There is no need to scold or shame her in these situations. For more on Brain Training for Dogs, see Adrienne’s sales page here or read my review article here for livestock guardians and here for LGDs being raised as pets. I gave her a full-body doggy massage. I so hope this post has been a helpful primer for you on training your livestock guardian dogs. Homemade Fertilizers—15 Simple and Inexpensive Options, Making your own simple and inexpensive homemade fertilizers can be…, How to Germinate Peach Pits (and Why You Should), Discover how to germinate peach pits and save money by…, 12 Uses for Rose Petals — From the Kitchen to the…, Explore the wondrous powers of the rose—from relieving sore throats…, 14 Tips for Training Your Livestock Guardian Dog. Thankfully, the carcass (complete with ripped-off wing strewn a few feet away) kept me from giving into the urge. They guard the territory more than they guard the livestock. Just for the sake of reinforcement, though, here are a few important takeaways from the story. The dogs’ relationships with the poultry are typically not the same as their relationships to livestock mammals. Thanks for reading! The need for a strong bond can’t be overstated. I always use a harness on my dogs rather than a collar - you don’t want to jump on the end of the leash if your dog is wearing a collar as this can injure or frighten him. Rather, you are teaching your dog how to work with you at the same time she is teaching you how to work with her. You still need to teach your dogs not to play back with these animals. If the pup … Well, I’m here to tell you, this is one of the biggest myths about livestock guardian dogs out there. Also, different kinds of livestock will trigger different responses in your dog. Commands such as stop and come are very useful for maintaining control of your livestock dog. Since they can’t reason out what makes you angry, they start to fear you without learning what you expect of them. Yep, you guessed it! For example, your dog may learn how to sit on the porch, but when you ask her to sit when you’re out in the field, she might not be able to do it. There is even a donkey farm in Australia that specifically breeds donkeys for this purpose -to defend livestock. Nip it in the bud IMMEDIATELY. They are large enough to startle or intimidate predators. This was another ‘close call’ where nobody got hurt in the end, but these people took a huge risk by not properly obedience training their dog and still allowing him with new livestock. If your dog is genuinely relaxed at all times with your livestock,  you may have lucked into a natural caretaker. 99. All livestock guardian dogs can be obedience trained if you put in the time consistently and stay patient. Although there are many commands you could teach your livestock guardian dogs, there are 6 commands that are absolutely essential for your dogs to learn: Look at me – alright, so this command isn’t quite as important as the others, but it’s an easy one for your dogs to learn and it is super helpful for further training. In this episode we are talking about those differences with Bill Costanzo from Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in San […] Although I have never seen him address training livestock guardian dogs, he does have countless videos on training pet dogs using positive methods that are super helpful. If you need more info on training LGDs to livestock, I very highly recommend Jackie Church’s short but incredibly helpful manual, Windance Farm Training Manual: Maremma Sheepdog & Livestock Guardian Dogs. After your dogs do well loose on their leashes, you can start to let them off leash. Dohner, Janet Vorwald. If you get new livestock, let your dogs see you unload them from the vehicle into a holding area. Be ready: this dog will find a way to escape. They had also demonstrated their fierceness by rearing up on their hind legs in her general direction. When you want your dog to stay back for her own safety (or for the safety of others), a good “stay” response is vital. Give your livestock guardian dog a wide area to explore or a very secure fence, or both. Guard dogs are bred and trained to please their human masters. When people complain that their livestock guardian dogs are hard to train, they really are showing that they don’t know how to train them. This “obedience” is actually just your dog’s trust in you (knowing you respect her and look out for her) and her desire to please you as you are her partner and dear friend. You’ll also want to train them when they’re hyper and haven’t had enough exercise. I bet you have already figured out that my tale about Luna and the duck is loaded with tips on training dogs for use with livestock. I am not an expert but here is a video on how i train my pup's when i get them home I let her off leash in a safe area and throw a stick for her. Luna looked up at me with so much delight and pride. She also teaches you how to play a number of training games with your dogs, which I suspect livestock guardian dogs in general will particularly love. As long time Maremma owner, trainer, and breeder, Jackie Church, says in her LGD training manual: Even worse, your dogs might kill that one sheep. Do a training session with your dogs and then get a little closer to the livestock. My smart girl had gotten their message and kept a humble distance. Obedience training may take a long time. I also discuss step-by-step solutions to these problems in my free livestock guardian dog training guide. If you are uncertain exactly what training with “positive methods” means, here it is in a nutshell: you train your dogs what to do (not what not to do) by making them want to do the thing you are asking, not through force, punishment, or shame. Instead, I threw on my boots and raced out to see what could be done about the duck. Expose your dog to the type of livestock it will be guarding. Take your puppies for walks around your property (both with and without a leash – get them used to both) and get them used to your commands. My big, beautiful Luna is a fine predator, to be sure. These dogs are meant to live in packs and you will likely have a lot more behavioral and training problems with a single dog. All other interactions, such as herding, are safer when supervised. Here are a couple more scenarios:  Imagine your livestock guardian dog is taking on an adversary too large for her, or maybe she’s confronted a predator who is trying to get away, but she won’t back off and let him go. The livestock training methods in this post refer to training your dogs to ruminants (goats, sheep, cows) and other mammals (horses, alpacas, etc.). Livestock guardian dogs can protect any kind of livestock with the proper training. The dog should not be expected to do much guarding when it is young as their instincts should … These wonderful animals are descended from wolves, for goodness’ sake! Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2016. When you have goats, or for that matter any other type of livestock, you should also plan to have at least one dog trained to protect them from strangers and many other forms of predators. Do this twice a day. Use the time that you have the dog nearby and bonding to stock to set up the enclosure with hot wires, and allow the dog to learn the consequences of crossing electric fences. Being consistent in your methods is critically important. Harnesses are safe. A puppy could be seriously injured by this, or the behavior could prevent him from feeling safe with livestock and bonding with them. Thanks for reading and good luck facing those last few training hurdles with Livvy! Church, Jackie. He violently attempts to keep the mother away from her baby, completely ignoring the owner’s commands to do otherwise. That way, they’ll be less likely to notice her and won’t demonstrate fear. Sometimes one of your livestock may try to play with your LGDs. Historically, they have always worked with shepherds. We have a small flock/herd of sheep and goats. Finally, I picked up the dead duck and the ripped-off wing, turned my back on Luna, and walked back to the house to process the duck for dinner. Puppies only have short attention spans. The bear is trying to get away, but the dogs aren’t letting him go, despite their owner commanding it. Get far enough away from the livestock that your dogs are calm and do a training session to distract them. Great suggestions as an alternative to LGDs. Has anyone ever told you that livestock guardian dogs are “untrainable?” Have you heard that they have been bred to be stubborn and independent, meant to guard livestock on their own without human direction? Any chasing or nipping at the livestock can’t be allowed. However, sometimes this won’t work and you may need to keep the aggressive livestock separate until your dogs’ training is totally complete (and they are living happily with their charges). You will likely need to consistently train your dog for months. Leave it – this is another important command that can protect your livestock or others from your dog, or that can protect your dog from predators or potentially harmful situations. Otherwise I would not have left her unattended with poultry nearby. Keep in mind that there are many different ways to train these dogs. Because my neighbors never properly introduced him to the ducks. (No sense in wasting the meat just because I hadn’t made the kill.). I stepped toward Luna, slowly and carefully. Some dogs will very naturally adapt to living with livestock and bond easily. You also don’t want to stop rewarding too early or you may lose some ground that you’ll have to make up later. The Way of the Pack: Understanding and Living with Livestock Guardian Dogs. This step is crucial. They obey you not because they are afraid of you, but because they trust you, view you as their partner, and want to please you. This is not so much the problem we have but might be part of it. Make sure you are ready for that commitment. I am sharing the way that works best for me. It means that despite the fact that livestock guardian dog breeds are highly intelligent problem solvers that can be trusted to protect your livestock even when you’re not around (eventually), they also crave your presence, partnership, and approval. You really aren’t teaching your dog to do what you want. Formerly the Livestock Guardian Dog Association. Or worse, a dominant dog might rebel and become dangerous. We do not believe in the "hands off" theory that is the basis for many breeders in North America. I repeated this one more time, just to make sure she got the message: ducks are off-limits. I am sharing the way I think is the kindest to your animals and the most effective long-term.