#Are dogs nocturnal upgrade#

Their value (for keeping your livestock alive) means that acquiring an LGD will be a financial investment.

Most bark - a lot - when sensing an unfamiliar or threatening presence (you may want to prepare sensitive neighbors).

They’re highly sensitive to livestock behavior, and LGDs won’t harass livestock when hungry.

As (stubborn) independent thinkers, they require conscious attention to both training and socialization.

Having been bred by nomadic farmers, they may try to expand their territory by breaking through insufficient fencing (get a good fence).

They’re able to live outdoors all year long.

Most are both good with familiar people yet unfriendly with other dogs (including strays).

Similarities Between Guarding Dog Breedsīefore differentiating between breeds, there are a number of characteristics most livestock guard dog (LGD) breeds share: Adding to that, your specific needs might also require a dog who’s especially good with children, who can handle cold climates, who’s been bred in familiar terrain, or who can both herd and protect. Generally, though, it’s important that livestock guardian dogs be relatively friendly (but not clingy) with humans while deterring local predators. And while you’re intent on finding a good protector for your livestock, what makes a ”good dog” varies from operation to operation, based on the specific context. Ultimately, the specific chemistry between an individual dog and a particular ranch environment matters more than any assumptions or expectations about a certain guardian dog breed.

How Do You Know Which Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD) to Choose? Not everyone needs a livestock guardian dog (or two) however, if your property is large enough and you raise chickens, goats, sheep, or cattle, or chickens, it’ll be worth having canine assistance to reduce predatory threats to your livestock. If an owl gets too near the chicken run, they’re ready to prevent any carnage.If a coyote begins stalking the perimeter, they run and attack when the threat becomes too great.If a strange person approaches, they notice, assess the threat, and bark.An LGD notices subtle changes in its environment, and self-sufficiently responds to keep threats away: They don’t need to wait for your command in order to react instead, they’re capable of independently evaluating the threat level of any situation - and then taking appropriate action. Livestock guarding dogs are bred to be self-thinkers. They become full-time members of whatever flock or herd they’re charged with protecting. Their specific skill and function (if you haven’t guessed)? Protecting livestock.

#Are dogs nocturnal upgrade#

Livestock guardian dogs can be considered an upgrade to just “any old” farm dog, companion dog, or herding dog. Dogs make great livestock guardian animals they can be incredibly aggressive towards predators, yet extremely gentle with people and small or young livestock.