Livestock Guardian Dogs and Food: What to Feed, When, and Problems to Avoid

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Livestock guardian dog (LGD) breeds and food, this is a really touchy subject.  And for this reason, I’ve been putting off writing this article for a long time.  There is just too much opposing science and too many differing (all well-argued) opinions to know for sure who’s right on this one.  But, here goes…

What should you feed your livestock guardian dog breed?  Livestock guardian dog breeds should be fed high quality commercial food or a carefully balanced raw food diet. Be aware that LGDs have historically lived on marginal diets, and modern-day owners need to take care not to overfeed their dogs as this leads to shortened lifespans and numerous health problems. 

In this article, I dive right in and try to straighten out the mess of an optimal dog food diet for your LGD.  I cover the importance of preventing obesity, what kind of dog food is best for your dogs, and considerations for whether you should feed commercial or raw food diets.  I discuss both puppy and adult dog diets.

This article is meant for large or giant breed livestock guardian dog types.  Here is a list of the most common of these breed:

Livestock Guardian Dog Nutrition and Health

Whether you’ve got a large Great Pyrenees or a smaller (but, yes, still large) Sarplaninac, livestock guardian dogs of all origins were traditionally bred to live on marginal diets.  Yes, they are large dog breeds, and for that fact alone, they will require a lot of food, but you don’t want to overfeed these dogs. 

Veteran livestock guardian dog owners and authors, Orysia Dawydiak and David Sims, have a book on the care and training of livestock guardian dogs.  They wrote of LGD breeds:

“… a disturbingly high percentage are overweight and even obese… [this] contribute[s] to health problems such as cancer, arthritis, and joint strain… Don’t we owe it to our dogs to provide the best we can for them?”
— Orysia Dawydiak and David Sims, Livestock Protection Dogs: Selection, Care and Training, p. 171

The truth is, although obese dogs may be adorable, they are in grave danger of having a life shortened by years (and that’s saying something because these dogs don’t have super long lifespans to begin with – see my article here).  They may suffer great pain from joint and bone problems and fatal diseases like cancer that could have been prevented if they had been kept at a healthy weight.

Dawydiak and Sims advise that healthy adult livestock guardian dog breeds should have a lean appearance, and that in dogs with shorter coats, you may even see their ribs just a little bit.  A healthy dog will have a defined waist.   

You will need to be especially careful that your puppy is kept at a healthy weight.  You absolutely do not want your puppy to grow too fast or he could experience debilitating health problems later on.  The biggest concerns are osteochondrosis, hip dysplasia, and panosteitis. 

If you choose to feed your dogs a commercial feed, make sure you buy ‘large breed’ puppy food for your puppy and ‘large breed’ dog food for your adult dog.  This will help keep their growth and weight under control.

What to Feed Livestock Guardian Breeds: Commercial Vs. Raw Dog Food

Commercial food vs. raw food, the great debate.  I pored over online journals and even peer reviewed research articles to try to get to a point where I could say, “I’m pretty sure this is exactly what you should do.”  I’ve utterly failed. Just like with human diets, the science on pet diets is all over the place.

Let me explain the commercial food vs. raw food argument in a nutshell.

The very general basis of raw food diets is that wolves eat raw food diets, and because dogs are closely related to wolves (and originally developed from wolves or a wolf-life ancestor), an optimal diet for them should also be one of raw foods.

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Others have argued that domesticated dogs actually have a digestive system that’s different enough from that of wolves that we can’t assume they should be eating the same diet.  Dogs digestive systems are tailored toward a more varied diet, they say. 

Many livestock guardian dog owners swear by raw food diets.  The Hoof and Fang Spanish Mastiff breeders worked with their vet to develop a raw food diet for their dogs.  They have an excellent “Raw Food Cheat Sheet” I highly recommended if you’re interested in this approach.  You can check it out at their website here.  They also provide a list of helpful websites and books if you’re interested in learning more about raw food diets. 

I personally have taken the approach of feeding high quality, grain-free commercial food to my dogs.  I think of it as sort of a middle road.  I don’t really feel confident about what the best food is for my dogs, so this has been where I’ve settled.  That’s not to say I won’t change my mind at some point, but this is where I’m at now.

Commercial Dog Food for Livestock Guardian Dog Breeds

When it comes to commercial dog food, you get what you pay for.  And yes, that truly is unfortunate because high quality dog food can be pricey. 

There’s a story in LGD rancher Brenda Negri’s seminal book about one of her clients who purchased two related female LGD pups.  These pups were having major fighting over their food during feeding time.  The client tried moving the feeding bowls far apart and even moving one bowl around a corner out of view, but the girls were still fighting.

Negri hypothesized the culprit causing these fights may have been a cheap brand of food.  She recommended the girls be given a high-quality food.  The client followed through and the fighting stopped pretty much immediately.  The girls’ weren’t getting the nutrition they needed out of the cheaper food, and so they were aggressive around the food bowl, trying to digest as much as possible to get the nutrients their bodies were starved for. With the more expensive food, they were getting what they needed and didn’t need to fight for resources.

For a hilarious example of a feeding issue that was resolved internally (between the dogs, no fighting), check out the video below.  Watch what the Spanish Mastiff in the back does when another Mastiff shows interest in her (his?) food bowl. 

Food Bowls for Commercial Feed

If you choose to feed your dogs commercial feed, you’ll want very large and durable dog bowls.  I highly recommend you purchase from chewy.com for their mission to give dogs the best lives possible, their lower prices, and their excellent customer service.  But I know some of you out there are die-hard amazon.com fans, so I’ve included links to these products on both sites. You can also always just check your local pet store.

If you’re keeping an LGD as a pet and he spends much of his day in the house, I recommend a regular extra large food bowl, such as this one at Chewy and this one at Amazon.  Get a second one for water too!  Or, if you really want to spoil your pet, get him this elevated feeder and water bowl at Chewy or Amazon.  I especially recommend this for an older dog or one with arthritis or pain. And if your dog loves to spend time outside in the winter, consider a heated outdoor water bowl to prevent freezing, like this one at Amazon.

One more thing for pet owners - check out my article on The Best Livestock Guardian Dog Toys for puzzle feeders that will keep your dogs entertained, mentally stimulated, and out of your hair for awhile during mealtimes.

If you’re keeping LGDs as livestock guardians, I recommend a horse container for grain for a food bowl, such as this one at Amazon.  You can use the same type for water – get several.  You can also find these at your local feed store. For winter, try some of these heated dog water bowls at Amazon to prevent freezing if you have a place to plug them in.

Whether your dogs are pets or guardians, I also recommend you keep a kiddie pool for them to drink out of and dip into in the summer months.  Make sure to keep it in the shade so the water’s not too warm.  For a nicer dog kiddie pool, check out this one on Amazon.  For a regular hard shell kiddie pool (don’t worry, your dogs will still love it!), pick one up at your local Walmart.

One last thing you’ll need for dry kibble is a place to store it so it stays fresh.  I use these containers - here at Chewy and here at Amazon - for both my dog feed and my chicken feed! Several different size options are available.

Commercial Feed for LGD Breed Puppies

I have fed the following three brands of commercial feed to my dogs and highly recommend all three.  You can find these foods at your local pet store or do it the easy way and order online.   

Here are my top three – all are grain free:

  1. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Large Breed Puppy – see it at Chewy or Amazon

  2. Wellness Core Grain Free Large Breed Puppy – see it at Chewy or Amazon

  3. Blue Buffalo Freedom Large Breed Puppy - see it at Chewy or Amazon

And just because it’s adorable, I thought you might too enjoy this video clip of Spanish Mastiff puppies feeding below:

Commercial Feed for LGD Breed Adult Dogs

Again, I’ve used all of the dog foods below with my dogs before and recommend them all.  Here are my top three – all are grain free:

  1. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe with Red Meat Large Breed - see it at Chewy and Amazon

  2. Wellness CORE Grain-Free Chicken & Turkey Recipe Large Breed - see it at Chewy and Amazon

  3. Blue Buffalo Freedom Adult Chicken Recipe Large Breed - see it at Chewy and Amazon

My very favorite brand is Wellness CORE (#2 above).  My dogs seem to like the taste of this the most, but I do switch it up some so they don’t get bored. 

I also recommend Primalvore Bone Broth for dogs, made with high quality ingredients.  Dogs love this as a healthy treat, and bone broth is great for your dogs’ bone health, gut health, coat and nail quality, and vitality.  A lot of dog owners sprinkle a bit of the broth on top of their dogs kibble for a much more delightful meal!

How Often Should You Feed Your Livestock Guardian Dog Breed?

I recommend feeding adults twice a day and puppies three times a day, although I’ve seen some sources that say four times for puppies up to three months.  I think your best bet is to check with both your dog’s breeder (if he’s not a rescue) and your vet. 

I do not recommend free feeding if you can avoid it.  Some ranchers have so many livestock guardian dogs that feeding them twice a day is a major undertaking, so they free feed with food available all the time.  If you are in this position, you need to really keep an eye on your dogs’ weights to make sure that none of them are gaining too much weight.

How Much Should You Feed Your Livestock Guardian Dog Breed?

The amount you feed your dog will depend on your dog’s weight and how active she is.  You can use the recommendation given on your dog food bag and double check with your vet. 

Keep in mind that dogs in the latter half of pregnancy and lactating dogs will need more food.  Sick and older dogs often have different food requirements.  Be sure to check with your vet to get it right.

Raw Food for LGD Breed Dogs

For this approach, I recommend you talk to your vet or other professionals on how to safely and effectively implement this diet. 

Where to Get Raw Food

After you have figured out exactly what foods your dog needs and in what proportion, here are some resources that you may find helpful.

  1. Here is an online map to help you find raw food providers in your geographical area.

  2. Trudog is a company that offers freeze dried and dehydrated raw food.  This would really help make your raw food diet more convenient. You can buy bags of freeze dried or dehydrated raw food and then store and serve it just as easily as you can commercial kibble. Although I’ve not fed this to my own dogs, the food looks delicious and Trudog’s reviews are absolutely stellar. Check out Trudog freeze dried raw food here, and check out their dehydrated raw food here. They have a few different flavors so make sure you check those out too!

  3. To be shipped fresh raw dog food, check out Raw Wild here.  This stuff is amazing!  It’s made out of wild deer and wild elk meat! It’s as close to a natural wolf diet as you’re gonna get for your dogs. This is an expensive product, so some owners have said that they use it as a “topper.” They put a little bit on top of their dog’s kibble meals. That way their dog is still getting some extremely high quality meat, but their wallets don’t take such a big hit.

  4. Primalvore Bone Broth for dogs – this is an amazing high quality, healthy treat your dogs will love.  Bone broth is good for joint health, coat and nail health, and gut health.

Food Problem: Resource Guarding

I have an article all about this coming soon – stay tuned!  I’ll be covering resource guarding against other dogs and against people.  In the meantime, check out this wonderful Great Pyrenees puppy training video, called Should I Put My Hand in My Puppy’s Food Bowl?, on related subjects. It’s both adorable and funny!

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Livestock Guardian DogsBri Wyzarddog resources, livestock guardian dog care3 Comments