The 10 Best Guard Dogs For Farms And Livestock

Humans have been domesticating dogs for a very long time now since they make incredibly loyal companions and have a really great set of instincts that come in handy. There is a wide variety of dogs out there, every type has its own unique traits and characteristics, there are some dogs that make great family pets due to their friendly and lovable nature, and some types have a naturally strong urge to protect and defend. Today we are going to be taking a look at several of the guard dog breeds for farms and livestock protection, dog breeds that have been selectively bred to enhance their already sharp senses to make them incredibly reliable guardians.

Many people have begun keeping guard dogs to keep their property safe, and if we take a look at dog breeding history we can tell that many of the top guard dogs that exist today come from carefully developed lineages. In fact, many modern-day guard dogs have been bred to help livestock farmers control their herds and keep them safe from predators, farmers prefer having a loyal guard dog by their side due to the fact (as stated by W.F Andelt in “Livestock Guard Dogs, Llamas and Donkeys”) that these guard dogs have an advanced level of intelligence that makes them capable enough of watching over an entire herd without a farmer having to be present.

Having a guard dog on your farm can significantly boost your property’s security, keeping it safe from wild animals and trespassers as well, but before we begin taking a look at different guard dog breeds, we should take a brief look at how you should train a guard dog.

Training Your Guard Dog

When purchasing a guard dog, you will have two options; either adopt an adult dog or get a puppy and raise it yourself, getting an adult dog will obviously provide you with faster results, however, if you really want a strong bond of loyalty and companionship then it is better to go for a puppy.

When buying a puppy, you should make sure to check for its lineage, purchase from a knowledgeable breeder who can provide you with all the details about the puppy’s lineage. Once you have found yourself a well-bred puppy, you must begin training your dog immediately to ensure discipline. Remember, when it comes to training your dog, you need to work on their manners, their obedience, and most of all, their sociability. Guard dogs are suspicious and protective by nature, so they tend to become hostile towards strangers and new things quickly.

A guard dog that only has its instincts to go on will try to attack anything that is not their owner, however, if they are frequently exposed to new things and people then they quickly learn to tell apart good and bad things.

An interesting thing to note is that farm guard dogs are not always big and bulky, you can find dogs of all shapes and sizes serving as protectors on various farms. This is because of the fact that strength alone is not enough to determine the effectiveness of a guard dog, one must also take into account a dog’s ability to meld in with the livestock, attentively watch over the farm throughout the day and carry out its duties without being a burden for their owner.

We can break down farm guard dog breeds into four categories:

• Livestock protectors
• Animal herders
• Pest controllers
• Multipurpose dogs

Livestock Protectors

There are a number of dog breeds that are great for watching over your livestock, these dogs do not necessarily need to be big, but they are expected to have a loud bark that can scare away wild animals and alert the owner, and have a high attention span that allows them to stay vigilant day and night. Some breeds that are popular for livestock protection include the Great Pyrenees and the Tibetan Mastiff.

There has been plenty of research on the effectiveness of guard dogs that proves just how much of a difference they can make, a study by Maximiliano A. Sepúlveda, Randall S. Singer, Eduardo Silva-Rodríguez, Paulina Stowhas, and Katharine Pelican states that 60% of farms in rural areas depend on dogs as a primary means of protection from wildlife.

Animal Herders

Animal herding is a hands-on job that requires attentiveness and the ability to lead animals from their pens to pastures and back again. Dog breeds that are effective at herding tend to be highly trainable, capable of learning a variety of commands and following them with absolute obedience. German Shepherd are perhaps one of the most well-known herding dogs in the world and believe it or not, corgis were bred for herding as well, their small size and active nature makes them perfect for guiding larger livestock.

Pest Controllers

Predators and trespassers are not the only source of trouble for a farm, pests pose an equally dangerous threat as they are capable of destroying a farm from the inside. A minor infestation can quickly grow to become a nuisance that destroys crops and causes trouble for your livestock. This is why farms also employ dogs for pest control, these kind of jobs are handled well by dog breeds that have great tracking ability and are preferably smaller in size so that they can explore nooks and crannies better.

Multipurpose Dogs

For people who do not feel up to the challenge of training and keeping multiple dogs on their farms, there are dog breeds that are kind of like all-rounders, capable of guarding your livestock while also hunting down pests and keeping them from infesting your farm.

Now that we know all that there is to know about farm guard dogs, let’s take a look at some great dog breeds to have.

The Best Guard Dogs For Farms

• The Great Pyrenees
• Maremma Sheepdog
• Akbash
• Kuvasz
• Pyrenean Mastiff
• Komondor
• Polish Tatra Sheepdog
• Anatolian Shepherd
• Kangal
• Tibetan Mastiff