How Many Livestock Guardian Dogs do I Need on My Farm?
Ask this question of dog breeders, livestock owners and even pet dog owners and you will get a lot of different opinions, some of them very strong. New puppy buyers are trying to do their research so they can the best thing for their dogs and their stock. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there and a lot of bad advice that's not at all based on science or facts, but on "old farmers' wives' tales" and ignorance.
I have very strong opinions on the subject, based on my experience as a dog breeder and trainer, dairy goat breeder and livestock owner, as well as decades of experience working with and studying dogs. I base my opinions on facts, not made up psuedo science.
Here are the facts:
I have very strong opinions on the subject, based on my experience as a dog breeder and trainer, dairy goat breeder and livestock owner, as well as decades of experience working with and studying dogs. I base my opinions on facts, not made up psuedo science.
Here are the facts:
- Dogs are social creatures, with a strong need to bond with other mammals, particularly other dogs.
- Puppies, even LGD puppies, have a strong need to play and burn off excess energy.
- Many predators work in packs or are too large and tenacious for one dog to handle alone.
You can believe anything you want about fake science like "Littermate Syndrome" or you can say you "can't afford" two dogs, but these facts are still 100% true. Trying to deny them is at best, setting your dog up for a sad and lonely life and at worst, setting it up for failure. I'll address each topic one by one to explain what I mean in more detail.
1) Dogs are social creatures, with a strong need to bond with other mammals, particularly other dogs. Yes, LGD's do bond with the stock they are to guard, but it's still not the same as how they interact with another dog. Every species has its own "language", its own way of playing and communicating. A single LGD will never be as happy as one that has a partner and a happy LGD is a good LGD. A lone LGD will be more likely to engage in nuisance barking out of boredom as well as to try to escape and wander off in search of fun. A dog that is guarding poultry will have a particularly hard time of things because a dog can't safely snuggle with a chicken or duck! And you can't just let your LGD play with your house dog or herding dog because it could learn inappropriate behavior around stock. In fact, your LGD should NEVER be unsupervised around stock with a non-LGD, ever. And if you're letting them play together and you see inappropriate play with the stock you should stop it immediately, unless you want to ruin your LGD.
2) Puppies, even LGD puppies, have a strong need to play and burn off excess energy. These dogs have an INCREDIBLE amount of energy. A LGD puppy is still a puppy, with a strong need to run, play and pretend fight. Sometimes they get to playing so rough they can accidentally knock over anyone or anything in their path. If they don't have another dog to play with they may engage in inappropriate play with the stock out of boredom, treating goats, sheep and poultry like another dog. This can cause very bad habits to start, resulting in the stock being harmed or even killed and ultimately the dog being surrendered to animal control for "failure". Sadly this "failure” was not the dog's fault. It was the fault of the humans that failed to meet his needs and it is usually preventable by proper supervision and having two dogs.
3) Many predators work in packs or are too large and tenacious for one dog to handle alone. Some people mistakenly think if the have a small farm or only a few animals to be guarded they don't need more than one LGD. This is not true. It's predator load that matters, not property size or herd size. Coyotes and many other predators work in packs, either attacking the dog together or some drawing the dog away while others go after the stock. Big cats of any size or bears are no match for one dog alone. So if you have any predator bigger than a skunk and you value your livestock you should have two dogs. Period.
2) Puppies, even LGD puppies, have a strong need to play and burn off excess energy. These dogs have an INCREDIBLE amount of energy. A LGD puppy is still a puppy, with a strong need to run, play and pretend fight. Sometimes they get to playing so rough they can accidentally knock over anyone or anything in their path. If they don't have another dog to play with they may engage in inappropriate play with the stock out of boredom, treating goats, sheep and poultry like another dog. This can cause very bad habits to start, resulting in the stock being harmed or even killed and ultimately the dog being surrendered to animal control for "failure". Sadly this "failure” was not the dog's fault. It was the fault of the humans that failed to meet his needs and it is usually preventable by proper supervision and having two dogs.
3) Many predators work in packs or are too large and tenacious for one dog to handle alone. Some people mistakenly think if the have a small farm or only a few animals to be guarded they don't need more than one LGD. This is not true. It's predator load that matters, not property size or herd size. Coyotes and many other predators work in packs, either attacking the dog together or some drawing the dog away while others go after the stock. Big cats of any size or bears are no match for one dog alone. So if you have any predator bigger than a skunk and you value your livestock you should have two dogs. Period.
Another thing to take into consideration is the possibilty that your dog could get hurt, sick or even die suddenly. Then what will you do? Well bred, well trained LGD's that are old enough to do their job aren't always readily available. It would be better to have two dogs in place, that way if something happens to one of them at least your animals aren't completely unprotected until you can resolve the issue.
I remember very clearly the distraught phone call I recieved from a client when just this very thing happened. His only LGD died unexpectantly and his goats were left with no protection at all. He desperately needed another dog. Unfortunately I had just sold my last puppy from a recent litter and couldn't help him.
I feel very strongly that LGD's should only be worked in pairs, preferably pairs close in age, because they have a similar energy level. For that reason we ALWAYS work at least two dogs with any group of animals. Often times we work an older dog or two with a couple of younger dogs. That way the younger dogs each have a partner and a mentor. But you have to be careful about adding a new puppy when you have an older dog already. A lot of people say that's what you should do, but there are a couple of problems with this advice.
First, not everyone has an older dog to start with and they are very hard to find and very expensive if you do. Second, not all older dogs make good puppy mentors. Some older dogs don't like puppies and are too harsh with them. Some are older and just want to relax and don't appreciate this rowdy young pup bothering them! It can be very unfair to both dogs matching them up if they don't get along so please, if you are lucky enough to already have an older LGD still proceed with caution when introducing a new puppy and take the needs and feelings of both dogs into consideration.
You will hear some people mention "littermate syndrome" as a reason why you shouldn't raise two pups together. The simple fact is that Littermate Syndrome is a MYTH. It does not actually exist! You will not find a single scientific study on it, anywhere.
In a day and age when we have studied everything related to dogs, trust me, if LMS existed someone would have studied it! Instead LMS is what people claim anytime there's a problem, any problem, with two dogs close in age. If they fight too much it must be LMS. If they're too attached to each other it must be LMS. How can it be BOTH?! It can't!
Can there be training issues with two dogs close in age? Yes. But this isn't some mysterious "Syndrome" that's dooming your dogs to failure. It's a training and handling issue. You simply need to be sure you address both dogs needs for training, time and attention. It's really not hard. If anything, it's much easier raising two puppies than one. Less time required of you and they have built in playmates and snuggle buddies.
Show breeders keep entire litters for months with no LMS showing up. LGD breeders often do, too. Here at PPF we keep our pups for several months and we also have multiple pairs of same age dogs and always have. We usually have two to three of each age range at once, usually kept together specifically for the purpose of making them happier and more well adjusted. We've never had any signs of LMS in our dogs. Yes we've had fighting but that's usually hormonal or developmental, not because of LMS.
We feel so strongly that two dogs are better than one that we've considered making it a requirement to buy our pups. For now we leave it up to the buyer but we highly encourage it because the dogs, the stock and the owner will be so much better off. It's actually easier to train two pups than one. A single dog is needy, lonely and unsure.
I often get calls from people (my puppy clients or other LGD owners) who need advice about an issue with their dog. Very often the problem is directly or indirectly caused because the dog has no partner. Barking too much? Chasing stock? Showing signs of stress and nervousness? There are all signs of a dog who is bored, lonely and feeling insecure because he knows he doesn't have a buddy or a partner to help him. Often adding a second LGD makes all the difference in the world.
We will give top priority to buyers that want to purchase two puppies together. But if you choose to only get one pup we respect that. BUT. You need to understand that your job is going to be a lot harder and you WILL have to work hard to make up for the deficit you are putting your puppy and your stock into. If you can acknowledge that and are commited to doing your part then we will do our best to advise and suport you. But you really should get two dogs!
I remember very clearly the distraught phone call I recieved from a client when just this very thing happened. His only LGD died unexpectantly and his goats were left with no protection at all. He desperately needed another dog. Unfortunately I had just sold my last puppy from a recent litter and couldn't help him.
I feel very strongly that LGD's should only be worked in pairs, preferably pairs close in age, because they have a similar energy level. For that reason we ALWAYS work at least two dogs with any group of animals. Often times we work an older dog or two with a couple of younger dogs. That way the younger dogs each have a partner and a mentor. But you have to be careful about adding a new puppy when you have an older dog already. A lot of people say that's what you should do, but there are a couple of problems with this advice.
First, not everyone has an older dog to start with and they are very hard to find and very expensive if you do. Second, not all older dogs make good puppy mentors. Some older dogs don't like puppies and are too harsh with them. Some are older and just want to relax and don't appreciate this rowdy young pup bothering them! It can be very unfair to both dogs matching them up if they don't get along so please, if you are lucky enough to already have an older LGD still proceed with caution when introducing a new puppy and take the needs and feelings of both dogs into consideration.
You will hear some people mention "littermate syndrome" as a reason why you shouldn't raise two pups together. The simple fact is that Littermate Syndrome is a MYTH. It does not actually exist! You will not find a single scientific study on it, anywhere.
In a day and age when we have studied everything related to dogs, trust me, if LMS existed someone would have studied it! Instead LMS is what people claim anytime there's a problem, any problem, with two dogs close in age. If they fight too much it must be LMS. If they're too attached to each other it must be LMS. How can it be BOTH?! It can't!
Can there be training issues with two dogs close in age? Yes. But this isn't some mysterious "Syndrome" that's dooming your dogs to failure. It's a training and handling issue. You simply need to be sure you address both dogs needs for training, time and attention. It's really not hard. If anything, it's much easier raising two puppies than one. Less time required of you and they have built in playmates and snuggle buddies.
Show breeders keep entire litters for months with no LMS showing up. LGD breeders often do, too. Here at PPF we keep our pups for several months and we also have multiple pairs of same age dogs and always have. We usually have two to three of each age range at once, usually kept together specifically for the purpose of making them happier and more well adjusted. We've never had any signs of LMS in our dogs. Yes we've had fighting but that's usually hormonal or developmental, not because of LMS.
We feel so strongly that two dogs are better than one that we've considered making it a requirement to buy our pups. For now we leave it up to the buyer but we highly encourage it because the dogs, the stock and the owner will be so much better off. It's actually easier to train two pups than one. A single dog is needy, lonely and unsure.
I often get calls from people (my puppy clients or other LGD owners) who need advice about an issue with their dog. Very often the problem is directly or indirectly caused because the dog has no partner. Barking too much? Chasing stock? Showing signs of stress and nervousness? There are all signs of a dog who is bored, lonely and feeling insecure because he knows he doesn't have a buddy or a partner to help him. Often adding a second LGD makes all the difference in the world.
We will give top priority to buyers that want to purchase two puppies together. But if you choose to only get one pup we respect that. BUT. You need to understand that your job is going to be a lot harder and you WILL have to work hard to make up for the deficit you are putting your puppy and your stock into. If you can acknowledge that and are commited to doing your part then we will do our best to advise and suport you. But you really should get two dogs!
