Livestock Guardians

The number of hobby farmers in the United States is steadily rising. At the same time, predators are increasing in number and range. These predators pose a serious threat to both farm animals and the financial well-being of the farmers who raise them. Fortunately, there's a solution that is low cost, nonviolent, and highly effective: livestock guardian animals. Livestock Guardians, by Jan Dohner, is a comprehensive guide for farmers struggling to reduce predation of sheep, goats, and other livestock. Dohner, who has more than 26 years of experience with guardian animals, helps owners understand the keys to effective livestock protection: careful selection of the right guardian animal, proper guardian livestock bonding, dedicated training, and ongoing problem-solving. Three chapters address the use of guardian dogs; collectively, these chapters explain how to evaluate, train, understand, and socialize these hardworking canines. A separate chapter provides detailed information on many guardian breeds from around the world. Additional chapters on livestock guardian donkeys and llamas help readers select and train these animals as well. The thorough coverage of livestock guardians includes health care information; breed profiles; case studies of real farmers effectively using guard animals; an appendix with resources, organizations, and Web sites; and a 16-page color photographic insert of guardian breeds. Using Dohner's comprehensive, practical advice, farmers will be able to reduce predation, decrease the need for corralling be better aware of disturbances in flocks, effectively protect their family and property, and use pastures more efficiently.

Orysia Dawydiak and David Sims have achieved international fame for their pioneering work with livestock protection dogs. For years they have championed the age-old practice of using dogs to guard herds and flocks. With the environmental damage caused by poisons and traps, livestock guardian dogs provide an ecologically sound, safe and economical alternative for farmers and ranchers trying to reduce their losses. This complete guide will tell you all you need to know, including the authors' revolutionary discoveries on temperament testing these breeds. This extraordinary book is chock full of useful information.

Gain a deeper understanding of your canine friends through these in-depth breed profiles that showcase how working dogs think. From familiar breeds like the Border Collie, Corgi, and Dachshund to the lesser-known Akbash, Puli, and Hovawart, Janet Vorwald Dohner describes 93 breeds of livestock guardian dogs, herding dogs, terriers, and traditional multipurpose farm dogs, highlighting the tasks each dog is best suited for and describing its physical characteristics and temperament. She also offers an accessible history of how humans bred dogs to become our partners in work and beyond, providing a thorough introduction to these highly intelligent, independent, and energetic breeds.

Provocative, exciting, thoughtful and one of the most exciting dog books, The Way of The Pack: Understanding and Living With Livestock Guardian Dogs is becoming one of the most favorite LGD books ever written. Since it's publishing on September 17, 2018, The Way of The Pack has become an incredibly popular, positive book for working LGDs. Brenda M. Negri's The Way of The Pack's book spent decades of writing, research, photographs, magazines and LGD ownerships including four classic LGD movie films she has been on. For people who are honest about holistic, kinder, spiritual, intelligent and compassionate path for shepherds and ranchers using LGDs to effect co-existence with predators, and, by keeping livestock safe using non-lethal means, Negri's famous "five golden rules" have become a "mantra" for new American LGD owners. Over 340 pages and more than 40 chapters will lay out much needed practical advice and help. Tons of recommended, reading resources and photographs; everything ranging from first-aid kits and old aging dog to young puppies and siblings and decades of training advice, You Tubes, photographs and helpful resource. This book can give help to any truthful LGD owner who wants to learn. The Way of The Pack: Understanding and Living With Livestock Guardian Dogs can show us lives, understanding, and kindness in our own LGDs.

"The need to preserve farm animal diversity is increasingly urgent, says the author of this definitive book on endangered breeds of livestock and poultry. Farmyard animals may hold critical keys for our survival, Jan Dohner warns, and with each extinction, genetic traits of potentially vital importance to our agricultural future or to medical progress are forever lost."--BOOK JACKET.

“Based on the latest findings in the field of canine cognition and behavior, this book is an invaluable resource.” —Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard To Think Straight About Animals Every dog owner knows that along with the joy can come the stress and frustration of behavioral problems, which are expensive to diagnose and treat. Enter Kim Brophey, award-winning canine behavior consultant. Using cutting-edge research, Brophey has developed a groundbreaking system that allows owners to identify what their dog is struggling with, why, and how they can fix it. Brophey’s approach is unlike anything that has been published before and will give dog owners a new understanding of what motivates and affects their dog’s behavior. This innovative technique rethinks the way we categorize dogs, and distills information from over twenty scientific disciplines into four comprehensive elements: learning, environment, genetics, and self. With revolutionary tips for specific dog breeds, this book will change dog owners’ lives—and lead to happier human-canine relationships. “It’s refreshing to finally find a book that takes into consideration the many predispositions to behavior problems in dogs . . . teaches us to really see the dog in its entirety.” —Alexandre Rossi, author of A Dog at the Keyboard

Whether you want to the make most of a small plot of land or add diversity to a large farm, raising miniature livestock can be a fun and profitable experience. With expert advice on choosing a breed that suits your needs, Sue Weaver shows you how to house, feed, and care for miniature goats, sheep, donkeys, pigs, horses, cattle, and llamas. You’ll be inspired by profiles of successful breeders as you learn everything you need to know to keep your miniature livestock healthy and productive.