Читать книгу Raising Goats For Dummies - Cheryl K. Smith - Страница 109

Livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) were bred and have been used for thousands of years to protect goats or sheep in Europe and Asia. They live and bond with the goats, are aggressive toward predators, and are focused on the job. These dogs are traditionally white, which enables them to blend in with the sheep flock and be distinguished from predators. Of the many breeds of livestock guardian dogs, the Great Pyrenees is probably the best known. Other common livestock guardian breeds include

 Akbash

 Anatolian

 Komodor

 Kuvasz

 Maremma

 Ovcharka

 Shar Planinetz

 Slovak Cuvac

 Tatra Sheepdog

LGDs live with the livestock they protect yet have a relationship with their human caretakers. They are large, aloof, and can be intimidating to strangers. If you plan to get one, expect to do a lot of training and supervision because they don’t reach maturity for about three years. You have to be the alpha member of the group so the dog knows you are in charge. Neutering or spaying a guardian dog also helps ensure that it will be a successful goat-guard.

An LGD probably won’t work out well for you if you’re raising goats in an urban area. They warn predators to stay out of the area by barking, mostly at night. Make sure you’re aware of any noise ordinances and know your neighbors and whether they will take issue with a barking dog before getting an LGD.

Some livestock guardian breeds also have a tendency to roam, which may cause problems if you have neighbors who don’t want your dogs on their property or you have a road with traffic nearby. Because I have only a small property, I have had a problem with several of my LGDs roaming. Luckily, with the first one, my neighbors appreciated having a guardian dog and welcomed her patrolling their property and the woods behind our land. The second one was another story: He had a bad habit of going in the road. At age 12, he developed dementia and had to be put down when he started wandering in the road constantly. My third LGD is a female Maremma who is completely bonded to her herd. She wouldn’t consider getting out and roaming. I made sure to purchase her from breeders who had both parents on their property, and they were proven to be good guardians.

If you have a large herd or a large area where your goats browse, one guardian may not be enough to protect them. Guardian dogs often act in teams to protect against packs of predators. Make sure before you get your dog that it’s from a stock bred to be guardians for sheep or goats.

LGDs live to be only 7 to 9 years old because of their large size. Plan to add new dogs periodically as your protectors age.

Don’t buy a herding breed such as Australian shepherd or border collie to guard your goats; they aren’t qualified. Their job is to herd, and you may have a problem with them chasing goats. That isn’t to say that some haven’t been successful, just that they are unlikely to do a good job guarding and protecting goats.