Rescue Livestock Guardian Dogs – Should You Get One?

April 24, 2019 Bri Wyzard

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When I first started looking into getting livestock guardian dogs (LGDs), I loved the idea of adopting rescue dogs. However, I wondered if I would be able to count on rescue dogs to be good working dogs.

Do rescue livestock guardian breed dogs make good livestock guardians? Many rescue livestock guardian breed dogs will not make good livestock guardians. Whether an individual dog will make a good livestock guardian dog will depend both on the dog’s disposition and the new caretaker’s training skills and available time.

What Characteristics Does a Rescue LGD Breed Need to Have to Be a Livestock Guardian?

A rescue livestock guardian breed dog will only be a capable livestock guardian if he has the right genetics for working, and many dogs will require training to understand how to interact with livestock. The characteristics of a good livestock guardian dog include:

Above average senses – hearing/sight/smell
Calm demeanor
Craves order and routine
Protective and sensitive to shifts in atmosphere, livestock moods, and general environment
Low prey drive – this is important so the dog will not chase the livestock
Not too attached to their caretakers or other humans – a good human-LGD bond is essential, but you want your dog to want to be outside with the livestock, not inside with you
Independent and self-confident – they need to be able to analyze situations and make quick, intelligent decisions without supervision
Larger in size – they can offer greater protection, predators don’t want to mess with an animal bigger than them
Work well with other LGDs

Many livestock guardian breed dogs in the U.S. have lost the some of the above characteristics because they come from lines that have been bred as pets rather than as working dogs. A legitimate working dog breeder will only breed her best dogs, those that are highly capable at their jobs. Many (non-working dog) breeders have diluted the working dog lines.

If the rescue livestock guardian breed dog you are interested in has come from a working line, he may have a better chance at being a livestock guardian. Of course, the opposite may be true - he may have failed as a guardian and that’s why he is now in a rescue. Keep in mind that some ‘failed’ guardians may still be successful if they receive the right training.

One major concern when considering getting a rescue livestock guardian breed dog is that if he has already lived as a house pet, and if he is very eager for human attention, he may never be happy as a working dog. Some dogs who are incredibly eager for human attention are simply anxious or insecure and can outgrow this (particularly with positive training methods). Others, however, will always need to be a family dog in order to be happy and healthy.

How to Choose a Rescue Dog to Become a Livestock Guardian

Please note that I am specifically discussing rescue dogs that are LGD breeds, because most non-LGD breed dogs will not have the ability to guard livestock. They will lack the characteristics listed above that have been bred into livestock guardian breed dogs for centuries (and for some breeds, millennia).

The only way to have a good idea about whether a particular rescue LGD dog may be a good guardian is to work with a reputable organization that knows whether or not the dog was previously an LGD and failed, was a house pet, or has any concerning behavioral problems. Only through a thorough understanding of a dog’s history, can you have a chance at evaluating whether he can be a working dog or not. Unfortunately, many rescue dogs don’t come with this information, and sometimes the information given about them is incorrect.

This is why adopting a rescue dog simply based on breed is a real gamble if you are looking for a livestock guardian. My advice is to only adopt a rescue dog if you can still provide him with what he needs for health and happiness if he fails as an LGD. If your rescue dog is only happy as a house dog, you need to be okay with letting him be a house dog.

This is my recommendation because adoption and moving from place to place and from family to family is so stressful and scary for dogs. As I always say, put yourself in the dog’s shoes. Imagine how terrible it would be to be ripped from your home time and time again and to not ever know what is coming next.

Imagine you have bonded with humans or other animals and then you are ripped away from them forever. How could you trust anyone or ever feel safe? Dogs need a stable home, environment, and family to thrive. Dogs that don’t have this often become insecure, anxious, fearful, or worse.

I take this mindset with all my dogs, rescue or otherwise. I work with them to make sure their needs are met, whatever they may be, even if they are not what I want them to be. And who am I kidding? I do this with all my animals, which is why I sometimes have chickens living in my house!

How to Train a Rescued Dog to Become a Livestock Guardian

Most importantly, be patient. This process can take a lot of time and energy.

Bringing Your Rescue Livestock Guardian Dog Home

You will likely not be able to start your rescue dog with your livestock right away. This is particularly true if your dog has never guarded livestock.

The first thing you will need to do is help your dog to feel safe and secure. He will need to adapt to being in a new place and you will need to develop a relationship with him. This may happen very quickly over just a few days or it may take weeks or even months. This step is critical for your dog’s long term happiness and his success as a livestock guardian. An insecure, anxious, or fearful dog will never be an ideal guardian.

Some LGD caretakers hate to hear this, but your rescue dog will likely need to sleep in the house initially (particularly if he’s never been an outside dog).

You can certainly try seeing how he does outside first. Set up a secure spot for your dog near the area where your livestock are (do not leave your new dog loose with the livestock without supervision at this time). If you have other LGDs, see how he does with them. If he seems to integrate well into the pack, you may be able to leave him with them (this would be wonderful!). You may still need to crate him (in the vicinity of your other dogs) or separate him into an adjacent pen where he can still see the dogs until you know for sure he is safe with the dogs and that your livestock are safe with him. This is definitely a ‘play it by ear’ sort of thing.

If your dog seems nervous, fearful, or stressed out in any way about being left alone outside (or with other outside dogs), bring him into the house until he adjusts. If your dog has what it takes to be a good livestock guardian, this will not “spoil” him as many believe. Making sure your dog feels secure, safe, and bonded to you is your first priority. Bonding him to the livestock and getting him to live with them full time comes next.

Let your dog sleep in your room initially. If you are dead set against that, set up a spot for him somewhere in your house where you will spend time with him during the day (so it becomes familiar and safe to him).

You will initially want to spend as much time as you possibly can with your new dog. This will help him to feel safe and to bond with you. If your dog is comfortable going outside, walk him around your property and introduce him to the livestock through the fence. If your dog hasn’t learned the “come” command, you will need to teach this to him before letting him loose with the livestock.

Training Your Rescue Livestock Guardian Dog with Livestock

When your dog feels safe and secure, you can start leaving him outside in a secure area where he can see the livestock. If your dog doesn’t want to be left alone out here, you may have to work on separation anxiety training. I will write a whole post on how to do this, but below is a YouTube video that provides a great introduction to the process.

You will next want to start feeding your livestock next to the dog’s secure area, so they start getting used to each other. Make sure to walk your rescue dog around his territory multiple times per day. When you first let your dog in the same enclosure with the livestock, closely observe how the dog and livestock react to one another. Keep the dog close by at first to ensure no chasing or unwanted behavior occurs.

If all goes well, let the dog begin to explore and sniff the animals. Once you feel like your dog understands his territory, is comfortable with the livestock, and has established some semblance of a routine, it is okay to release the dog into the flock or herd (make sure to still closely supervise as they are still learning).

How long this introduction process takes will greatly depend on the dog and his previous history. If they were previously a working dog, this may only take a week or so. If the rescue was a household dog, this can take months. Be patient with the dog and give him time, but also be aware that the dog may not end up being a good fit as an LGD.

If you need more information on caring for, bonding with, and training your new rescue dog, I highly recommend expert dog trainer Adrienne Farricelli’s online program, Brain Training for Dogs (affiliate link). This program includes courses on dog training with positive methods, and it offers a huge library of resources for any behavior problems you may have with your rescue dog.

In Brain Training for Dogs, Adrienne offers multiple articles on working with fearful dogs. These articles include methods for helping dogs who are afraid of going outside, afraid of going on walks, afraid of noises, and even those with a fear of hands and people wearing hats. She pretty much writes about every topic you can imagine, and she provides excellent information specifically on helping fearful rescue dogs. And of course, she has lots of material on dogs with separation anxiety (and other forms of anxiety). I used her techniques on our herding dog, who was a particularly fearful puppy, with amazing results.

The best part about Brain Training for Dogs, though, is that Adrienne is available to answer your questions in the members’ forum. She is incredibly helpful and would be an invaluable resource if you are working with rescue dogs. For a full review of her program, see my article here.

If you are especially interested in information on bonding with and caring for your dog (and not so much on training), I also recommend the short book, Love Has No Age Limit: Welcoming an Adopted Dog into Your Home, by Patricia B. McConnell and Karen B. London. And if your rescue dog is particularly fearful, I highly recommend the short book, The Cautious Canine: How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears, by Patricia B. McConnell. Really, anything by Patricia B. McConnell is a win…

… Including the quote below, which is probably the best advice I can leave you with:

For Love of Livestock