In a previous post, “What is a Livestock Guard Dog?,” I described what livestock guard dogs do but it is
exceptionally important to know how
they do this job. Understanding how
not only helps us work with our LGDs but also explains why other breeds or
crosses with non-LGD breeds are not likely to do this same outstanding job. The
how is a set of behaviors shaped over
time through human selection.
To understand how LGDs work, we have to step back into the actual domestication
process because that has shaped the behaviors we see in dogs today. Of all the
thousands of species in our world, humans have only successfully domesticated a
very small handful. We have domesticated only two predators – cats and dogs –
and many of us question just how domesticated cats are? Scientists have come to
understand that the animal specie itself must possess certain characteristics
that actually allow domestication to occur and chief among them are the
abilities to live in social groups and use some form of communication. Wolves
have these traits, which enables them to form strong bonds in their groups.
Some students of domestication actually believe that both humans and
dogs stepped together on the path of domestication, with the wolf choosing to
come into the camp of humans and form a bond of mutual survival. In either
case, the wolf cub that was adopted by humans within his critical early period of
social development began the process of domestication. The dog is also humankind’s
first domesticated animal - a marvelous partnership that has a very long time
to develop.
Domestication is a complex process, which affects both physical and
behavioral traits. Mammals, in particular, change a great deal in shape and
development as they grow. This potential is what humans have selected and
shaped – actually stopping physical and behavioral development in different
stages. To see the proof of this we just need to look at the more than 600
breeds of dogs found around the world, some with more wolf-like appearance and
behaviors and others with extremely puppy-like appearance and behaviors.
One aspect of canine evolution that can be manipulated through selection
is neotony – the retention of juvenile
traits in an adult dog. These traits include behaviors such as attention
seeking, begging for food, submissiveness, waiting for the adult to return, the
delay of a fear response to strangers, barking, and playing. The delayed fear
response is especially important because it allows puppies to more time to form
social bonds to humans or other animals, such as sheep or goats. The delayed
fear response ends much sooner in wild canines than in dogs, where this
critical period has been extended to 12 weeks or more. LGD breeds, in
particular, have a very long period of delayed fear response.
Neotony explains
the very basic nature of livestock guard dogs, even in their physical
appearance. Most LGDS look like big, over-grown puppies even in adulthood. And
these big puppies with their curvy tails and floppy ears don’t look very much
like wolves or coyotes anymore and so our sheep have come to accept these
“not-wolves” among them.
Another set of behaviors we have modified in dogs is predatory behavior.
Predator behaviors occur in this important order: orient – eye – stalk – chase – grab – bite – kill – bite – dissect.
If you think about the various groups of dogs – herding dogs, hunting dogs, and
others – you can see exactly which predatory behaviors they display. Border
collies “eye” and “stalk” even at a very early age. Sight hounds excel in
“chase” and terriers “bite” and “kill.” Protection dogs will “grab” on command
and hunting dogs will “orient” and “eye” but not “chase” and “grab” without
command, and never “dissect.” The very best livestock guard dogs don’t display
any of these predator behaviors toward the animals they protect.
Some livestock guard dog puppies will display behaviors such as chasing
or grabbing. If they occur, they appear at 5 to 18 months of age, but they can
be extinguished if the critical socialization and bonding period was successful
so that the young dog formed social behaviors toward livestock. If an adult
working dog or a human stops these wrong adolescent behaviors when they happen,
they most often disappear by adulthood. A good LGD puppy that seems to be
practicing predatory behaviors with stock may also be attempting to play rather
than exhibiting true predator aggression. An adult dog or a human should stop
these inappropriate behaviors just like you would stop any other undesirable
behaviors in a pup.
This is what is crucially important to remember – the livestock guard
dogs breeds have been selected for centuries for a very low or non-existent
prey drive, a longer period of social bonding than many other breeds, and a
physical appearance that suggests “friend.” They have also been selected for
attentiveness, trustworthiness, and protection of their stock. When a good LGD
is aggressive with outsiders or predators, it is not hunting for prey but
protecting its pack mates. They possess instinctual responses to first warn off
threats rather than immediately attacking. All of these traits can be so strong
that some adult LGDs who were never socialized with stock will still make
outstanding guardians – because of the strong and correct instinctual behaviors
they possess. Due to their size and appearance, members of the public sometimes
confuse LGDs with protection breed dogs. However, many LGD breeds have been
tested by police, military and schutzhund
trainers, who have repeatedly found them unsuitable because of their important
lack of strong predatory behaviors.
Understanding the complicated biology of livestock guardians gives us a
tremendous appreciation for them and what they do. It helps us select the
correct puppy. It helps us train them to be good partners on our farms. It also
explains why other breeds don’t make good livestock guardians and why crossing
other breeds with LGDs is a very bad idea. A crossbred LGD and herding breed pup
will probably have the drive to chase and herd combined with great size and
power. A crossbred LGD and a protection breed may have his predatory behaviors
completely disrupted and be completely unreliable among stock.
LGDs were developed throughout a wide sweep of southern Europe and
Central Asia. Although these breeds are related in function and appearance, we
are learning more about how each group of people in a different area selected
their LGDs for traits specifically adaptable to that group’s particular
geography and agricultural needs.
