Elder Council

Lore & Background

Herding dogs originated in Western Asia, on the territory of modern Iran and Iraq, in association with the beginning of livestock breeding. Domestication of sheep and goats began there in the eighth and seventh millennia BC. In this era, shepherding was a difficult job: the first shepherds did not have horses and managed livestock on foot, as mules, horses and donkeys were not yet fully domesticated and obedient enough. Dogs that previously were helping humans to hunt became assistants in farming. The main task of dogs in the early period was to protect herds from a variety of wild predators, which were very numerous at that time. This function predetermined the type of herding dogs: they had to be strong, vicious, courageous, decisive, able to stand alone against a large predator and, most importantly, ready to defend their herd. The ancestors of livestock guarding dogs can be traced back around six thousand years. The land of their origin is considered to be the territories of modern Turkey, Iraq and Syria. Livestock dogs are mentioned in the Old Testament, the works of Cato the Elder and Varro. Images are found on works of art created more than two thousand years ago. Their use being recorded as early as 150 BC in Rome. Both Aristotle's History of Animals and Virgil's Georgics mention the use of livestock guardian dogs by the Molossians in the ancient region of Epirus.

In Their Own Story

In Namibia in Southwest Africa, Anatolians are used to guard goat herds from cheetahs, and are typically imprinted between 7 and 8 weeks of age. Before use of dogs was implemented, impoverished Namibian farmers often came into conflict with predatory cheetahs; now, Anatolians usually are able to drive off cheetahs with their barking and displays of aggression. The experiments of Lorna and Raymond Coppinger and the studies of other specialists have shown the effectiveness of protecting flocks with the help of dogs. After the reintroduction of wolves, that were eliminated in the United States in the 1930s, American farmers were losing about a million sheep annually to wolf attacks. 76 farmers took part in the Coppingers program, which introduced European livestock guardian dogs into the US sheep breeding (in their project they used Anatolian Shepherd Dogs). In all farms, where, in the absence of dogs, up to two hundred attacks of wolves per year happened, not a single sheep was lost under the protection of LGDs. At the same time, none of the predators protected by law got killed: the dogs simply did not allow them to approach the herd.

Reader's Guide

Livestock guardian dogs specialise in protection of small farm animals, mainly sheep. Unlike herds of cattle or horses, which are able to withstand even large predators on their own, herds of sheep and goats need the protection that LGDs are designed to provide. In large farms, sheep are managed mainly by using the distant-pasture method. In winter the flocks are kept in low-lying pastures or in paddocks, and in the summer they are moved to remote regions, often to the mountains, where there is enough grass during the summer drought. LGDs guard livestock on pastures throughout the year, and also protect sheep from attacks of predators during seasonal migrations. The dogs are introduced to livestock as puppies so they 'imprint' on the animals. Experts recommend that the pups begin living with the herd at 4 to 5 weeks of age. This imprinting is thought to be largely olfactory and occurs between 3 and 16 weeks of age. Training requires regular daily handling and management, preferably from birth. A guardian dog is not considered reliable until it is at least 2 years of age. Until that time, supervision, guidance, and correction are needed to teach the dog the skills and rules it needs to do its job. Having older dogs that assist in training younger dogs streamlines this process considerably. For the protection of flocks, on average, five dogs are used per 350 heads of sheep, but the need for LGDs depends on many conditions, such as the landscape and size of the territory, vegetation available in the pasture area, the species, breed and number of animals in the herd, the presence of a shepherd, the presence or absence of fences and other means of protection, the number and species composition of predators, as well as the breed, age, health status of LGDs and their experience.

Did You Know?

• The ancestors of livestock guarding dogs can be traced back around six thousand years, with their origin considered to be the territories of modern Turkey, Iraq and Syria.
• Livestock dogs are mentioned in the Old Testament, the works of Cato the Elder and Varro, and images are found on works of art created more than two thousand years ago.
• In Namibia, Anatolians are used to guard goat herds from cheetahs, and are typically imprinted between 7 and 8 weeks of age.
• After the reintroduction of wolves in the United States in the 1930s, American farmers were losing about a million sheep annually to wolf attacks; in the Coppingers program, not a single sheep was lost under the protection of LGDs.
• In Italy's Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, where LGDs and wolves have coexisted for centuries, older, more experienced wolves seem to 'know' the LGDs and leave their flocks alone.