GSD as a full time live stock guardian? - Page 1

Has anyone had experience using a GSD for this role with goats? I was thinking a dog with low prey drive and medium high defence could be used.

Hi Felloffher,

If it's a situation where there is human contact/presence and interaction and you already have the dog, as described,  for the job then why not give it a try. However if it's to live with them 24/7 with little human interaction then I would stick to the breeds that where meant to do that job.

Cheers,

GSDs are herding dogs and not guardian dogs.  GSDs were bred to work WITH humans.  The Guardian breed dogs do not need or really want human companionship.  They are raised with their flock of sheep, goats, etc and bond with them.  So, they do not need that human bond.

Since GSDs really need that human bond, it is a shame that one would want to subject one to that type of work.  Yes, GSDs love to work animals WITH their human and be with their human 24/da as opposed to the true Guardian breeds who want with their flock.

Just a human who enjoys having the companionship with the GSDs in the house.

Thanks guys,

 We are thinking of raising meat goats on our 10 acre property, we have a lot of predators in our area and any small livestock would most likely be targeted. The other obvious scenario would be my GSD's preying on the goats. I wasn't thinking of placing one of my GSD's with them 24/7, just during the day when the goats would be out in the paddock. I'm not really keen on getting a LSG breed, I'm pretty sure there would be issues with our GSD's.

Just looking to see if anyone has had success.

Felloffher, here's an old thread you may have interest in. http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum.read?mnr=561313&pagen=1

It's a lot of reading, but you see, a GSD can do that. I would agree that slightly less prey drive than Apollo has would be ideal, but it can be done w/a high drive dog who is very clear-headed. I also bred a pup who has been guarding alpacas on a breeding farm since he was very tiny. He's a Caleb/Capri son. In my opinion, even more than a certain level of drive, is the capability to think and reason independently and adapt to changing situations appropriately. This is something I always try to breed for. 

Read this site.

There is a heckuva a difference between a Maremma or a Great Pyreness and a GSD.  One is a herder designed to PARTNER with a herdsman (human)  the other is a live stock guardian.  The Maremmas I know live with the herdn 24/7.  The GSD's I know will tend a flock w/o the herdsman present but are not trained or designed genetically to be FT guardians. 

http://www.german-shepherdherding.com/

Felloffher, we have a moderate size meat goat herd and have the same issues and concerns. This year we lost seventy five chickens, thirty five egg producing ducks, and thirty five guineas,...all to coyotes. I saw one trotting away from the chickens one morning but was unable to get a good shot at it. We've had people offer great pyrenees/Anatolian/Komondor cross pup, but like you, conflict with GSDs. Hot wire is a good deterrent for coyotes, evidently, as so far the goats haven't been touched. Put the hot wire high and low. Good luck and enjoy the cholesterol free, delicious meat !

Thanks for the link Jen.

 Joan,

 We have a few coyotes around, the biggest concern is the cats and wolves. We are going to install 5' horse fence with a hotwire around the top. It's nothing for cougars or bobcats to jump a 5' fence, so we will have to do something to protect the herd. If I can't use one of our dogs, I may have to get a llama or something else to do the job.

Overall how do you find raising goats?

we have raised goats (boers & saanens) 20 plus years and owned/raised gsds for 30 plus years.  in all that time, we've only had a couple of dogs trustworthy enough to do any herding.  the last one we lost a year ago, was my hubby's dog and he was an awesome natural herder.  as i have posted before, sending a dog after a 350# boer buck IS REAL.  only a real working dog has the nerve to complete that task and the problem solving ability to find a way to accomplish it.  i find that most of today's dogs are far to prey oriented and not trustworthy around livestock.  while they may excel on the schh field, they may not have much real working ability.  as stated before, gsds are herding dogs and not suitable to be livestock guardians.  if protecting your herd is the prime concern, install good fencing and get yourself a guardian dog.  if you think you need a herding dog, you should look in the herding lines or else go with heelers, cattle dogs or border collies.
best of luck.  pjp

A friend of mine has a Llama who lives in with the sheep....  he's stomped a number of coyotes and stray dogs out of the pasture quite successfully.  I have to agree that Sheps are partner dogs (like the Border Collie or Aussie) and thrive on the human interaction as much as working the flock.  A guardian breed, or Llama, or even a mule/donkey would give you a companion protector for your goats.