What does Bonding look like?

 

Both the livestock and the dogs are relaxed and comfortable in each others presence.  The puppy is learning to be social around the sheep and to accept that sheep belongs in its world.

What does Bonding look like?

©Louise Liebenberg (2020)

Written for The Shepherds Magazine

“What does a bonding look like for a livestock guardian dog (LGD)?” This question was posted in a Facebook group and I thought it was a particularly good question to address in an article. As with all things, nothing is really set in stone and individual dogs will show various degrees of behavior.

Bonding is for both the sheep and the LGD  being comfortable with each other. The sheep are not threatened and the dogs are happy to share their space and resources with each other.

Most traditional shepherds do not really talk in terms of bonding, the dogs are around and live with the sheep, that is what is expected from them. The term bonding is more a North American term, it explains that the dog and sheep form an “unusual” relationship with one another, that crosses specie lines.  The Webster dictionary describes the word bonding to mean “the formation of a close relationship (as between a mother and child or between a person and an animal) especially through frequent or constant association.”  In the case of LGD it is a relationship that is formed between two species and in this case between a predator and its prey.  Another key aspect to the word bond, is that is formed because of frequent or constant association. This is key in LGD. If they do not have frequent or in most cases constant contact with the livestock, the relationship between these two species can becomes weaker or not form at all.

These pups are socializing with the sheep and are in the critical age where they are learning to form a bond with other animals, people and situations.

 Another term more commonly used in the dog world is “socialization”.   Socialization is the process of getting the puppy to become accustomed to other people, animals, places, and activities so that the are calm and relaxed in these situations. Socialization usually begins at an early age, with the goal of having a well-adjusted dog that can handle new situations and experiences in a calm and confident manner.  For our LGD this is what we want, we want the dog to form a relationship with the livestock so they feel calm and confident being around them and also to ensure they come to regard the livestock as part of their world.  We socialize the LGD to their livestock and over time a bond develops. The critical part is that this socialization is somewhat time sensitive and is usually most effective when the pup is in the sensitive stage, the developmental stage where it is most receptive to forming bonds and learning new experiences. This phase is usually between 3 and 16 weeks old.  Of course, there will be some dogs who form this bond at a later age and some who never do, but as a rule of thumb this does seem to be the most ideal time for the pup to form these associations. In the pet dog world, this socialization and bonding happens to the family members, in LGD, we want them to create their primary bond to the livestock, hence the recommendation to place pups directly in with gentle livestock when the pup comes home.

In the eighties, most livestock keepers approached bonding by not handling their dogs at all, believing no human contact was the only way to force this bond to the livestock. This in turn created other issues, nervous and people shy dogs, dogs that could not be handled or given veterinary treatments and feral dogs. Feral dogs are often not confident in their ability to handle new situations and experiences. Finding the right balance between too much handling and enough time to bond to the livestock is a fine line. I like to handle my pups with the livestock. They live with the stock and the handling happens right there.

It was expected that the dog stayed tight with the sheep, and where totally human shy. Many ranchers felt that the dog always had to be close to the sheep, preferably right in the middle of the stock, and preferably avoid all human contact. As more people started to use LGD, and more breeds became accessible to livestock operations,  people noticed some breed differences, some breeds seemed to be “tighter bonding” to their livestock and other breeds tended to be more perimeter or patrolling dogs. Initially many ranchers wanted nothing to do with the patrolling types, as they felt these dogs were “not working”.  However, patrolling breeds can be as effective as tighter bonding breeds. There is not one “right” way. Effectiveness should be measured in how predation is controlled as opposed to the dog’s distance relative to the livestock. The caveat here is, if the dog is always far away or never at the sheep, then chances are he will also not be as effective if he is not around when predation takes place. The patrolling dog needs to still be contact with the sheep, go and patrol and come back and check with the sheep. The patrolling type dog may not lay right in with the sheep but does need to be in relative close proximity to the flock.

The LGD is being attentive to the sheep. The sheep were staring at something moving in the bush, the dog is attentive to the sheep and is focused on what is moving. The dog and the sheep are alert, but relaxed.

I will list some behaviors and actions that indicate that the dog is bonded to the livestock. This list is not all encompassing and not every dog will show all these behaviors. However, it does illustrate what a well bonded dog looks like to the observer. A pup will certainly not show all these behaviors and as the dog matures it will learn how to be around the livestock in a better way. It is not a static process. A mature dog will have learned how to keep the sheep calm, how to avoid conflicts, how to be more tolerant, to “read the sheep’s behavior” etc.
As bonding is not a one-sided relationship, the livestock are also good indicators of how the dog is doing. The livestock know if a dog is not trustworthy and it is the livestock that is often be the first indicator that the dog might be showing troubling behavior.  I will touch on some livestock behavior too, that will reflect how bonded the animals are to each other.

The dog is comfortable and relaxed around the livestock.

The dog is calm and moves through the livestock in a mindful way.

The dog is respectful of the livestock, does not sit on them, paw them, bump into them, chase them.

Is comfortable with the livestock being in their space, laying at a hay feeder together or sharing a water   trough.

Will give the stock space when needed, if a ewe is lambing the dog will walk around her, will avoid hard staring, will overt their eyes to keep the livestock calm, the dog will move around livestock that are walking towards him. If the animals get upset, the mature dog will naturally give them more space to keep them settled. This type of behavior does come with maturity and learned experiences.

The dog is attentive to the behavior of the stock. If sheep are nervous or running, dog is looking  for danger. He is attuned to the sheep and their reactions.

Follows the animals out to graze,  and is in the vicinity of where the flock is grazing.

The dog is content to be with the livestock, when you leave the dog is happy to return to the livestock.

Is trustworthy with the livestock ( no chewing, chasing, herding, leg nipping, wool pulling)

Feels the need to guard the livestock, barks and responds to predators or unusual situations. Is protective of the animals and the space they are in.

Greeting, the sheep, happy to see them.  Forms relationships with individual animals as well as the group.

“Boring. Delightfully, wonderfully, comfortingly boring.” – Susan Soeder

Good bonding does not require the dog to always be laying in with the sheep, being snuggled up to them or even having lambs or goat kids jumping up and down on them. The dog may be bonded without showing this level of tolerance.  Some dogs do prefer more personal space and that is okay.

The livestock will show indications that they trust the dog, are relaxed in the company of the dog (not flighty, chewing cud, walking close to the dog, sharing space, looking towards the dog when unsure, following the dog  into new grazing areas or back to the barn, relaxed, content and comfortable in the presence of the dog.

It certainly is a relationship the grows and some sheep attach more to certain dogs than others. My dogs recognize individual sheep and cows, and some of my sheep adore pups and will stand with them, nuzzle them, and even push other sheep away from the pup.  Some livestock can be more aloof and that is fine too.

I think what is key to remember, the livestock guardian dog’s job is two-fold; protect the livestock and do not eat them! Some people only want to see the warm and fuzzy part of LGDs bonding to their stock, and often forget their main job is to be protective. I would rather have a dog that is tolerant, but distant towards the livestock and “guardy” in his behavior, than all cuddles and snuggles, but ineffective toward predators.

Greetings and recognition of individual animals is another way that show some level of bonding.

Adding Livestock Guardian Dogs

 

Merely adding in extra dogs as a response to a predation event is not as simple as it seems. Having a well functioning pack, who like to work together is what will provide optimum protection to your livestock.

Adding Livestock Guardian Dogs 
©Louise Liebenberg (Aug 2020)
Written for The Shepherds Magazine

I  always question when people who have little to no experience working with Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGD) give advise on how to raise them, work them and how many dogs someone starting with LGD should get, particularly when they themselves are not always aware of the consequences of such advise or the possible ramifications this could have for the person, livestock or other dogs. I think, people who have worked with LGD in a professional way, and by this, I mean making a living from their livestock operation, understand there are always nuances and considerations that need to be taken into account. It is not a “one size fits all” situation. In this month’s article I am going to look at the feasibility of simply adding more dogs to a flock.

On many of the social media forums, people will ask questions regarding how many dogs they need, if the person who posts the question casually mentions they live in an area with large predators (even if no predation has taken place) most advisors jump at that, and suggest they need 5 or more dogs to handle large predators.  In my rather practical way of thinking, I always question how the advisor thinks that will work? It is not so simple to just add that many dogs. Is it even warranted for that situation, or where to even find all these dogs are often not considered? In some cases, these advisors recommend the poster get 2 dogs for a situation that does not even warrant a dog.

Most people recommend high number of dogs because they think that LGD and large predators are having fights daily, the reality is, physical engagement is relatively uncommon. In areas with high predator pressure, the producer will already have higher dog numbers and is probably implementing other methods to help keep the livestock safe. 
This advise to simply add in 5 or more dogs is easy to hand out and much harder to implement. If a producer has a confirmed kill from a mountain lion or bear, it generally does not work to suddenly add multiple new dogs, all at once, to the flock.   The problems with this advice are, many people do not understand that simply adding in so many extra dogs will destabilize the original LGD pack. It is not simple to integrate new adult dogs into an existing pack as it will often result in fighting.  The dogs are focussed on pack dynamics as opposed to the flock.  There is also a real challenge to find good, sound adult working LGD and most times the livestock are wary of new dogs initially. Although the advice may be legitimate, the reality is that it is near impossible to implement as an instant solution in response to a predation event.  I read on the various livestock guardian dogs forums comments like it takes multiple dogs to take down a mountain lion, yes, that might be true, but the work of a LGD is rarely “taking it down”, instead it is to disrupt the predators behaviour, making it harder to be able to kill, to act as a deterrent and establish a territory to push predators further back.  If you have a sheep killed today by a predator then you might need to resort to other methods of protecting your flock because finding 3 or 4 new dogs to add in directly, might not be an option. In this case, night corralling the sheep in a smaller area, or using hot wire, sound and light deterrents or shepherding might be the more appropriate “instant solution”. Integrating that many new dogs into a flock takes time, management, and resources. It is not an instant fix.

A cohesive pack means there is peace in the pack, all working together as a group.

What people do not realise is that there is an optimum number of dogs, too many dogs and you have whole new set of problems to deal with. It is about finding the right number of dogs, with the best pack cohesiveness for the job. To protect the livestock, multiple strategies might need to be implemented, no method to discourage predation is 100%, so when a kill happens, other forms of protection will need to be applied. If the area where you ranch, has a high predator load and there is a need more dogs, then it is pertinent to work towards higher number of dogs over time. Build that cohesive working pack of dogs who are and can be flexible with where they are placed. We switch our dogs around depending on where they are grazing or if the risk for the livestock is higher in a certain area. We rotate our dogs around various groups and will often add in or take our dogs from different groups out to ensure all the dogs know each other well enough, to be able to work together. This flexibility allows us to manage the dogs better and provide the best protection to the flock that needs it most.  A few years back we had wolves raising 7 pups on our ranch, this required us to move some of the dogs around, to ensure the sheep grazing closest to the wolf den were more protected.  This was possible as we usually have a few “extra dogs”, who can be switched around. We pulled some of the dogs from the sheep grazing close to the barn and added them in to the main ewe flock and to the calving cattle.  As our dogs know the livestock, the other dogs, and the terrain, it was relatively easy to do. This way, we can “instantly” up our numbers without causing too much disruption within the flock and dog pack.

What is key for most producers is to have a succession plan for their LGD.  Many people start off with 2 and then in 10 years time they have 2 old dogs with no new young dogs that are up and coming. I think it is important to plan where you want to be with your operation in a few years time, are you a growing operation, expanding land base, or possibly downsizing? Planning for the number of dogs you need or having a reliable source for finding your future LGD pups is important.   If you breed your own as replacements it is good to know when to plan a litter to ensure you have the next generation starting up, before you might really need them. The most cohesive pack of LGD includes dogs with a variety of ages and experiences within the pack. I personally like to keep back a pup at least every two years, so when the older dogs move into retirement, I have sufficient, experienced younger dogs to fill those rolls. If it looks like I am getting too many dogs, there is a market for well raised, stock bonded older dogs. I have multiple people calling me and telling me their dog got old and have had a coyote kill and are now needing a full trained dog, ready to go today. A little succession planning in the dogs goes a long way to ensure you have enough, integrated dogs to not have a “gap” or opportunity for predators to take advantage of. Managing the LGDs on a livestock operation is part of the whole “business plan”, and requires forethought and planning to have optimal use of the dogs.

Succession planning in LGD, requires planning a head to ensure you have a cohesive pack of dogs for the coming years to ensure sufficient protection for your livestock.

Intact or Altered?

 

Intact or Altered?

©Louise Liebenberg

Written for The Shepherds Magazine 

An intact breeding pair of LGD. The male will only be focused on “guarding” this female while she is in heat. It certainly detracts from his guarding of the livestock during this time.

As veterinary knowledge expands many “standard” procedures are getting a new look. One of the areas that has come under greater scrutiny is what long term affects (health and behavioural) does spaying and neutering have on dogs.  For many years, the standard approach has been to recommend spaying a female prior to her first heat cycle and neutering a male under one year of age. In some areas and particularly with shelter dogs, many of these dogs are altered as juveniles, around 8-12 weeks old. With new research and looking into long term studies it has been found that early spay and neuter does carry increased health risks for the adult dog. This article will explore some of the options for livestock guardian dogs (LGD) and how to manage intact and altered dogs.

I could not find any direct studies that determined if an altered or intact LGD had a significant effect or their working ability to deter predators from the sheep flocks.  The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension publication states; “Either sex can be an effective LGD and spaying or neutering does not seem to decrease a guardian dog’s protectiveness.”

In the more traditional cultures in Europe, altering is not a standard procedure and many pastoralists do not have access to this type of medical intervention. In some regions it is frowned upon and many shepherds believe that neutering or spaying will render the dogs less effective.  Personally, I do believe that intact LGD might have a slight advantage when it comes to behaviours such as sent marking, displays of dominance, aggression and claiming of territories.  The degree of difference in effectiveness has not been measured (to my knowledge) and the question arises if that difference overrides the advantages of sexually altering a LGD?

The primary reasons for altering LGD is to prevent unwanted litters of pups, crosses between LGD and non LGD breeds, to keep the dogs focussed on their job rather than finding breeding partners and in some cases to reduce some behavioural problems such as aggression and roaming.

The advantages of intact dogs in regards to working ability is that a lot of information is transmitted through scent, intact dogs could have an advantage over altered dogs in this regard, intact dogs can be more dominant and show more aggression when it comes to pack dealings and the message it can portray to wild canids.  Of course, the option of breeding a good working dog is gone once a dog is altered.

Working with intact LGD adds another level of management that many ranchers do not want to deal with. Requires monitoring for in heat animals, avoiding breeding with non LGD males, kenneling for at least 3 weeks twice a year to avoid unwanted litters. Altering working dogs is a sound management decision for most ranchers.

In the vast majority of cases, I think altered LGD do make the best working dogs for most livestock operations and I personally do recommend spaying or neutering them. The next question however is when to do that? In most cases it is convenient for the rancher to do this when the pup is young, close to the ranch and before they become sexually mature. This is usually before 6 months for a female and under a year for a male. However, some recent research does suggest a correlation with long term health affects associated with early spaying and neutering which includes things such as joint diseases (including hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear or rupture, and elbow dysplasia) and cancers (such as lymphoma, mast cell tumor, hemangiosarcoma, and osteosarcoma). Both which can seriously affect the working life of our LGD.  

In this July 2020 published research paper titled:  Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for 35 Breeds of Dogs: Associated Joint Disorders, Cancers, and Urinary Incontinence.  By Benjamin L. Hart, Lynette A. Hart, Abigail P. Thigpen and Neil H. Willits. (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full)

 It found: “In previous studies on the Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever and German Shepherd Dog, neutering before a year of age was associated with increased risks of one or more joint disorders, 2–4 times that of intact dogs. The increase was particularly seen with dogs neutered by 6 months of age. In female Golden Retrievers, there was an increase in one or more of the cancers followed, to about 2–4 times that of intact females with neutering at any age.” 

The breeds studied did not include any of the LGD breeds, but it is generally accepted that size and sex certainly does impact the affects of early spay and neutering. Looking at all the larger breeds in this study it can be concluded that for large breeds the recommendations for neutering varies from 11 months to over 2 years, and for spaying a female from 6 months to over 2 years. I think if your breed is prone to joint issues and cancers, it is prudent to allow them to mature before considering spaying or neutering. I think it is always a good idea to consult with your veterinarian to pick the best age that suits your management and is most appropriate for your dog. I recommend to my pup buyers usually to alter their dogs after 18 months old. Allowing them sufficient time to mature, grow and develop.

So, this leads into the next issue on how to deal with intact dogs who could potentially breed, before they are altered. Both males and females can breed from about 6 months old and considering that most LGD breeds come into heat 2 x a year for 3 weeks at a time, it will require additional dog management to deal with an intact animal.

LGD are notorious for their ability and ingenuity to escape any enclosure, so this means when a female is in heat and needs to be locked away,  the encloser will need to be very substantial; jump, climb, crawl and dig proof. Dogs have been known to breed through diamond mesh fencing.  As most of my females tend to trigger each other and they tend to cycle together, it is often easier for me to lock away the male than lock away all the females. My advantage is that we live remotely and have no other neighbor dogs that could come in and potentially breed our LGD. My border collies are kenneled and do not just free roam, so that is usually not a problem.  

I have built a designated kennel for my LGD that needs to be in lock down, it is away from the sheep pastures, it is high, with coyote rollers over top. The bottom is fortified. If I have an incredibly determined dog, I am also able to tether the dog inside this pen if I am worried about it escaping. My next favorite place to contain my LGD is a stock trailer, providing the air openings are not spaced too far apart that the dog can slither through.   I think every working ranch should have at least one super good containment pen, this can be used for when males or females need to be kept separate during heat cycles but can also double as sick bay or even a time out place when the need arises.  This pen really does provide some peace of mind. If sheep are grazed out on the range, sometime taking the dog back to the home ranch might be an option, as many of the intact males might spend all their time hanging around the pen where the female is, as opposed to protecting the flock.

This is my lockdown kennel, complete with coyote rollers to dissuade any jumpers. This kennel is used for containing either an intact male or female when I do not want them to breed or at times when a dog is needing veterinary care.

Just a reminder, most female LGD pups have the first heat cycle between 6 and 8 months. Some can start as early as 4 months. Most females will cycle every 6 months.  I like to track who is in heat and when and this is noted down on a calendar. I will usually place a reminder to check a certain female in 6 months time for signs of being in heat. Some females show little signs of a heat, so this does require hypervigilance. Finally, I am a huge advocate that all LGD should be handled. Appropriate handling does not break the bond with sheep, it makes for easier management of the dogs. All LGD should be able to be leashed, caught, handled, vet inspected, de-wormed and be accustomed to tethering. The dogs should be comfortable with you handling their legs, head, ears, touching all over their body so that you can inspect them for signs of being in heat.  If you are unable to handle your LGD at all, then I would certainly recommend early spay and neutering, I believe dealing with unwanted litters is a greater issue.