About Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs)

Kuvasz dogs love to work. This which makes Kuvasz excellent Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGD). If you’re thinking of using a LGD as a protector, here are a few tips…

There are times when an older Kuvasz can be brought home and will bond with your sheep and do a great job, but normally you’ll have better results training a Livestock Guardian Dog if you start with a puppy.

Pups develop a strong bond when they are exposed to the livestock they will be guarding at an early age. It will take longer for an older Kuvasz to develop a bond with your livestock. However, there are many situations where I’ve placed older Kuvasz with livestock and they’ve been extremely successful. I like to work one-on-one with each new family (owner) and after much discussion we can determine if I have an older dog that will be suitable as a LGD, and depending on the distance, I can bring the LDG to their home and see how things work out.

When you first bring your Livestock Guardian Dog home it’s time for bonding. Create a safe and secure pen where your LGD dog has their own space to eat (sheep like dog food) and introduce your Kuvasz to your animals slowly. It’s best to put a puppy in a small, well-fenced paddock with 3 or 4 sheep. This will allow your puppy to bond, and also make sure your puppy doesn’t get hurt by livestock. If they do, they can become fearful of the animals.

Between the ages of 5 to 8 months, puppies will generally behave well, but like to test boundaries. At this age, the pup should be in a paddock that it cannot escape out of. Livestock Guardian Kuvasz Dogs that learn to wander during this stage may end up being wanderers for life. If the puppy never learns to escape, he will never do it.

Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGD) Are Like Teenagers

From about 8 to 18 months, Kuvasz act like teenagers and often get into trouble. These teenage years are the most frustrating, and you must have patience and be diligent with your dog. Try to expose your Kuvasz to as many new things as possible. For example, show them a new breeding ram or a newborn lamb – but keep a close watch. The more exposure they have the calmer they will be when they encounter new things later in life.

Keep in mind, it’s not uncommon for a teenage Kuvasz to chew the sheep’s ears, pull the wool, bite the tail and chase them around. Puppies that are allowed to engage in this type of play behaviour can later start killing. During their teenager phase it’s best not to put your dog out by themselves to look after your sheep. Instead set boundaries and keep a close watch. Many Kuvasz owners find this stage extremely frustrating, however if you hang in there, you will have an amazing dog as he or she matures.

More About Livestock Guardian Dogs

Being a larger breed, the lifespan of a Kuvasz ranges between 10 and 14 years. Since it takes about two years to raise a puppy to be a good livestock guardian dog, consider getting a LGD replacement while your current dog is still in good shape. Your older dog can play a major role in training the young puppy.

After 18 months of age your Kuvasz will soon become a loyal and hard working livestock guardian dog (LDG). But remember that guard dogs protect best when they work in groups. Balance of power is absolutely key. The very best trained fighter does not stand a chance against a gang. The same applies for our dogs. A single LGD, of any breed does not stand a chance against a huge predator or a pack of wolves or coyotes. Those who say livestock guardian dogs don’t work out, have too few dogs and haven’t maintained that balance of power.

Having too few dogs creates a bad situation and lets wildlife the opportunity to come in. Be fair to your dog and assess the size and numbers in your predator load, then gear your farm to the right amount of LGD’s needed for the job. In British Columbia and Alberta where they have large predators like wolves, bears, moose and bobcats, livestock guardian dogs (LGD’s) who work in larger groups do very well.