Archeologists have found skeletons of livestock guardian dogs lying side-by-side with sheep and goats in sites dating back 6000 years. Their images appear in pictographs found in the ruins of Babylon and Nineveh in ancient Mesopotamia, and in third to second millennium B.C.E. petroglyphs in central Kazakhstan. They likely arrived in Europe with nomadic shepherds from the Caucasus in the 6th century B.C.E.
Livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) are an ancient class of dogs whose sole purpose is to guard livestock such as sheep and goats. (Livestock guardians are very different from herding dogs such as Border Collies and Australian Shepherds, which help herdsmen move their stock from place to place.) First brought to the U.S. by Spanish settlers in the 1500s, livestock guardian dogs were nevertheless virtually unknown by most American ranchers until the late 1970s. Since then, these dogs have become a staple for hundreds of ranchers throughout the country.
Characteristics of Livestock Guardian Dogs
Three crucial traits for any livestock guardian dog are:
- Trustworthiness (not likely to roam, and not aggressive with livestock),
- Attentiveness (situationally aware of threats)
- Protectiveness (able to drive off predators)
Physically, LGDs are often in excess of two feet tall and upwards of 100 pounds with large, blocky heads, floppy ears, and water-resistant coats. Their coat color typically reflects not just their breed, but also the appearance of the animals that they guard: white dogs with white sheep, brown or grey dogs with dark-colored sheep or goats.
LGDs are usually introduced to their livestock as puppies—as young as 4 to 8 weeks of age. Because of this early bonding, the dogs are more likely to follow and protect the flock as if they were part of it. At one time, it was a widely-held belief that an LGD needed to be raised without human contact in order for them to form this bond. Yet historically, these dogs have always been part of traditional pastoralist families, and today’s ranchers have come to understand that human socialization is vital during the bonding process, and an important part of a LGD’s care and training.
Common Breeds Used as Livestock Guardian Dogs
Even though many people think of livestock guardian dogs as a “breed,” there is no single breed that exemplifies these dogs. Rather, there are many breeds which have been used over the millennia as livestock guardian dogs. Today, more than 30 distinct LGD breeds are found throughout the world, most of them associated with just one country or region. Here in the U.S., five breeds dominate: the Great Pyrenees is the most popular, along with the Akbash, Maremma, Anatolian Shepherd, and Komondor.
Great Pyrenees
The Pyrenean Mountain Dog (known in the U.S. as the Great Pyrenees, commonly called a “Pyr”) is a French breed that originated in the Pyrenees Mountains. Large and heavily built, the Pyr has a short, full neck, with a deep chest and long tail that hangs low much of the time, but curls over its back when the dog is aroused. This is one of just a few breeds with double dewclaws on its hind legs. Most commonly, the Pyr’s coat is white and extremely thick. When well socialized and trained, Pyrs can be gentle, affectionate, and devoted to members of their families.
Akbash
The Akbash is an ancient breed, native to western Turkey. After being brought to the U.S. in the 1980s, the Department of Agriculture began using these dogs as livestock guardians. Like the Great Pyrenees, Akbash are typically gentle dogs who can make affectionate, calm family pets; but also like the Pyr, they tend to be suspicious of strangers and can be aggressive if an unknown dog approaches their territory. They are large, lean, and muscular, and can weigh as much as 140 pounds. With a white coat, wedge-shaped head, and floppy ears, they have a long tail that curls over their back when excited.
Maremma
The Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog, also known as the Maremma or Abruzzerse Sheepdog, is another ancient breed with its roots in central Italy. Today the breed is widely employed to protect livestock (particularly sheep) in Italy, the United States, and Canada. Because they share so many physical and temperamental traits—thick white coat, large head, floppy ears, devotion to their owners, and wariness of strangers—it’s long been suggested that the Maremma, Great Pyrenees, and Kuvasz from Hungary may share the same ancestor. The first Maremma Sheepdogs were brought to the U.S. in the 1970s for a research project exploring the effectiveness of livestock guardian dogs.
Anatolian Shepherd
The Anatolian Shepherd is a very large LGD that, like the Akbash, traces its lineage to ancient Turkey. With males weighing up to 150 pounds, this dog’s size alone could easily intimidate any predator threatening its flock. These dogs made their way to the U.S. in the 1950s; since then, their fierce ability to protect livestock has made them a highly coveted LGD. Unlike the Pyr, Akbash, and Mareema, the Anatolian Shepherd’s coat is mostly light brown, with a black face-mask.
Komondor
The Komondor’s appearance alone makes this breed stand out: its white coat is made up of long, white, felt-like cords, which grow longer with age and help the dog blend in with the sheep it guards. This LGD is the largest of all Hungarian breeds, thought to be descended from Asian shepherd dogs brought to Hungary around the tenth century. Although bred to guard flocks of sheep from predators, they are typically loving lapdogs with their families; however, like most LGDs, they are often suspicious of strangers and other dogs.
The Role of Livestock Guardian Dogs in the U.S.
Although a fairly recent addition to American ranches, LGDs have proven to be extremely effective deterrents to hunters like coyotes—which hold the distinction as being our most common sheep-killing predator—domestic dogs, mountain lions, bears, foxes, and bobcats. They’ve also shown themselves to an important part of alleviating conflict between livestock, which ranchers necessarily need to protect, and predators, many of which are themselves endangered or threatened species. LGDs also offer a way for ranchers and ecologists to coexist, providing humane alternatives to lethal control methods such as poisoning and shooting, while supporting biodiversity and conservation.
