top of our property perched over the farm with

a birds eye view keeping an eye on everything. They are truly great dogs ,

best to find one that has been born into a livestock setting, with that

they accel as the farm Alpha and need very little training to carry out the

expected duties of a livestock protector. I do have collies , blue healer

cross as well , considered more a herder than a protector but do fill that

roll if required.

Good luck !!

[BlacktailStalker]

Get a Llama.
I'm curious what you mean by protect, maybe more like alert you to their presence ?
Any wolf or cougar that wants something off your farm is going to take it, dog or no dog around... any dog is no match for any cat or wolf.
I'd never heard of those maremmas before and read a bit about them, seeing as they "bark for the slightest reason and continue to bark often for hours," maybe that is a good bet.

[Ruger4]

Maremma's were dubbed 'wolfslayers' in spain for obvious reasons, there is some great info online if you have the time to research. One of my dogs went to the ||Shuswap to protect a 160 acre cattle ranch. The new owner was happy to report a cougar fend off during calving season as well as numerous coyote confrentations, they kill coyotes by direct impact :mrgreen:

[Devilbear]

Maremmas, are among the shepherb breeds which I referred to earlier, the Owtcharka is another and there are several more. These dogs CAN kill wolves and so can many male Rottweilers, my largest weighed an honest 160 lbs. and they are absolutely fearless. But, they demand a very high level of companionship and physical affection, they were drovers rather than herders and need to be with their humans.

A Japanese Akita is another excellent choice and a guy at Christina Lake has one which he showed me and it runs the bears off his place as he hates to shoot the fuzzy buggers, but, they can cause hell on a small farm.

I would also use a Newfie or a St. Bernard if I found a good one and many German Shepards will work well.

[Moose Guide]

a friend of mine has anatoli, akbash cross and they are the best I have seen yet! I have owned a great pyrenees and there are several in this area and I wont own another as they wander too much! The Anatoli is not a pet, just leave it with the livestock!

[Iron Glove]

Border Collie.
Without a doubt the most intelligent dog in the world and they make a superb family companion and house pet to boot.
Almost any dog can and will scare off bears and such, the dog doesn't need to kill and eat the damn thing, just chase 'em away. :wink: No need for some 160 lb behemoth.
And no, we don't have a BC, we have two NSDTR's that have kept our cottage bear free and our East Van. home prowler free.