Livestock Guardian Dogs 101

Dogs play a crucial role on many small farms and ranches, from herding flocks to protecting livestock. In this video, we visit Green Star Farm, an 85-acre pasture-based livestock farm in Sonoma County, California where Sarah Silva collaborates with her many canine partners to look after chickens, pigs, sheep and goats. Learn the ins and outs of working with livestock guardian dogs and help determine what’s right for your farming operation.

Filmed by Kelsey Murphey
Produced by Evan Wiig
Edited by Anne Hamersky

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[yellowsmarties]

Anyone else binge watching guarding dogs just out of curiosity? I live in a city in China, nowhere close to a farm, the city is full of casinos lol but just so amazed by all these dogs and what they're born to do.

[johnsmith]

This woman is brilliant. I'm not a farmer, just a dog lover and this is beautiful stuff.

[ericcuthbert]

I admire this lady. Her hens are really free range !. Total freedom.

[jamiewilson]

I really love your input on chickens. So many livestock guardian dog breeders get annoyed when I ask how their dogs are with poultry. They get frustrated as if I'm asking for some sort of guarantee, no, I am looking for lines that are better with poultry because it simply makes my job easier to train my dog with poultry and I also love that you are wise enough to recognize that slower fatter or more fearless type birds are easier to train on. So many people just want to throw their dogs in with flighty birds and wonder why they kill birds. Flighty stock are not a good combination with younger pups. It is amazing to me that so many people don't have that kind of common sense.

[jaywan]

A herding dog broke an Australian record at auction the other week. From memory he sold for $35 thousand. A good working dog is worth it’s weight in gold.

[bokan]

I love watching these types of videos about working dogs.

I sit here on a couch with my two lil city dogs and I tell them thats what real dogs do and they are lucky they dont have to work for food.

[fakecubed]

Very wise woman. Listen to her. I am a big proponent of pairing up dogs. Like she says, they are pack animals, and the benefits you gain from multiple dogs are enormous even beyond their psychological health. They simply work better in teams. I'm also a fan of using older dogs to help train younger dogs. They are social creatures and they do a better job correcting each other than we can ever be. She is absolutely right about how to introduce old and new dogs. Always set your working dogs up for success.

[loudloveen]

I was searching for white guard dogs and ended up here. Although I need the opposite of what Sarah talked about I couldn't stop watching the video because it's so enjoyable! And the chickens talking over her is endearing.

[flatfootandflexible]

This has got to be the most straightforward and informative video I have ever watched about livestock dogs.

[dominickraimo]

I love the tough American Farmer. The backbone of our country.

[eledhwenmare]

I have used a long line for young dogs. I also added the bell of shame. A goat bell clipped to a collar alerts me to chasing and makes it difficult for the dog to sneak up on anything. Also- don’t give up if there are problems. No dog is perfect. Two of my dogs killed a ewe. I couldn’t afford new dogs so I restarted training and everything worked out. Good video. Covered critical issues.

[LassieFarm]

I have two Pyrenees. They guard poultry and free range domestic rabbits. They keep roosters from fighting. No training was required 👍

[lisamangles]

I have a pyr ..absolutely wonderful dog..chickens steal food out of her dish..doesnt mind..mini horses walk and graze all around her..she doesnt even open an eye..absolutely loves the grand kids..

[MarmaLagga]

I have two Maremma protecting my sheeps. Bears and wolfs around. No problems. Love them.

[PaulP-BC]

Sarah you bring incredible knowledge.

The complexities of guarding livestock is vast and you explain everything so well.

Thank you for sharing your expertise, your passion for this subject is obvious.

[lynnm]

As a vet I want to point out that you can check out hip- and elbow dysplasia by specialized x-rays, but tendinitis and arthrosis are inflammatory diseases that might come from over working (tendinitis) or normal aging (arthrosis)….so you take care of your dog and there is less risk of that…of course there are always specific breeds that tend to have certain genetic predisposisions

[soal]

My poultry dog was a Siberia husky, golden retriever, chow.
Awesome dog. He would pick up each chicke, takes to the coop put them in an go get another that are still out an about instead of going home. He was good at it.
I love dogs. Now I have a CAS mix. This dog is more challenging. I have no chickens anymore.
I have noticed that if an animal is in the house my CAS thinks it belongs there and won't hurt it.
When I got her at 4yrs old she had shock collar burns. One side of her face..same side as the burns...the lips area is saggy and continues down her neck. I had a lot of work to do on her. I've had her for 3 years now and she's in a good place now!

[marilynpolzin]

Have had cattle dogs and they are the best. Not a dog for first time dog owners. Each time one die, they took a piece of my heart. We always started herding on ducks. Thanks for your video. We’ve have Border Collies and you nailed it. You can always depend on a cattle dog, I swear they can read your mind.

[marypalmer]

Oh my gosh, you said something so wonderful to my heart, protecting harvest from predators! I am 62, semi retired and live on a little over 3 acres. For years I have wanted to grow cut flowers, and lots of them, veggies and fruit too. I live in Maine so I have the usual predators, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, deer and cats. I never thought to get a LGD! I am so excited! I will do research and my husband and I will find what the best fencing is. Thank you so much for this video. Wishing you a safe and blessed day. Mary from Maine.

[BrycePhelps]

I lost 8 Goats in 2 months. Then everything seemed fine for 6 months before the missing goats began again. One early morning the goats were spooked and woke me up. I hustled to the field and barely squinted the figures of two cougars heading into the treeline. I have a dog now.