Livestock guardian pups on the way

By: Kim Conrad

Date : 02/03/10

We had a successful breeding between our treasured male and female working Great Pyrenees dogs, Sprocket and Pooka, late in January, so we are expecting beautiful little white pups at the end of March! If you are inerested in getting your name on a waiting list to reserve a pup from this litter to become your working L.G. dog, please contact Kim to find out more.

Both of our dogs were raised with our alpacas from the time we brought them home at 8 weeks old (with plenty of supervision when they were pups!). They are both American Kennel Association registered Great Pyrenees who came from parents who had also actively guarded. Their own guardian instincts with the alpacas has continued to amaze us nerly every day. As you can see in these photos, the alpacas trust them, and we trust them with the alpacas!

If you are looking into using livestock guardian dogs on your farm,the best resource we have found is a bok titled "Livestock Protection Dogs: Selection, Care and Training," by Orysia Dawydiak and David Sims, Alpine Press, copyright 2004. Read up, visit and talk to other alpaca farms using livestock guardians, as well as all types of livestock farms in your own area to understand the potential threats your animals face, and make an informed decision about what will work best for you.

LGDs take time and effort to train and acclimate to your alpacas.Some think you can just put them in the pasture or barn with your animals and "poof!" everything and everyone works together. Not so at all. So be ready and know what your situation will allow in terms of your trainng time, your guardian needs, your enclosures, etc.

We'd be happy to talk to you about our experiences at Paso Ligero with our dogs. Call today and evn make an appointment to stop by and meet Pooka and Sprocket for yourself and see how they work and interact with our alpaca herd. And watch the website for more on the coming pups!