What is a Livestock Guardian Dog?

Livestock Guardian Dogs or Flock Guardians are a class of working dog that has been bred to bond to and live with livestock full time and protect them from predators and other threats.  There are a number of breeds of dog in this class of working dog, but they all have similar instincts.  They have a lower play/prey drive than other breeds as well as a strong drive to protect their herd.   They are very large dogs and are self-thinkers which enables them to assess a threat and take appropriate action without outside direction to do so.  It takes a lot of time and effort to finish a good LGD, but a well trained Livestock Guardian Dog is worth it's weight in gold!

Our LGDs

Less than 1 year into raising goats, we realized that it was going to be necessary to have some sort of protection in place for our herd.  The coyotes were getting closer and more bold and we were also looking at moving to an area that has a huge feral dog problem.  So we began our search for a working livestock guardian. 
Mirabelle was our first LGD and she came home as an adorable 10 week old white ball of fluff.  She is mostly Great Pyrenees with a little Anatolian Shepherd mixed in.  We learned as we went with her and after lots of hard work and training, she is now mature and an amazing flock guardian.  She loves her goats and never leaves them! 

Toby joined our farm as a puppy in 2015 and is maturing into a fine dog.  He is an Anatolian Shepherd and is a little more serious than his Pyrenees working partner, but he is gentle with his stock and an absolute love to his people.  

We wonder how we ever survived without these amazing dogs!