Livestock Guard Dogs
Many alpaca farms benefit from the use of a Livestock Guard Dog. A livestock guard dog (LGD) is used to defend livestock from many kinds of predators. Some of the most popular LGDs in the United States are the Great Pyrenees, Maremma, Antolian Sheperds and Akbash. These breeds are known for their ability to be trustworthy, attentive and protective. LGDs are frequently confused with “sheep dogs.” Border Collies are typical “sheep dogs” are typically with sheep as opposed to other kinds of livestock. They are mainly used to herd/move the sheep from place to place. A LGD’s job is not to control the movement of the livestock, but to be on the lookout for danger. They are more commonly referred to as “pasture dogs” because their job is to watch the surrounding area for predators, not to watch the herd/flock itself.
Our Livestock Guard Dog, Daisy May, is a Great Pyrenees. She is 3 years old and weighs about 115 pounds.
Although Daisy is incredibly affectionate and is definitely a part of our family, she is NOT a pet. Daisy is a working dog. It is her job is to protect our alpacas. She protects our alpacas from coyotes, bobcats, bears, domestic dogs and other predators.
We got Daisy when she was about 6 weeks old. She has a large kennel are in our barn that has both an indoor section and an outdoor section. It is important that LGD have an area that is their “territory.” This is the area where their food, water and bed may be kept. Other animals should not be allowed in this area.
For Daisy’s first year, she was not left alone with our alpacas. If we were not out there with her, she was in her kennel area. This separation is important during the dog’s training period as puppies are not to be trusted. Their “play” can cause serious problems with your alpacas. Daisy’s training started as soon as she came home. Basic commands were taught first as it is very important for a LGD to obey your commands. After she was trained to obey the commands to sit, stay and come, then we started introducing her to the alpacas. She had watched them through the fence, but had not been in the pasture with them. The next phase was to teach Daisy her boundries. Three times a day for three months, we walked Daisy on a leash around the parameter of the pasture area that she would eventually guard. After that until she was one year old, we walked with her around the pasture parameter without a leash, but made sure that she stayed next to us. During this time period, she was allowed to meet the alpacas nose to nose if she was on a leash. This allowed her to get use to their smell and for the alpacas to know that she was not a threat. This was pretty much all we did to train her. Daisy spends most of her days sleeping on the hay in the barn. She is not actually in with the alpacas, but has free range in her kennel area and in the barn. At night though, she is up and awake patrolling our pastures. The alpacas are shut into small pens that are close to the barn for the night. The pasture gates are opened for Daisy to have free range in them. She spends most of the night walking the parameter of the pastures. You can hear her low bark every few minutes as she warns whatever is out there to "stay away" from her territory. We have heard very few coyotes on our property since Daisy's arrival although we can hear them in neighboring fields. She is also very good at keeping our barn clear of cats, rabbits and rodents.
Our alpacas have come to trust Daisy. They listen to her barks. If she sounds her “danger” bark, you can see the alpacas react. They immediately go on alert and the moms put the crias in the center of their group to protect them. It is amazing to watch, especially knowing that we never trained the alpacas any of this. They somehow know how to communicate with Daisy.
Thank you Daisy for keeping our herd safe! We love you!
