Herd Guard Dog
The herd guardian dog is a large and strong dog that is bred for the protection and defense of the herd entrusted to him against humans and animals.
description
To keep the flock together, to herd, shepherds use small and agile dogs, which are known as herding dogs . However, these dogs cannot drive away large predators such as wolves and are therefore themselves endangered. This task is taken over by the herd guard dogs, although some breeds of herd dogs cannot always be clearly assigned to the herding or herd guard dogs because they guard and protect the herd, like the German shepherd dog . The division of tasks can be observed particularly in mountainous areas with a limited food supply for predators, which also attack guarded goats and sheep there. At the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the herd protection dog breeds can therefore be found predominantly under the section of mountain dogs .
Guard dogs are born within a herd of livestock and grow up there. The permanent proximity to farm animals and their fellow animals is the basic requirement for their later use as herd guard dogs. Many guard dogs spend a lot of time alone with the herd. They are largely independent of the shepherds and are also unobserved. This presupposes a self-confident dog that is capable of independent work.
The protective behavior of the guard dogs is particularly clear at dusk and at night, as these are the preferred times of the predators . The protective behavior and the pronounced, keen senses that allow the dog to register at any time what is happening in its immediate and wider environment are largely genetically fixed.
Protective and territorial behavior
A strong protective and territorial behavior are among the outstanding characteristics of the herd protection dog. Basically everything foreign within its territory is viewed with caution and suspicion and chased away at the slightest hint of danger for the herd, whereby the strategy of these dogs lies more in defensive defense . The territory of the guard dog kept as a family dog usually includes not only their own property marked out with the garden fence, but also the wider visible environment as well as frequently visited places and walks.
To the external observer, “peaceful” herd guard dogs appear rather sleepy or inactive. This is mostly due to the fact that the guard dog is different from z. B. Shepherd dogs doze most of the time in their territory. Nevertheless, the supposedly dozing dog can transform itself into an imposing, quick-reacting protective dog in a matter of seconds. The economical and sensible use of his forces is decisive for the effective protection of his entrusted herd.
Neither now nor then was it in the interests of a shepherd that his guard dog chases after every supposed enemy and does not divide his energy sensibly. Rather, the well-managed herd guard dog observes the "enemy" from a safe distance, presents himself to him and makes himself clearly noticeable. Usually he places himself between his flock and the enemy.
Legends
The legend is told of many herd guard dog forms of how bravely they would have stood against whole packs of wolves and bears. One speaks of their strong group feeling and their victorious attacks against such enemies. However, this is widely regarded as a fairy tale, because even the most impressive herd guard dog knows that it could not survive such a fight unscathed.
Livestock guardian dogs do not usually attack bitingly. Their size and imposing appearance alone are enough for most two- or four-legged predators to keep their distance, especially since many shepherds keep two, three or more herd guard dogs in their herd, which mostly act as a team in unsafe phases.
Races
The WWF names the most famous breeds Maremma-Abruzzo Shepherd Dog , Pyrenees Mountain Dog , Caucasian Ovcharka , Kuvasz and Kangal . An overview of herd protection dog breeds worldwide can be found in the experience report on the use of herd protection dogs in Switzerland from 1999 on page 6. Originally the large mountain dogs (as FCI breeds Bernese Mountain Dogs and Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs ) and St. Bernard dogs were also used as herd protection dogs; Switzerland still kept mountain dogs as working dogs .
Not every single dog of these breeds can be used as a herd guardian or shows the typical characteristics, which include a high level of territoriality and independence. Nevertheless, a corresponding behavior can be found among representatives of these races; Occasionally to often, depending on the breed and breed line.
See also
literature
- Petra Krivy: Herd Guard Dogs - From Herd Guard to Family Companion . 1st edition. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-440-09749-8 .
- Thomas Achim Schoke: Guard dogs. Animal Learn-Verlag, Grassau 2003, ISBN 3-936188-08-4 .
Web links
- Herd protection department , at HSH-CH
- Robin Rigg: Livestock guarding dogs: their current use world wide. 2001. (pdf; 553 kB)
- Film about the breeding and training of herd guard dogs in Valais (Switzerland)
- Herd guard dogs drive out Wolf and Wanderer SRF Einstein from September 19, 2013. Film about the use of herd guard dogs in Switzerland
- Dealing with guard dogs, species protection in Saxony, Saxon State Ministry for the Environment and Agriculture, online version of the brochure from November 2012
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b WWF : The use of guard dogs
- ↑ Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE): Livestock Guardian Dogs Carnivore Damage Prevention News No 9 December 2005
- ↑ Bavarian State Institute for Agriculture: Herd protection dogs to ward off intruders
- ↑ Günther Bloch : The world of herd guard dogs
- ↑ a b Jean-Marc Landry: The use of herd guard dogs in the Swiss Alps: first experiences (PDF; 402 kB) , in: KORA report No. 2, August 1999, ISSN 1422-5123 (KORA: coordinated research projects for conservation and for Management of predators in Switzerland )
- ↑ Dorit Urd Feddersen-Petersen : Expert opinion on keeping guard dogs , Kiel, 2000