The Secret Lives of Livestock Guardian Dogs What LGDs do when we’re not watching… and even when we are! Dan Macon, Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor University of California Cooperative Extension – Placer-Nevada-Sutter-Yuba October 26, 2019

Overview Context:

Where do I ranch and

work?

Breeds and Behaviors:

What makes a good dog?

Economics: How do we

know if LGDs are worth it?

Research: Where do we

go from here?

Correcting Inappropriate

Behaviors

Context: Where I ranch and work…

UCCE Livestock and Natural Resources Advsior

Flying Mule Sheep Company (Auburn, CA)

Previous Experience Manager, McCormack Sheep

and Grain (Rio Vista) – 1500 ewes

N. Calif. Project Manager, Prescriptive Livestock Services – 2500 sheep and goats

President, California Wool Growers Association

Flying Mule Sheep Company

Small-scale (150 head)

Range/pasture based

Market lambs and wool

Provide fuel load reduction in exchange for winter forage

99% leased or free land

Lamb on pasture in late February through March

Our Environment…

Fragmented rangeland and irrigated pasture

Winter range – oak woodland (700-900’ elevation)

Spring/summer irrigated pasture (1400’ elevation)

No permanent fences No permanent structures Primary predators

Neighbor dogs Coyotes Mountain Lions Black Bears Raptors Wolves?

Our Dogs…

Currently using mixed-breed dogs (variations on American Big White Dogs).

We want to have just enough dogs to protect each bunch (3 during breeding) – but no more!

1-2 dogs are with the ewes at lambing.

After much trial and error, I prefer puppies that I start rather than adult dogs started by someone else.

LGD Breeds and Behaviors What makes a good dog?

A good dog… Stays with our sheep even if the

fence goes down or sheep break out.

Respects electric fence.

Doesn’t chase, chew on, OR KILL our sheep!

Is respectful of lambing ewes (e.g., gives them space).

Is reasonably friendly with people but would prefer the company of sheep.

Prevents predator losses!

LGD Behavior

Protectiveness

Trustworthiness Attentiveness

• Protectiveness (measured through observation and remote sensing)

• How does the dog act around people it doesn’t know?

• How does the dog act around other dogs it doesn’t know?

• What does the dog do when predators are in proximity to the sheep?

• Attentiveness (measured through observation and remote sensing)

• Does the dog respond to environmental stimuli?

• Trustworthiness (measured through observation)

• Can we trust the dog with sheep? • Can we trust the dog with our herding

dogs? • Can we trust the dog with people? • Can we trust the dog to stay with

livestock?

Sources of Dogs

Pups vs. working-age dogs (e.g., should we outsource the training?)

I prefer pups from other producers I trust (and where I can see the parents working).

I will only purchase pups that were whelped where they could hear/smell sheep before their eyes are open.

Training a Pup Selecting a pup Bonding (a progressive process)

Should begin at 8-10 weeks Dry ewes

Rams

Breeding group (ewes and rams, with no lambs) or feeder lambs

Lambing ewes (with an experienced dog) – not before 18 months of age

Managing human interactions Feeding Vet care

Tie out and lead training (which implies we’re able to catch them!)

Infrastructure Electric fence

Stock trailer Truck

Care and Feeding

Once-a-day feeding vs. automatic feeders

Dog food vs raw mutton Parasite control (internal and

external) Vaccinations Foot care We typically do not clip in the

summer Thermo-regulation is better with

natural hair coat

Behavior and Predator Interactions

Barking Marking territory Patrolling Submissive behavior towards

sheep Behavior during lambing Activity level depends on time of

day Proximity and response to

predators Variation based on age, sex, etc.

Interactions with Herding Dogs

Our LGDs seem to accept our herding dogs as part of our overall system. Partly due to how our herding

dogs behave around the sheep.

In my experience, this acceptance doesn’t extend to non-herding dogs or to herding dogs used by people our LGDs don’t know.

Correcting inappropriate behaviors

Appropriate bonding is critical: Don’t put a young dog in a position

where mistreating sheep is a comfortable (or fun) option.

“Dog-like” corrections: Timing is critical!

Correction vs. punishment.

Devices Dangle sticks.

Have not used shock collars.

A solid older dog is VERY helpful at key points in the bonding process!

Other Potential Problems

Other inappropriate behaviors with livestock

Fighting Biting (liability) Harassing non-target wildlife Endangered species act issues Loss and/or death loss Recreation conflicts Public misunderstanding Right to farm issues (nuisance)

Costs vs. Benefits: How do we know if LGDs are worth the money?!

Costs Acquisition

Cost of puppy

Transportation and time

Development Time

Dog Food

Veterinary Costs

Maintenance Time

Dog Food

Veterinary Costs

Depreciation

Capital Costs

Operating Costs

Acquisition and Development Costs

Pup (Dillon): $500

Transport/time: $200

1.5 yrs of feed/vet costs: $450

Success rate: 67%

TOTAL INVESTMENT FOR WORKING LGD $1716

How do we measure success?

Easy to determine costs; difficult to measure benefits!

Operating Costs Dog Food $200/dog

Vet Costs $100/dog

Depreciation $300/dog

Management (Time) $350/dog

Total Cost/Dog/Year $950

How many livestock deaths must a dog prevent to justify its annual operating cost?

Research Efficacy is a difficult question to answer with research – who

wants to be in the control (e.g., unprotected) group?! Mechanisms of protection (disruption vs. displacement)

might be a more appropriate line of questioning: Do LGD disrupt predator behavior? Or, do LGD fill the niche typically filled by canine predators

(displacing these predators to adjacent lands)?

Behavior and Setting Are specific behavioral traits important for particular environmental

settings or predators? Do wolves require bigger, more aggressive dogs?

Are there behavioral traits better suited to high recreation areas?

Are some behavioral differences related to sex, age, or breed?

LGD Behavior Study

Using self-built GPS technology, trail cameras, and geographic information science, we are:

• Analyzing LGD behavior relative to wildlife, livestock, humans, etc.

• Identifying variables that affect LGD effectiveness.

• Analyzing livestock behavior in response to LGD activity.

Pilot tested technology in Sierra foothills (fenced rangeland and irrigated pasture) and Sierra Nevada (open range).

How can we know what the dogs are doing when we’re not there?!

Self-built tracking collars using cell technology can provide real-time tracking of dogs.

Virtual fences can provide alerts when dogs have moved beyond property or pasture boundaries.

Cost: $90-100 per collar.

The Importance of Context

A dog that works in one environment might not work in another.

A dog that is effective at protecting rams or dry ewes might be in appropriate with lambing ewes.

Terrain, habitat type, predator species, predator population, etc., all influence the success (or failure) of a particular dog (or combination of dogs), as well as the number of dogs needed.

What’s your paradigm?

Using LGD is similar to using electric fencing or low-stress stockmanship… If you believe that LGD will

work, you’ll find ways to change your approach when they don’t!

If you don’t believe they’ll work, you’ll likely abandon them when they cause a problem.

How many dogs?

Depends on time of year, environment, predator pressure, etc.

Dogs are not the best option in every setting: Backyard operations (<10 sheep) – there may be

better and more cost effective livestock protection tools Night penning

FoxLights

Electric fence

Dogs without enough to do will get in trouble (and will cause trouble for larger scale operations that need dogs).

Farm-stead vs. protection dogs

Further Reading…

Bruno, E.M. and T.L. Saitone. 2019. Livestock guardian dogs: Do the benefits outweigh the costs for sheep producers. ARE Update 22(6):9-11.

Coppinger, R., et al. 1988. A decade of using livestock-guarding dogs. In R. Timm, ed., Proceedings of the 13th Vertebrate Pest Conference. Davis: University of California, Davis. 209-2014.

Kinka, D., and J.K. Young. 2018. A livestock guardian dog by any other name: Similar response to wolves across livestock guardian dog breeds. Rangeland Ecology & Management. 71(4):509-517.

Urbigkit, C., 2017. Brave and loyal: an illustrated celebration of livestock guardian dogs. Skyhorse Publishing.

VanBommel, L., and C. Johnson. 2012. Good dog! Using livestock guardian dogs to protect livestock from predators in Australia’s extensive grazing systems. Wildlife Research 39:220-229.

Webber, B., et al. 2015. Movements of domestic sheep in the presence of livestock guardian dogs. Sheep and Goat Research Journal 30:18-23.

Questions?

Blogs • Foothill Agrarian – www.flyingmule.blogspot.com

• Ranching in the Sierra Foothills – https://ucanr.edu/blogs/RanchingintheFoothills