Livestock Guardian Dogs and Roaming: Which Breeds Roam, Why, and How to Fix Roaming Problems

April 24, 2019 Bri Wyzard

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Livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) that roam can be a major problem in some areas. Shaggy, our neighbor’s Great Pyrenees, was a roamer. It was in his nature and it paid off as he successfully kept predators away from the chickens and calves, but it eventually led to his retirement as an LGD due to complaints and interference from other neighbors.

Shortly after his retirement, the chickens he had so diligently kept safe were picked off one by one by coyotes and birds of prey. What could our neighbors do?

Why do livestock guardian dogs roam and can it be prevented? Livestock guardian dogs roam to patrol and mark their territory and to keep predators out. Some breeds tend to roam less, such as the Spanish Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, Italian Maremma, and Polish Tatra Sheepdog. Six foot, no climb fence and boundary training can be used to prevent roaming.

If you are thinking about getting livestock guardian dogs, you’ll need to understand why they roam and if you need them to roam in your particular situation. You then can consider which breeds may be best for you and how you can reign in the roaming dog if you need to do so.

However, please be aware that every dog is an individual, and just because certain breeds have tendencies to roam more or less does not mean that the dogs you buy will conform to those generalities.

Why Do Livestock Guardian Dogs Roam?

Livestock guardian dogs who roam do so to patrol for potential predators. This is often referred to as a “perimeter patrol.” During this patrol, they mark their territory (a lot!) to communicate their presence and ownership to other animals. They also will explore anything that seems out of the ordinary and may chase down predators they have sensed are nearby.

Livestock guardian dogs are liable to roam as far as they can see or hear threats – more than 200 acres in some cases. For many breeds, this is one of the main characteristics that makes them effective in protecting their charges.

If you have a large ranch, a high predator load, or livestock that are spread out, you made need roaming livestock guardian dogs to keep your animals safe. Even better, you should consider running a pack of dogs that includes both roaming and close-guarding breeds. If you are uncertain how many dogs you need to run, check out my article, How Many Livestock Guardian Dogs Do You Need?

Which Livestock Guardian Dogs Roam the Most?

Most livestock guardian dog breeds have a tendency to roam. Roaming is the rule for livestock guardian dogs, rather than the exception. The following dogs are known for being particularly highly motivated to roam:

Akbash
Anatolian Shepherd
Great Pyrenees
Kangal

The Turkish Akbash, Turkish Kangal, and Anatolian are breeds tend to be particularly far ranging. They are thought to have belonged to one larger breed of dogs at one point in history. Therefore, they tend to share a lot of the same characteristics – like their tendency to roam.

Both the Turkish Akbash and Kangal were originally trained to assist shepherds and flocks of two hundred to three hundred sheep on the journey from the villages in the winter to the summer pasture grounds. The summer pasture grounds were often quite far away from the villages, roads, and other humans. In the “off season” they would come down and live in the nearby communities.

Because of this lifestyle, their “territory” was much larger than just the area where their flock pastured. This tendency to roam is deeply rooted in their genetics. If Kangal and Akbash dogs are left to their own devices and are given the opportunity to roam, they will likely cover large distances.

The Anatolian breed is slightly different in that they typically remove themselves from the flock to a more distant observation site (versus a constant perimeter patrol) to watch over livestock.

The Great Pyrenees can also be quite the roamer (I’m looking at you, Shaggy).

Which Livestock Guardian Dogs Roam the Least?

Some livestock guardian dog breeds are less likely to roam than others - these are the “close-guarding” breeds. They do not wish to be out roaming the perimeter or chasing predators. They want to be right next to their sheep, their cattle, and other livestock.

However, these dogs may still make a habit of finding a very high place where they can do a quick surveillance of the territory. Depending on how your property is laid out, the dogs may need to roam to find a good vantage point.

Close-guarding breeds include:

The Spanish Mastiff - this is a fairly passive breed in their role as LGD. They ward off potential predators by their impressive size (they are the heaviest LGD breed - see more in my article, Livestock Guardian Dog Sizes) and by their threatening/deep barks and growls. This breed prefers to be close to home and their charges but are quick to react if they feel their territory or their livestock is being threatened.
The Pyrenean Mastiff - this breed is quite similar to the Spanish breed. They were historically bred to closely guard very large flocks of sheep and often were the shepherds right hand “men.” It is important to note while this breed does prefer to be close to the livestock they are protecting, they are known to be fence climbers and will do so if not properly contained. For more on the Pyrenean Mastiff breed, see my article here.
The Italian Maremma - this breed was originally bred to be on a farm or ranch versus out on the range. Historically, they remained with their flocks in smaller enclosures and did not leave their territories unless absolutely necessary. This instinct has remained with this breed even though they are now used for guarding other livestock in a variety of setups.
The Polish Tatra Sheepdog - this breed also tends to be livestock-oriented rather than territorial, and these dogs generally do not go off to chase predators. They prefer to be close to their livestock and are known to be very social and affectionate with their charges. For more on the Polish Tatra Sheepdog, see my article here.
Lastly, the Komondor - this LGD breed is considered to be both a close-guarding and roaming dog. These dogs are typically sedentary. They strategically select their patrol spot where they can lie down, but still have a bird’s eye view of their terrain. This breed is not prone to wander or search for predators without reason. However, if prompted or provoked, these dogs will chase off predators.

Why is Roaming a Problem?

Roaming can be a major problem for your livestock guardian dogs’ safety. A study published in the 1980s (you can read the study here) looked at the mortality rate of livestock guardian dogs living on small farms/fenced ranches vs. open ranches.

The study followed 449 livestock guardian dogs living in 31 states. The results are frightening. Almost half of the farm dogs were dead by around three years of age and almost three quarters of the free ranging (roaming) dogs were dead.

How did so many dogs die so young? The main causes of death (57%) were accidents. 33% of deaths were culls (owners killing their dogs because they didn’t like how they were behaving), and 9% of deaths were by disease.

See this chart in the original post

A closer look at the accidents that caused death reveals just how dangerous roaming can be for LGDs. 32% of the dogs disappeared, meaning nobody knows what happened to them. The researchers suspect they were killed by methods of predator control, such as trapping, poisoning, or gunning.

31% of the LGDs were hit by cars (although many of these accidents happened in the farmyard, not due to roaming). 14% were shot by neighbors who either didn’t understand the dogs were supposed to be with the livestock or who killed them out of malice. 9% were poisoned and 15% were lost to “other causes” not specified.

See this chart in the original post

The data is clear. LGDs, and particularly those that roam, are at high risk of accidental death.

Whether roaming is a problem or not often depends on who your neighbors are.

In some areas, neighbors will be thrilled you have an LGD who is also protecting their homestead. I was ecstatic that our neighbor’s LGD, Shaggy, spent just as much time on my land as on theirs. This meant I could free range my chickens – Shaggy would protect them.

I didn’t have to spend the time to train him and I didn’t have to spend the money to care for him. And I still got to snuggle with him whenever I got the itch (which, let’s face it, was more often than I probably had time for)! It was almost too good to be true.

But other neighbors viewed Shaggy as a nuisance. One neighbor went as far as to shoot him in the leg. Another neighbor was perturbed that Shaggy had impregnated his cattle dog (which could have easily been avoided with a neuter and/or spay). Yet another neighbor complained that she was allergic to dogs and Shaggy’s presence on her land and his friendliness to her were most unwelcome.

Still other neighbors who do not understand the role of the LGD may interfere with their training and/or work. This was also the case with the roaming Shaggy. A nearby family took him in against the wishes of his original owners, and they made him an indoor-outdoor family dog, which effectively ended his career as an LGD.

What Can You Do If Your LGD Roams?

FENCES! This is the best way to keep your LGD close to home. A six foot no-climb fence can usually keep your LGDs contained, although these can be very expensive to build if you have a lot of land. Some have found that fences with floppy tops and buried bottoms can be useful as they keep the dog from jumping the fence as well as digging under it. Others have had success with using coyote rollers to line the tops of their fences.

For detailed instructions on how to build fences for LGDs, check out my article, How to Keep Your Pyr in the Yard or Pasture. Although the title refers to Great Pyrenees, the information in the article does apply to all livestock guardian dog breeds.

Although I do not personally advocate for electric or invisible fences, this is the route many LGD owners take. Using electric shocks of any kind (including hot wires) to train your dogs goes against the entire spirit of positive training as you are training your dog through pain and fear.

You can also boundary train your dogs. This is an excellent solution for roaming dogs, but can take a very long time and a lot of effort on your part. Here is a short YouTube video that explains the general idea:

If you are interested in preventing roaming through boundary training, check out my article, How to Keep Your Pyr in the Yard or Pasture. Again, although the title refers to Great Pyrenees, boundary training is useful for all LGD breeds.

I also highly recommend Brain Training for dogs (affiliate link) for any kind of training you want to do. Expert certified dog trainer Adrienne Farricelli developed this membership program to teach dog owners how to both obedience train their dogs and to provide mental stimulation to their dogs. And she does it all through positive training methods, and, best of all, she is there to answer all your questions!

Livestock guardian dogs especially need obedience training and mental stimulation if you want to prevent them from roaming. Adrienne focuses on building a bond with your dog as one of the most important parts of successful training. I used Brain Training for Dogs this year for my puppy, Sage, a working dog I need for herding. I will definitely use it again in a few months when I get my new Spanish Mastiff puppies!

For a full review of the Brain Training for Dogs program, see my article here.

**What You Don’t Want to Do If Your Dog Roams**

There are many devices people have used to try to prevent their dogs from roaming. The following devices cause your dogs pain and/or fear and should be avoided at all costs:

Dangle sticks - comprised of a light piece of wood or plastic piping attached by a chain to a collar, these training devices bang against the dogs’ chests when they run and cause them pain. Additionally, if dogs get the dangle stick caught in something, they could strangle themselves to death.
Drags - made of chains attached to a tire or log, drags are also used to prevent roaming or chasing as they greatly slow the dog down. However, these can cause major damage to the bones and joints of your LGDs.
Electric shock collars - these shocks are not “merely annoying” to your dog. They cause real pain and fear for the majority of dogs - here is one study that addresses this.
Ropes or chains to tie your dogs up - makes them vulnerable to attacks and the chain or rope can get tangled which can cause neck/back injuries. The rope or chain may also get tied around livestock, causing injury or death.

Behavioral problems (like aggression, anxiety, or detachment) can also occur as a result of using any of the above methods.

LGDs experience the same mental and emotional pain a human might experience in a similar experience. Before trying out a new training technique or “solution,” put yourself in your dogs’ shoes. Using pain- and fear-based techniques will greatly damage your relationship with your LGDs, and may result in unhappy, fearful dogs with a lot of behavior problems.

For Love of Livestock