Livestock guardian dogs: The correct behavior in front of Livestock guardian dogs
an excursion in the Alps and suddenly
interrupted by a loose and apparently
aggressive dog when they try to pass by
it reacts even more aggressively
the reason this dog protects a flock of
sheep
it’s a livestock Guardian dog what seems
cute also has a purpose these puppies
are trained to become livestock Guardian
dogs more precisely they’re bred for
this role they’re already born among the
sheep and the goats they grow up in a
herd develop mutual trust with the owner
and after 2 to 3 months start their
training in summer autumn they’ll be
introduced to a large flock of sheep we
expect them to protect the herd reliably
and observe what happens around it a
large part of such protective behavior
is instinctive
the livestock Guardian dog is an
integral member of the flock it’s job is
to fend off natural predators wolves and
bears are returning to Switzerland
Lynx’s were reintroduced decades ago
instead of requiring the immediate
eradication of wolves and bears flock
owners rely more and more on Guardian
dogs I work with livestock Guardian dogs
because it’s a natural way of protecting
my sheep against predators nature gives
us what we need to protect our herds
it’s also nature that brought the wolf
back here today there are some 200
active Guardian dogs in Switzerland and
the number is bound to grow this leads
to situations similar to the one we saw
at the beginning of the clip hikers or
cyclists meet a livestock Guardian dog
the defense attorne
in such situations it’s important to
follow some rules if a livestock
Guardian dog approaches you barking stay
calm if you’re a cyclist get down from
your bicycle the livestock Guardian dog
cannot be chased away it defends its
flock as long as it feels danger if the
livestock Guardian dog does not calm
down even though you’re behaving in a
kind manner then start to back off as
soon as you’re far enough from the flock
it will stop barking and only watch you
if it’s standing there quietly or
withdrawn pass by slowly at a safe
distance from the herd if the animals
are scattered and it’s impossible to go
around the herd try to pass through
without disturbing the animals if the
dog does not allow it then go back if
you walk through the herd the livestock
Guardian dog will follow you
remount your bicycle only once you’re at
least fifty meters away from the flock
livestock Guardian dogs react more
aggressively towards predators or dogs
than towards humans fear it is strongly
advised against bringing along dogs if
you go to regions with herds that are
being protected by livestock Guardian
dogs
if you nonetheless meet a protected herd
put a leash on your dog never try to
cross a protected herd with the dog but
rather go around it from a distance in
case of doubt turn around if it sees a
predator for example it tries to chase
it away by barking loudly and with all
its strength most of the time it
succeeds wild animals do not risk a
fight in which they will most probably
lose a lot of energy and perhaps even
their lives what we expect from the dog
is that its alert and not aggressive
towards humans if a predator appears it
will protect its herd if people behave
like the information science suggests
then there will be no problems no
problem this does not mean that
unpleasant encounters will not occur
people who are afraid of dogs in
particular should always try to avoid an
encounter
all areas with livestock Guardian dogs
are marked on an online map on hidden
chutes mites dot CH this map will help
you to plan your tour by following these
rules you’re not only contributing to
your own safety but also to the herds
and the Alps their existence depends on
the effective protection by these
trained dogs
you
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