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Retreat Livestock Guardians, by TD

When the grid goes down and predation goes up, from animals (wild and feral/formally domesticated) and other people will be a very large problem. The television show Jericho showed some of the problems with diminished game and a lack of dogs and cats.

Right now a lot of city dwellers complain about the population of deer, raccoon, opossum, coyote and others. In the city they are a problem right now. If something drastic were to happen it would decimate those populations, removing most outside food sources for cities. Most people, who do not hunt for food, hunt for trophies and they do take a lot of natural predators. What happens when this stops?

Out in the country you will see an increase in natural and formally domestic [feral] predators, therefore depleting the amount of game that can be found. In the city it will be far worse, dogs when they go feral run in packs and will eat almost anything, they will attack humans. Even now in the country feral dogs prey on livestock, taking calves, colts and lambs, larger packs will start taking larger (full grown) animals as they need. How can this be stopped or slowed?

Then the biggest worry, other people. There are people now who, though it isn’t for food, do steal livestock. Horse meat when at prime prices drives the theft of horses to unimaginable extents, not tomorrow, but now. There is a lot of that still happening and with tattoos or micro chipping the slaughter houses don’t have the resources to check as thoroughly as they could. Is there a deterrent? What happens when the grid goes down and people are stealing to eat or for their own gains?

If you have the land you need to raise your own stock and you need to be able to protect it now and in the future. Do you have the resources to defend it? If not what are your alternatives? Have you thought about livestock guardians? What ones would best suit you?

Donkeys are a very good choice for a herd guardian against predators, not so much against people. Sometimes you need to remove them during birthing then re-introduce after the babies are a few days old. You can pack with them and ride them and they will do damage to wolves, coyotes, bobcats, lynx and even mountain lions. They can live to be in their thirties and do require the same care as do horses (to a lesser extent). They are easy to handle if trained well and early.

Llamas are another good guardian, although they are not very good with dogs (I have seen them chase and kill domestic pets). They can be used lightly and they can spit very badly. They do need more grooming and can be aggressive at times (depends on the sex and time of year).

The livestock guardian dog (LGD) is by far the best choice. These dogs are large, wary of strangers, protective and will kill predators. Most of these dogs stand over 25 inches at the shoulder and for females no less than 75 pounds and males no less than 90 pounds, there are a few that top 120 pounds for females and 180 pounds for males. You do need to find the dog that will suit you and your climate and make your choices accordingly.

With herding dogs (except for collies) they work on a stalker prey drive that can cost you livestock. You can see it in the working dogs eyes. With LGDs they are part of the herd, they think that the animals and people are their siblings and alpha dog (pack leader).

The dogs I have researched may cost more than your typical dogs, but they serve a dual purpose and will not harm your livestock. Most of these dogs are low energy and don’t eat much more than a German Shepherd after the age of 1 year. Some do take longer to mature and some take more time to train, but when you are done you have a dog that will take care of you and your other animals. With the shear size of some of these dogs most people think twice before even getting close to them.

The Komondor is an excellent example of LGD - This is an ancient Hungarian sheepdog of Asiatic origin. In guarding herds of cattle and sheep, or house and property, he displays dauntless courage. He attacks boldly and silently. He regards the area he watches as his property, and will not tolerate strangers. He is distrustful by nature. They need good training and you need to get to know them, I suggest talking with breeders and trainers.

The Great Pyrenees is very popular throughout some of the small farming communities in Tennessee - Character and temperament are of utmost importance. In nature, the Great Pyrenees is confident, gentle, and affectionate. While territorial and protective of his flock or family when necessary, his general demeanor is one of quiet composure, both patient and tolerant. He is strong willed, independent and somewhat reserved, yet attentive, fearless and loyal to his charges both human and animal.

The CAO (Central Asian Ovcharka or Shepherd)--a relatively new breed to the U.S.--does deserve mention. They can handle all climates and they are used to working with little or no supervision. For centuries, the Central Asian Shepherd Dog worked alone or together with several other dogs, without much intervention from the herdsmen, relying on its own intelligence and instincts to do its job. While these dogs are very devoted to their family members, they expect to be treated with respect. They are inclined to be suspicious of strange people or dogs. Central Asians are steady, even-tempered dogs who adjust well to change in their environment. When threatened, they react quickly and with complete seriousness. Central Asians are slow to mature and require extensive socialization and patient training techniques. This breed is hardy and able to adapt to a wide range of climates. Serious faults: Irritable, nervous or fearful dogs are to be severely penalized.

Anatolian Shepherd is a large not quite as massive guardian, they are agile and when they have the right temperament you can’t find a better dog. They are being used a lot now for police work and the aggressiveness that is seen is not the norm for these dogs.

Those are the breeds I have actually researched, looking for the dogs I will be adding to our retreat. I will not just add 1 as when you breed responsibly you can sell the puppies for the grid goes down or after they can be bartered. There are numerous other breeds I am still gathering information on. There is a lot of reference material available on training and picking a puppy. Refer to Livestock Protection Dogs by Orysia Dowydiak and David Sims.It seems to be a favorite online and one featured by the USDA at one of their web pages.

Here is a partial list of other LGDs that might be suitable:
The Akbash, Maremma, Tibetan Mastiff, Aidi (Atlas Sheepdog), Castro Laboreiro, Estrela Mountain Dog, Kangal, Kuvasz, Perro de Pastor Mallorquin, Polish Tatra, Pyrenean Mastiff, Sarplaninac, South Russina Ovcharka, Spanish Mastiff, Tibetan Kyi Apso, and the Tornjak.

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