What are good dogs to protect goats

The best predator deterrent is good fencing. We use woven wire field fence or goat fence, making sure that the fence goes all the way to the ground everywhere & filling in any gaps at gates, etc. We also run an electric wire across the top as added reinforcement. When u do not have a guardian, u will also want to lock the goats into a safe building during the night.

What u want is a livestock guardian breed (LGD - livestock guardian dog). I see some people have mentioned breeds such German Shepherds & Austrailian Shepherds. These r NOT appropriate for guardian dogs. Austrailian Shepherds r herding dogs & will chase ur goats & stress them out. German Shepherds make great guard dogs for humans, but NOT livestock guardians. I would never trust one around goats, they would be more likely to attack them than protect them. Livestock Guardian breeds include Great Pyrenees, Akbash, Anatolian, Komondor, Kuvasz, Tibetan Mastiff & Maremma. See http://lgd.org/ for more information on the separate breeds.

We have an over abundance of coyotes where I live & my goats r in a large pasture near a creek where the coyotes congregate. My goats live with a small herd of llamas & a Great Pyrenees for protection. Along with good fencing, the dog & llamas have proved to be very effective at keeping the goats safe. We have coyotes getting close enough to wake us up overnight with their howling, but the Pyrenees' barking & patrolling the fenceline keeps them out of the pasture. If a coyote managed to get past the Pyrenees, it would have the llamas to deal with. Llamas make great livestock guardians because they detest canines (they do learn to accept an LGD that lives with them, although it takes a while). Llamas will chase coyotes & can actually kill them if the coyote does not back down.

If u plan on going with just dogs, I would suggest to get more than one if they r responsible for a large area. If it is a small area one will be fine, but a single dog in a large area can not be everywhere at once & will wear her/himself out trying to keep all the goats safe. Livestock Guardians r wonderful animals & take their job very seriously. One extra benefit to the Great Pyrenees over the other breeds is that they tend to be very gentle & loving towards people, where the other breeds can sometimes be more agressive. Good luck!

the Great Pyrenees is a GREAT idea, because they r sheep dogs & here in TX r used to guard goats also.in ancient times Pyrs would guard the sheep by living with them, & would kill wolves & even bears to protect the flocks !!!.. u can find Great Pyrenees on petfinder.com...this is a site for rescue groups...just enter ur Zip code, & enter breed wanted, like Great Pyrenees, & be AMAZED at how many GREAT choices u have !!...i recently adopted a Great Pyrenees mix from petfinder.com, & my dog Sylvester is awesome !!...check it out...try it...do a good deed ...ADOPT a Great Pyrenees today !!!...good luck to you, in ur search for a Great Pyrenees as a new pet !!!!...most adoptions run between $ 50 to $ 200 maximum, for a wonderfull dog, who will be very happy to be ur new pet !!!...do more research on Great Pyrenees, & i think u will conclude, that they would be the best choice, for protecting ur goats from coyotes & mountain lions !!! if i can be of further help with questions on Great Pyrenees, email me !!!.one major drawback on Bernese Mt. dogs is they only live to be 5-7 yrs old, with 6 yrs being the average life expectancy !!!..Great Pyrenees will live 9-12 yrs or more, longer, if they r kept at lower weights, to avoid hip dysplasia !!!

Do not use dogs, get a llama or two. And I am completely serious. They're natural herd protectors, and a lot easier to manage. They live twice as long as dogs, and are easy keepers. Go look at the website, it explains better.

A friend of mine has Central Asian Ovtcharka dogs, which r a fairly rare breed in the US, native to countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, that border on the Middle East(those countries like Ukraine, & the ones that end in ''-stan''). Those r excellent livestock guarding dogs, & unlike many of the more familiar livestock guarding breeds, have not had any specimens ruined by being bred for the show ring. A mountain lion is capable of killing many of the breeds suggested here(an Australian Shepherd would make a tasty snack for a big cougar, plus it is not a livestock GUARDING breed, but a HERDING breed-big difference). You can find out more about CAO is on the website below, which belongs to the breeder, now located in Virginia, that I got my original Ovtcharka from, who now resides at my friend is farm, protecting goats, turkeys, chickens, donkeys & cattle. They r not cheap, but they will pay for themselves in the long run.

German shephards should be good.they are very gd watch dogs.u can also try golden retrievers too.

Great Pyrennes r the best. I have owned several over the years. We got the last one when she was just 5 wks old. Her mom had been killed by a car. That dog knew her job from day one. We had goats & our neighbors had goats, cows, burros. That Dog would stay on our side watching the goats & then go on th other side & watch theirs. She thought it was her job to take care of all of them & she did. She would stay near the fenceline so she could see them on both sides. I never saw a Great Pyrennes with better instincts & I really have had some good ones. They do not have to be trained either, u put them with ur stock & they do what they r supposed to do. We never had a coyote problem when we had her. We sold the goats a few years ago & let her go with them because she would not have been happy without her herd to care for.

They both make excellent guard dogs of livestock. However, if u live in a very hot climate (I am not sure, as I am from Canada) & I know there r cooler areas in California - it is not a good idea to get a dog with long fur. How about an Australian Shepherd? Short haired Border Collie? Short haired Lassie Collie? There r many lovely breeds of dog that will be great for ur family & ranch purposes. Go & research on the internet, & get some good books from the library on breeds of dogs. You could also call up a vet & ask them for input. How about contacting the American Kennel Club?

Good luck.

Selecting a guard dog

The dog may be one of several breeds or a mixture of breeds. The most common breeds of guard dogs in the U.S. r the Great Pyrenees, Komondor, Anatolian Shepherd, Akbash Dog, Maremma, Kuvasz, & Sharplaninac. These dogs generally command good prices, however, the loss of a few lambs will soon pay for one. Mixed dogs were used in experimental work & were quite effective depending on how they r reared & the kind of temperament they exhibit. A pup, born of a proven sire & dam & raised among sheep will probably develop into a good guard dog if properly bonded with the flock.
A puppy raised in a kennel may have difficulty bonding to sheep, especially if over six to eight weeks of age. Choose a puppy from a line that exhibits traits complimentary to ur needs. Avoid pups from overly shy or aggressive parents. Investigate the health status of the parents & look for hip dysplasia, a joint problem common to many large breeds of dogs. Consider neutering the pup to prevent problems due to heat cycles in females & males seeking females in heat. Neutering of males or females does not diminish their guarding capability.

Raising & integrating the puppy in a sheep operation

The puppy should be placed with the sheep & treated as a working dog, not a pet. Place the puppy with some lambs to avoid injury that may result from older aggressive ewes. The puppy must develop a bond with the lambs. The older sheep must be introduced gradually to the puppy. Ewes not accustomed to a guard dog may view the pup as an enemy. Over time, the sheep flock will become accustomed to the presence of the guard dog & they will tend to ignore the dog is presence.
Feed the pup in the sheep barn when the sheep r fed. Correct the pup for inappropriate behavior such as chasing or biting the sheep & praise the pup for good behavior.

Age at bonding pup to sheep

Some breeds of dogs mature & bond to sheep sooner than others. Some pups within breeds also bond at an earlier age than others. Guarding behavior was reported at the U.S. Experiment Station in pups as young as four months of age, while other dogs were nine months of age. The larger breeds of guard dogs mature more slowly & puppy behavior was noted up to twenty-four months of age in some dogs. Patience & discipline is required with all pups.

Problems observed in guard dogs

Failure to stay with the sheep requires correction. Correct the pup for coming to the house by immediately taking it back to the sheep. A sensitive pup will respond to a verbal reprimand while a stubborn ''hardheaded''. pup may need a physical correction. Chaining the dog with the sheep at night & releasing it during the day may achieve positive results. Introduce the new pup to its new boundaries on a leash & do it several times the first week. Patrolling & attentiveness to sheep will increase & develop over time. Regardless of training of some pups, a small percentage never strongly bond to sheep.

Playing with the sheep

A certain amount of licking, pawing, chasing & nipping can be expected with some puppies. Boredom contributes to playful activities between puppies & the sheep. The problem can be minimized by moving the pup to a larger area, or in some way changing the pup is environment. Closely supervise a new pup & this will eliminate the formation of bad habits. Play behavior decreases with age.

Sheep accepting new pup

The time required for the sheep to accept the pup will vary with the time of year it is placed. Lambing time is one time when the ewes will be protective of their young lambs. It generally takes several days to a few weeks for the sheep to accept the pup. Sheep accustomed to a guard dog r easily moved by herding dogs but the guard dog may have to be chained or placed away from the sheep.

Notify neighbors when purchasing a guard dog

A guardian pup is a valuable animal. They must be protected from accidents by moving vehicles, being mistaken for a predator by neighbors, shootings & trappings. A patrolling guard dog may easily be mistaken for an intruder. Notify ur neighbors that u have purchased a guard dog.
Guard dogs become ill the same as any livestock. Be aware of a loss of appetite, diarrhea or a change in behavior. Consult ur veterinarian & get proper immunization & deworming for ur pup.

Sheep hear ding dogs are number one for either hearding or just protecting the sheep from predators or any attackers for that matter. The thing is to introduce the dog to the heard as a pup to get it acclimated to the sheep.

Other dogs are labs or golden retrievers.

We use a German Shepherd and he is been amazingly good at keeping coyotes away. Another option is a donkey. Donkeys will actually bond with your goats and will defend the herd. They can and will kill coyotes on occasion, but more often chase them off.